The level of criticism aimed at Toronto FC this spring is somewhat shocking considering the season is barely underway.
But it’s simply a response to the collection of oddly-timed and confounding moves made by the front office. And therein lies the secret.
It’s not just about this season and it’s not just about the player transactions. The genesis of how we got to this point might date back to one very important boardroom decision made shortly after the franchise was awarded. And that was to name one man in charge of the entire football operation.
This isn’t a knock against Mo Johnston, although I do wish he was more forthcoming about what the plan is for this team. It’s more about the philosophy from above. Can one man come into a company like MLSE and run the show effectively? There are no checks and balances here. There is only knowledgeable soccer staff below Johnston and none above him to provide another informed opinion and perhaps suggest a better way from time to time. In my opinion, decision-making by consensus is hard to beat.
Compare the structure at Toronto FC to the Vancouver Whitecaps. The football operation there is run by Bob Lenarduzzi and Paul Barber. The Director of Soccer Operations is Tom Soehn. Finally, below Soehn is head coach Teitur Thordarson and the rest of the coaching staff.
Soehn is Mo Johnston’s equal in Vancouver and yet he has two solid football people with a lifetime in the game above him. Lenarduzzi is a legend in British Columbia, enjoyed a distinguished career for both club and country and has coached and managed since the day he retired. All he knows is football. All Barber did was run many key areas of English Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur including soccer development beginning in 2005 until joining the Whitecaps last fall.
This is not a criticism of Richard Peddie and Tom Anselmi. MLSE makes millions for its shareholders and TFC have been hugely successful in every key area but one. BMO Field has hosted an MLS All-Star game and will be the site of the MLS Cup this coming fall. They made it happen. But they would also be the first to admit they are not football people. In Toronto, these matters are all in the hands of one man, with final sign off by Anselmi of course. I can only imagine the difference between a football operations meeting in Vancouver compared to Toronto.
Does it not make sense that the Vancouver model is more likely to succeed than the one in Toronto?
I realize, of course, that both the Maple Leafs and Raptors are run the same way with Brian Burke and Bryan Colangelo respectively holding the same positions as Mo Johnston does in his BMO office. The difference is the hockey and basketball cultures have a deep rooted history in North America, understood by all executives. It’s not the same with soccer.
The jury is still out on this season and maybe the tandem of Johnston and Preki will make it work. But it seems to me they are handicapped by the simple fact that there are no other pure football minds in the front office to lead the way.