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Tattica: Are the pieces there for TFC heading towards 2015?
There is nothing new in Toronto after this past weekend, and in all honesty, much of this season. A 3-1 defeat to NYRB put TFC’s playoff hopes in jeopardy. There is still a chance for Toronto to make the post-season, but the chances are slim to none. So, this season should be no different from the previous seven, with Toronto missing the post-season for the eighth straight year – a distinction only TFC have had in almost twenty years of MLS.
Back in the pre-season, things looked different as expectations were high. Tim Leiweke, the then-Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment President, was set to turn things around at TFC. DPs Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe were added during the off-season and people around MLS started looking to TFC as playoff contenders.
Michael Bradley’s return to North America, and Toronto FC, worked extremely well, but other pieces lacked. Defoe was injury-prone and struggled to stay healthy, enough so that goalscoring and finishing remained a going concern for most of 2014. The Defence was a mess. The Offense lacked of true scoring threats other than Defoe and Brazilian forward Gilberto. The lack of results and poor home performances lead to the firing of Ryan Nelsen.
But, above all, TFC suffered another year of turmoil upstairs. With Tim Leiweke leaving, general manager Tim Bezbatchenko took the reigns. After Nelsen’s stint as head coach ended following a disappointing 3-0 home loss against New England, Bezbatchenko installed Greg Vanney as the team’s new manager.
With 10 games still to go in the season, chances to reach the post-season were still alive. The most recent three consecutive losses to LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo and New York Red Bulls has abruptly ended the team’s dream to reach the MLS Cup race for the first time in their existence.
So, TFC is at the starting point once again. As good as Toronto were supposed to be at the start of this campaign, ultimately it was not enough.
Despite the fact he lead the team to a 2-5-1 record since the takeover, Greg Vanney deserves another chance. Yes, he committed some mistakes. He relied too much on Bradley and left his team one-dimensional. He failed to find the right partner to Bradley in the middle of the pitch. He experienced too many losses at BMO Field.
But this is not all Vanney’s fault. In the end, he was not given enough time to reverse the team’s fortunes. Toronto FC need stability and confirming Vanney for 2015 could provide it. Giving him a full pre-season to work with the squad will help Vanney to model his side according to his coaching philosophy.
The big question is what Toronto’s roster will look like next season. With Defoe flirting with a Premier League return, the feeling is that Toronto could suffer a major overhaul.
This is something they do not need. There is no question that a team who misses the playoffs have issues in terms of their roster, but what is important to recognize is that focusing on quality over quantity could make all the difference for 2015.
This roster needs to improve but not dramatically. Joe Bendik likely needs competition between the sticks, the backline could do with an MLS veteran to add depth in the centre back position, and should Defoe depart, that leaves plenty of potential to search for the right fit in the attacking third. There are a handful of draft picks that if well scouted could be immediate contributors as well as academy players coming up that could be on the brink of competing from the get go.
TFC supporters are undoubtedly reeling from another season without the playoffs, and the front office certainly feeling the heat. However, cooler heads prevail and if Bezbatchenko et al. can forge a plan, stick with it, and bring in the right pieces, 2015 can be a step in progression that many other MLS teams have followed successfully into the playoffs.
Michele Tossani is a football tactician with a Ph.D. in History. Michele resides in Florence, Italy and is a tactical analyst for Futbol-Tactico.com
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