(Editorial) – If nothing else, the 2015 Toronto FC team will go down as the first to make the MLS Playoffs. The club’s history is almost a comedy of errors: short lived coaches, big name/money Designated Players being called saviors then failing, and a team with a top payroll in MLS consistently finishing at the bottom of the table.
TFC turned the corner in 2015 in many aspects. They made the playoffs. They’ve hit big on two DPs, Michael Bradley and Sebastian Giovinco, the probable league MVP. I’m cautiously hopeful about Jozy Altidore. There is reason for optimism going into 2016. The front office also didn’t trade away a player who immediately found success elsewhere, something that is very TFC.
There are several clear tasks for this TFC offseason. The back line needs some overhaul. The club should prioritize signing a reliable holding midfielder and right back. Adding some depth at any position on the field would also help. The goal for 2016 should be to make the playoffs again, improve on the seeding, and on how far they get in the playoffs. Winning back the Canadian Championship would be nice too.
Now that the front office appears headed in the right direction, the next limiting factor the coaching staff and its vision.
An argument can be made that head coach Greg Vanney has not improved his managerial skills this year. There was no clear Starting XI, style of play, or formation. The game plan appeared to be ‘back pedal defend, get the ball, get it to Giovinco, and hope he scores.’ The question then is: should TFC fire Greg Vanney?
To answer this question, I feel it’s best to start with Vanney’s background and experience. The 41-year-old played 13 years professionally, mostly with the LA Galaxy. He also had a 10 year USMNT career as a defender, making 37 caps and scoring a goal.
From 2008-11, Vanney was a member of Real Salt Lake’s academy staff. He helped start RSL’s groundbreaking Arizona Academy and was a key visionary that helped make that academy successful. He left RSL in January 2011 to become an assistant coach with Chivas USA under Robin Frasier.
Fraser and his staff were let go at the end of the 2012 season after missing the playoffs both seasons. TFC brought Vanney in 2013 as an assistant general manager and academy director. He did help improve the TFC academy, and the club has since signed four Homegrown players in the three years since.
Toronto dismissed head coach Ryan Nelson in the middle of the 2013 MLS season. Vanney was appointed head coach afterwards, without an interim tag. The lack of the interim title puzzled me at the time, considering the mid-season change and Vanney’s lack of head coaching experience. TFC had a 9-9-2 record when Vanney took over. They finished the season 3-7-3 under him.
Had he been an interim coach, I have a hard time believing he would have been appointed head coach with that record. TFC had a 0.500 record in 2015. Vanney’s record as manager is 18-22-6, not great considering the team’s salary, expectation, and star power.
One could look at Fraser and see how he and his other prodigies are doing. After leaving Chivas, Fraser spent a year with Red Bulls New York and then joined Vanney as one of his assistant coaches. Not stellar.
So Vanney’s coaching pedigree is not that impressive. His record is average. But he showed good CEO skills in an academy and development setting. Even though the results aren’t great, what about the performance? Is there a clear vision being realized?
Not really. For one, Vanney never settled on a formation. A 4-3-1-2, a diamond, a 4-3-3, and a traditional 4-4-2 were all used at some point this year. There was a high variability in what worked and when and how it did.
Vanney also had trouble ironing out roles for his super stars. Giovinco was regularly in an attacking role, but his place on the field varied. Vanney moved Bradley around a lot, having him play as a #10, a holding midfielder, and everything in between. Isn’t there some other coach moving Bradley around everyone wants fired?
Vanney also did not do a good job integrating midseason acquisition, Herculez Gomez (7 caps, 2 starts, 1 goal).
While he did well as an academy director, the young talent on this squad has not progressed much under Vanney. Daniel Lovitz and Nick Hagglund both saw less playing time in 2015 than they did in 2014. Vanney should be given credit for fitting Marky Delgado and Jonathan Osorio into the Starting XI at times. Both have improved since the summer. Still, neither of those players have a well defined position or role.
The most ignominious error of the year came in the playoff knockout game. TFC had lost to the Montreal Impact on Decision Day, 2-1.
The two sides would meet again just three days later in the knockout round. TFC needed to adjust and play better to win. What did they do? They used the exact same lineup, formation, and game plan. Montreal adjusted so they could do what worked Decision Day, only better. The result?
A 3-0 Montreal win with all three goals coming in the first half. The only time Toronto got going was in the second half when Montreal decided to park the bus with a three goal lead.
Montreal is a more complete team, but Vanney got outcoached. As a result, his side had no chance to win.
Greg Vanney is an quality academy executive. I think he can become a good head coach in MLS. Just not now with Toronto FC, where he has all these tools he does not know how to use. His team does not play as well as the sum of its parts.
The big red flag for me is the fact that he hasn’t helped progress the young players, several of whom are academy players he was already familiar with when he took the head coaching job. One would expect that to be his key strength as a coach.
He could go elsewhere and turn an academy around. He could go be an assistant under an established and experienced coach elsewhere and learn. He just doesn’t appear equipped to build on what TFC did this year. A low playoff seed and probably early exit might be as good as it gets.
If Vanney does return in 2016, he will need to find a formation that fits his team. Developing a system is the first step to prolonged success.
TFC appears willing to break the bank on DPs. They’ve finally hit on them. They need to make a few good role player signings in the offseason. If they can spend on DPs, they should be able to spend on an established and experienced coach (something they’ve never had). Firing Vanney and bringing in the right head coach could be what gets TFC their first MLS Cup.
Jason Kreis might become available. Bradley playing in a diamond anyone? Sigi Schmidt is also possible, but less likely.
I don’t know if anything would bring Bob Bradley back to MLS considering his market value right now. But, if anything would, a big wad of cash and getting to coach his son might be it.
