TORONTO—Maybe Greg Vanney was simply trying to rally the troops ahead of the big game.
Or maybe he was in full “spin mode.” Or maybe he was just being honest about how he felt.
Whatever it was, the newly-installed Toronto FC coach said Friday that he believes the club has improved since he took over from Ryan Nelsen on Aug. 31—this despite the team winning one of four games and taking four out of a possible 12 points since the managerial switch.
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After losing their first two outings under Vanney, the Reds rebounded by battling to a draw away to the Chicago Fire, a game they should have won had Gilberto’s late winner not been incorrectly waived off by the referee. Then last week TFC blanked lowly Chivas USA 3-0 at home, ending a six-game winless skid.
“We’re absolutely making progress. It’s a short amount of time and there’s a lot of riding on each one of these games. We can’t spend every single day working on things that we want to develop as a team, and we have to pay a little attention to our opponent for each match. But [we’re] making progress,” Vaney told reporters after Friday’s practice.
Star midfielder Michael Bradley agreed: “If you look at the past two games, there’s a lot of positives. … The performance on the field, the way we’re playing in terms of finding balance, and not giving away as many chances and not conceding as many poor goals.”
Prior to the Chivas game, the Reds registered just a single clean sheet in their previous 16 matches, and gave up a whopping 30 goals in that run.
Vanney explained that the tactical messages he’s trying to impart to the players during practices are sinking in.
“They took for themselves specific actions out of the last match straight from the training ground,” Vanney stated. “The fight back in Chicago followed up by the win here against Chivas, it’s just about building confidence and a mentality, and turning a corner from what was a bit of a skid.”
The Reds currently sit seventh in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference, three points back of the fifth-place Columbus Crew, although Toronto has a game in hand. The top five teams in the East qualify for the playoffs. Realistically, TFC has to win two or three of their remaining six matches if it’s going to qualify for the post-season.
A good place to start is Saturday afternoon’s home contest against the Portland Timbers, who currently hold down the fifth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference. After Saturday’s tilt, the Reds face tough opponents in the form of the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls in two of their next three matches.
“Three points [are] crucial to us,” Toronto captain Steven Caldwell said of the Portland match.
Midfielder Collen Warner (hamstring) is very questionable for Saturday’s game. If he can’t play, look for Vanney to continue to go with the Bradley-Jonathan Osorio duo in central midfield.
TFC have looked livelier and dynamic in attack with Osorio playing next to Bradley during Warner’s injury layoff, as the pair have rekindled what was an effective midfield partnership through the first few games of the MLS campaign.
“There’s a comfort level there for sure. Throughout the pres-season and the beginning of the season, we found a good way of playing with each other. We complement each other well,” Bradley said of Osorio.
Bradley later added: “Collen is a slightly more defensive player whereas Jonathan has qualities in terms of his comfort level on the ball, in terms of finding little spaces, in terms of being able to take the ball into tight areas and turning, and start to play, and moving forward into the attack.”
Top scorer Jermain Defoe (11 goals in 16 games) rejoined Toronto FC earlier this week but is still nursing a lingering groin injury. Defoe did not train with the team on Friday morning, and instead worked out on his own. Vanney hopes to have him back in full training next week.
The expectations is that the English forward will make his return for TFC’s next game, away to the LA Galaxy on the road on Oct. 4.
Brazilian Gilberto (seven goals in 24 games) feels that he and fellow forward Luke Moore (six goals in 21 games) have played well during Defoe’s absence, and that the Englishman shouldn’t take a starting spot for granted.
“I think Defoe has to win his spot back on the team because our strikers are playing really well. We have other guys who are training hard and fighting,” Gilberto said through an interpreter.
Jackson will miss Toronto’s next two matches. The Brazilian winger picked up a red card in the last match for slapping Chivas midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, thus earning an automatic one game suspension. MLS reviewed the incident and tacked on an extra game.
Vanney said he was disappointed with Jackson over his retaliatory foul, and admitted he’s had a conversation with the Brazilian about his lack of discipline.
“It was at a time in the game when our emotions had to be in check. It was a personal conflict, and we really don’t have time for personal conflicts [at a time] where we’re pushing for a playoff spot,” Vanney stated.
Jakcson was not made available to talk to reporters after Friday’s practice.
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