Toronto FC II schedule introduces BMO Field double headers with first team
The full list of matches for the upcoming USL season has been revealed.

walkingthered.com
By James Grossi
Feb. 1, 2017

Much like MLS, the start to the 2017 USL season is just around the corner.

Last Friday, the league announced the dates for all 30 home openers, beginning with 13 matches that kick off the season on the weekend of March 25-26, and on Tuesday they confirmed the full schedule.

Toronto FC II feature in that opening round with an away date against Phoenix Rising, formerly known as Arizona United, on the Saturday.

Their home opener at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan comes a fortnight later, on Friday, April 7, when they host the Rochester Rhinos, the side against whom they closed out the 2016 season with a 1-0 loss.

TFC II will also welcome the Ottawa Fury FC to USL in their home opener on Saturday, April 22, which should be a tasty fixture. The Fury will make their USL debut on Saturday, April 1 on the road against Saint Louis FC.

Not only are the Fury provincial rivals - cue Battle of Ontario narratives - but they are also the Montreal Impact's affiliate this season after the demise of FC Montreal, making this a rivalry twice over.

Circle this one on the calendar and for those brave enough to make the trek to the capital, they can catch Friday's TFC match against the Chicago Fire before embarking to Ottawa for the following day's festivities.

The full fixture list looks like this:

It is also worth noting that TFC II will twice play at BMO Field as part of a double header with the big club, with the USL game set to kick off after the first-team match is played. Those matches are on May 13 and September 9, where the opponents will be Minnesota United/Bethlehem Steel and the San Jose Earthquakes/New York Red Bulls II for TFC and TFC II respectively.

The entire 30 week, 480 match USL schedule for all 30 clubs can be viewed here.

Expect plenty of TFC II news between now and the season’s start. The side has some substantial roster building to do - there are currently only 12 players listed on the roster page, though one gets the impression that it will be more a case of internal promotion than external signings.

TFC II began their preseason with the first team, getting fitness testing out of the way before the next phase of TFC's training moved to California - that is, once a large portion of II (Liam Fraser, Shaan Hundal, Aidan Daniels, Dante Campbell, Lucca Uccello, Malik Johnson, Richie Ennin) returned from international duty with Canada in Panama.

Several of that group - Fraser, Daniels, Campbell, Ennin, Hundal, Uccello - are currently training with Canada in Mexico ahead of a pair of friendlies against youth sides from Cruz Azul and Club America in anticipation of February's CONCACAF U-20 Championship.