TORONTO — The view from the 68th floor of Scotia Plaza tells the story. Perched in a window-lined lounge overlooking the city skyline and Lake Ontario, you can see forever. But for Monica Wright Rogers, the Toronto Tempo's first-ever general manager, the horizon she's tracking is much closer — just 35 days away from tipoff.
On a late Wednesday in April, Wright Rogers wraps up a phone call about a photo shoot across town, takes a seat, and lets out a deep breath. Less than three weeks ago, her team had zero players on the roster. Now, a regular-season opener looms on May 8 — the first WNBA game ever played on Canadian soil. "I told my husband, 'Can you call my mom? Let her know I'm alive?'" she says with a grin.
The task ahead is both straightforward and monumental: Build a competitive, marketable team that represents 41 million Canadians. And do it in just over a month.
The Tempo aren't alone on this fast track. Across the border, the Portland Fire is sprinting the same timeline as part of the WNBA's 2026 expansion wave. Together, these two teams are proving there's enough passion and investment to fuel the league's growth — a bet that's already paid off with three more expansion clubs planned by 2030, reportedly bringing in $750 million in expansion fees. But the stakes aren't equal for everyone.
Being the only Canadian team in the WNBA means carrying the weight of a nation's curiosity. The Tempo will get some grace for trying to be everything to everyone in 35 days. But they don't really have time to ask for it.
"While it's very exciting to have Canada behind us and everybody's excited, there's an expectation level that comes with it," says Marina Mabrey, the eighth-year guard selected sixth overall in the expansion draft. "We're not just building a team — we're building a legacy."