Toronto FC's Spanish Adventure

For the second consecutive year, Toronto FC is off to Spain to prepare for the upcoming 2026 Major League Soccer season. TFC departed the frozen North on January 20th for a warmer surroundings with at the Marbella Football Centre for three weeks of preseason fun. While in Spain, Toronto will be playing five preseason matches against clubs from Korea, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Despite the obvious advantages of leaving a snowbound Toronto and BMO Training Ground, why would Toronto choose Spain?

Toronto FC's decision to hold a portion of their preseason in Marbella, Spain, offers significant physical benefits through the combination of natural grass and a warm, temperate climate. Playing and training on consistent, high-quality grass surfaces is a stark contrast to the artificial turf and winter conditions often faced at home in the dome at the BMO Training Ground. Reducing the repetitive stress on players' joints, muscles, and soft tissues associated with synthetic pitches is important to avoid lingering injuries. The warmer weather further aids injury management by allowing muscles to stay warm and pliable, decreasing the risk of strains and pulls during intense sessions. Trying to train in sub-zero temperatures in Toronto and a cold dome can lead to muscle pulls and general malaise. Heading off to Marbella means the squad can enter the MLS season in good physical condition with a lower risk of preseason soft-tissue injuries.

Beyond the physical advantages, Toronto FC's choice to have a preseason session in Europe serves as a strategic platform for broader club development. Facing clubs from across Europe and beyond provides a valuable benchmark, testing TFC’s tactics and players against different styles of play. For younger and emerging talents, these matches are a crucial showcase, offering them high-profile opportunities to impress not only their own coaching staff but also potential suitors abroad. This exposure can be instrumental in setting up professional relationships with European clubs, facilitating future loan deals or permanent transfers. Players like Adam Pearlman, Hugo Mbongue and Adisa De Rosario, who might be too good for TFC II and not quite ready for the regular senior minutes, such a network is vital for a club's ecosystem, creating pathways for player development and potentially generating transfer revenue that can be reinvested into the squad.

1. Toronto FC's Preseason Schedule

Finally, the Spain field trip is an invaluable exercise in team building. By leaving the familiar comforts and distractions of home in Toronto - including family, friends, and daily routines - the squad is immersed in a shared, focused environment. This isolation forces greater interaction and reliance on one another, fostering stronger interpersonal bonds and a unified team culture. Shared experiences, from challenging training sessions to communal meals and downtime in a foreign setting, accelerate the gelling process for new signings and reinforce the collective identity of the group. This enhanced cohesiveness, built through shared adversity and focus, often translates into improved communication and resilience on the pitch, forming an intangible yet critical foundation for the challenges of the upcoming season.

Toronto FC finished twelfth in the league last year after spending the Preseason in Marbella. However, TFC is not having to deal with a disgruntled Lorenzo Insigne as a giant (or diminutive) distraction. Hopefully this session results in improved results during the upcoming MLS season.