Toronto FC announced last night that their senior TFC Academy team in League1 Ontario will be branded Toronto FC III, with Danny Dichio named head coach.
What does this mean, if anything? The TFC youth ecosystem can be a complex beast from the outside looking in, but last season the top level of the academy structure was split like this:
- Two 'senior' teams (with player crossover), coached by Stuart Neely, playing in the USL's Premier Development League and League1 Ontario
- A 'junior' team, coached by Dichio, playing in the Ontario Soccer Under-21 League
The name 'TFC III' is illustrative of the club's attempts to build a European-style pathway through the ranks to the senior team at progressively more challenging levels.