In 2008 MLSE launched the TFC Academy youth system to develop soccer players for Toronto FC by taking advantage of MLS's new homegrown player rule which allows clubs to retain the rights to players they develop without them being subject to the MLS SuperDraft. The senior academy team originally competed in the Canadian Soccer League until pulling out in early 2013 due to the CSL losing its sanctioning from the Canadian Soccer Association. The team played that year in the Ontario Soccer League before joining League1 Ontario for the 2014 season. In November 2014 MLSE announced the establishment of Toronto FC II, their own minor league professional soccer team playing in the United Soccer League (now known as the USL Championship) and serving as a reserve team for TFC and a bridge between the Academy. The team began play in 2015 at a newly renovated 2,000 seat stadium, with plans to expand it to 5,000 by 2017, constructed at the Ontario Soccer Centre in Vaughan, just north of Toronto. However, after the expansion did not materialize, which was required to meet the 5,000 seat minimum requirement set by the United States Soccer Federation for the USL to be sanctioned as a division 2 league, the club announced that it would move its home games to BMO Field and Lamport Stadium beginning with the 2018 season. On July 2, 2018 the club announced they would move to USL League One for the league's first season in 2019.