Toronto FC saved Major League Soccer in 2007.

No, really. Just ask commissioner Don Garber, who repeated that sentiment in the years following TFC’s inaugural season.

Before there was Seattle. Before there was Portland.

Before there was a re-vamped Kansas City, Toronto FC’s raucous supporters forced fringe MLS fans to take interest back then.

Nine seasons — and no playoff berths — later, the Reds are set for something of a rebirth Sunday when they host the Houston Dynamo.

Flanked by MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum and Toronto’s upper echelon Friday afternoon, Toronto FC top boss Tim Leiweke officially unveiled the club’s new stadium.

Capacity at the “new” BMO Field has swelled to 31,000. The bells and whistles — including the addition of a plethora of suites — have improved what was previously an Erector Set venue.

The team, which enters Sunday with a 3-4-0 record following a seven-game trip, appears to be worthy of said renovations.

Now, the Reds simply have to win Sunday.

Not because they’re desperate for points. Not because it’s a home opener.

Toronto FC has to win Sunday because of the opportunity it has to replicate the energy this club hasn’t experienced since the end of the last decade.

The Reds finally have a chance to shut up critics who are still cracking jokes about what this club looked like under previous regimes.

They have a chance to change the conversation surrounding Toronto FC.

“This is an opportunity,” Toronto bench boss Greg Vanney told a throng of media at BMO Field’s ribbon-cutting.

“It comes down to what we do on the field. It’s an opportunity to establish that. We have new players, new faces, a new group. Ultimately, we have a lot to prove to our fans.

“It’s a new stadium and a lot of the aesthetics are different, but at the end of the day it comes down to this: Are we going to be an exciting team to come and watch?

“Are we going to uphold our end on the field and make our fans proud of being TFC fans and being proud of being at the stadium when we do our business?”

The Reds trained for the first time this year on the pristine grass at BMO Field following Friday’s ribbon-cutting.

They’ll return to the Kia Training Ground for Saturday’s pre-match session in order to deny the Houston Dynamo a chance to practice at the stadium prior to Sunday’s match.

“The first impression was very good,” Sebastian Giovinco said of the stadium. “I can’t wait until Sunday to see our fans supporting the team. This is a nice stadium.”

The Italian hasn’t yet featured in front of home supporters following two months on the road.

“Playing seven games in a row away is not easy,” Giovinco added. “Finally, we’re back home and we’ll start playing at home and try and get the best out of it.”

Club captain Michael Bradley has appealed for fan support before. He has preached patience, too. In terms of matches the American international has played in MLS, Sunday’s might be the biggest.

“It’s a shame the game isn’t tomorrow,” Bradley said. “We’ll get back to the training ground Saturday and have a quieter day. We’ll get ourselves ready and prepare a little bit more.

“It was great to get into the stadium today to see all the hard work that has been done and see for real what we’ve seen pictures of. It’s going to be a special day.”

A bizarre one, as well. The buzz inside the Stadium on Friday masked Sunday’s match — the eighth game of TFC’s season — as something more than a mid-season fixture.

Players appeared giddy. Players flashed smiles when asked for their opinions on the venue.

“You usually have this point a lot earlier in the season,” Vanney said. “It feels like we’re starting over again and we’re having our opening match, in a way, at home.

“It’s nice to put the road journey behind us. There’s a new energy and a new excitement to be home.”

Sunday’s match has been picked up nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, which is looking to capitalize on the theatre some 31,000 TFC fans will produce.

It’s the kind of theatre that has been absent from BMO Field since the days of Danny Dichio.

Spurred by poor results year after year, the game day environment down at Exhibition Place hasn’t been the same since then.

This weekend, though, that energy looks set to return.

The next step is keeping it there.

If the Reds can do that, Sunday could be the start of another new MLS era, where selling out 30,000 seats on a regular basis is no longer a pipe dream.

The Reds have a chance to once again revolutionize the way this league is viewed.

They’ve already done it through high-priced signings and renovations.

Now they have to do it through results.

All told, Sunday could be the biggest TFC match since its inaugural 90 minutes in 2007.

DWAYNE DE ROSARIO SILENT ON FUTURE

Dwayne De Rosario doesn’t want to talk to anyone.

That is, Canada’s all-time leading goal-scorer doesn’t have time for media at the moment.

When approached by the Toronto Sun on Friday at BMO Field — where the former TFCer was taking in the venue’s unveiling — the almost 37-year-old wouldn’t give us the time of day.

He said something along the lines of “this isn’t about me today.”

And that fans and media might hear something regarding his future in a week. De Rosario, of course, had his option declined by Toronto FC after a disappointing 2014 season.

The Canadian soccer icon didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with former TFC bench boss Ryan Nelsen, either, according to an informed source within the organization.

Still, there doesn’t appear to be too many sour grapes between TFC and the 2011 MLS MVP.

The Reds have approached the player with some kind of offer that could see him remain part of the club’s makeup now and in the future.

Then comes the debate concerning whether Toronto FC’s all-time leading goal-scorer deserves a place atop the club’s Wall of Honour.

It’s believed De Rosario will be honoured for his service to TFC in some way, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a Wall of Honour induction awaits.

ARGOS GO UNMENTIONED AT BMO UNVEILING

There has been so much talk about the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts moving into BMO Field.

On Friday, there was none. Nada. Not even a whisper from anyone involved with Toronto FC.

Still, MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke reiterated the fact his company remains partners with the City of Toronto, regardless of where the money came from to expand BMO Field.

The two-phase, two-year renovation ran somewhere in the neighborhood of $120 million, including a $10-million loan from the City.

“We don’t own this,” Leiweke said. “We’re here to be a partner. We’ll manage it well. We’ll make sure we win some championships.”

While the Reds re-open BMO Field on Sunday against the Houston Dynamo, much of the talk leading up to this weekend concerned the likelihood of the Argos becoming tenants in 2016.

That decision is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.

Exhibition Place board chairman Mark Grimes, a proponent of the fledgling CFL franchise moving into BMO Field, was in attendance Friday, but didn’t reference gridiron.

“People have no idea how close this came to not getting built,” Grimes said. “The timelines were so tight. It was tight and MLSE drove it home at council.

“It was just a great feeling to bring this to the city. I want to congratulate TFC for coming home with a 3-4-0 record. We’re going to host the biggest crowd here on Sunday.”

This City of Toronto expects to make a hefty sum of interest off its partnership with MLSE.

“This investment will come back to us in spades,” Grimes added. “We’re going to get the $10 million we put in, plus a great profit These are the partnerships we should be getting into.”

In addition to housing Toronto FC — and, maybe, the Argos — the new BMO Field will host the rugby sevens at this summer’s Pan Am Games.

The stadium will also host a Gold Cup game this summer between Canada and Costa Rica in addition to a FIFA World Cup qualifying match.

“Our fans deserve a home,” Leiweke said. “They deserve a world-class stadium. They deserve an opportunity to see a team make the playoffs, make a run and eventually bring the MLS Cup to Toronto. This is the beginning of something very special.”

Potentially for multiple teams.