Toronto's WNBA Dream Is a Work in Progress
Canada finally has a team in the WNBA — but as the Toronto Tempo's head coach Sandy Brondello will be the first to tell you, building a winner from scratch isn't something that happens overnight.
Following the Tempo's latest loss, Brondello delivered a message she's been consistent about all season: this is a journey, not a sprint. The former Australian national team head coach and decorated WNBA champion knows what success looks like — and she also knows you can't shortcut the process of building a franchise culture from the ground up.
Managing Expectations for a First-Year Franchise
The Toronto Tempo entered the 2025 WNBA season as the league's newest expansion team, and with that debut came enormous excitement from Canadian basketball fans who have long waited for a home team to cheer for at the pro level. But expansion teams rarely hit the ground running, and Brondello has been careful to balance the drive for excellence with a realistic understanding of where this team is in its development.
"We're demanding of ourselves," Brondello has said. "But we also have to acknowledge we're a new team in a very competitive league."
That competitive landscape is no joke. WNBA rosters are stacked, the pace of play is elite, and chemistry — the kind that wins games in crunch time — takes reps to develop. The Tempo are getting those reps, even when they're tough ones.
Why This Matters for Canadian Basketball
The arrival of the Toronto Tempo is a landmark moment for basketball in Canada. The country has produced a wave of NBA talent over the past decade — from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to RJ Barrett — and the women's game has been no different, with Canadian players starring in the NCAA and internationally for years.
Having a WNBA franchise in Toronto gives Canadian women's basketball players a professional destination closer to home, and gives fans a team to rally around from day one. The energy around the team has been real, even during the early stumbles.
Brondello, who led the Las Vegas Aces to a championship and has one of the best coaching resumes in the game, was a statement hire. The Tempo aren't building to be competitive someday — they're building to win. It just might take a season or two to get there.
Patience Is Part of the Plan
For fans watching early losses pile up, Brondello's message is worth sitting with: the most successful franchises in sports history weren't built in a single season. What matters is that the culture, habits, and standards are being established now — and that when the talent catches up to the vision, the foundation is already solid.
The Toronto Tempo may not be hoisting a trophy this year. But if Brondello's track record is any indication, the destination is worth the journey.
Source: CBC Sports
