TORONTO – Greg Vanney is a big believer that the game of soccer must first be played in the mind before it’s played out on the pitch.
Toronto FC‘s coach wants his players to think two or three steps ahead, to not simply react to game situations, but to be proactive during the course of a match. He’s also stressed to his players the need to display a mental toughness on and off the field, to always be thinking ahead and about the long-term picture, not only about short-term gains.
That lesson could be the key to forward Jordan Hamilton having his number called more often.
A 21-year-old native of Toronto, Hamilton has seen limited playing time in 2017 for the Reds, with just two substitute appearances in Major League Soccer (totalling 31 minutes) and one start in the Canadian Championship. With players the calibre of Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and the more experienced Tosaint Ricketts ahead of him on the forward depth chart, it’s little wonder that Hamilton has had to patiently bide his time.
But the young Canadian has shown well in his brief cameos, earning an assist in last week’s 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Fury in the first leg of the Canadian Championship semifinals, and coming off the bench to score one goal and set up another in last Friday’s 5-0 win over the Columbus Crew in MLS.
Waiting for a chance is nothing new for the soft-spoken Hamilton. He’s done that for most of his time since first signing with TFC as a teenager back in 2014. Opportunities to play have been few and far between, and it’s required him to develop a mental toughness.
“It’s a mental game you have to play. You never know when your chance will come and you have to be ready to take it. It’s been like that for me for about two years. In my first year here I was a teenager so you don’t expect to play much,” Hamilton told Sportsnet ahead of Wednesday night’s return match against Ottawa at BMO Field.
“Now I’m older, and it’s a mental game. You start to see your friends on the team play, you see young players around the world playing regularly, so you just have to wait for your chance. It’s about being mentally tough.
“I’ve been working on that with [Michael Rabasca, TFC’s director of cognitive development]. It’s come a long way for me and I’m just ready for the chance when it comes.
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Vanney admitted that Jordan’s performance against the Crew – he set up Jonathan Osorio’s goal in the 86th minute and then scored deep into injury time – was one of his best for TFC.
“He came into the game and it was about as good as I’ve seen Jordan play. He played with a real purpose and tenacity. He played big, he played strong. He was mobile, he got himself in front of goal. He made some good decisions, worked for the team defensively. I thought he was focused and maybe in some ways he wanted to prove something in that time period,” Vanney said
One thing Vanney would like to see more from Hamilton is consistency, not just in games but on the training ground.
“My biggest thing for Jordan and for all of our younger players is it’s not about what you can do for 30 minutes or 20 minutes. It’s what you can do consistently every single day, so that when the coach selects you he knows what he’s going to get from you. If it’s hit and miss, then it’s not reliable, and that’s the thing that I push with Jordan and the young guys,” Vanney stated.
Often deployed as the lone forward earlier in his career, Hamilton has had to adjust to playing in a partnership up front. It’s been a bit of a learning curve for the young Canadian, who can’t simply rely on his athleticism to outrun defenders and break in on goal. Hamilton is no longer the main reference point, and he has to learn how to complement his partner in leading the attack.
“Now, it becomes about his awareness of the relationship that he has with another forward and working together to create and use space with another, and not get in a situation where you’re just running for yourself. That’s his big tactical area of growth, both on the attacking side and the defending side,” Vanney explained.
“That’s been my challenge to Jordan, is to continue to grow in his ability to not just track the ball with his eyes and set himself up, but to break his eyes from the ball and recognize the relationships he has with other guys in relation to the defenders, to see the spaces better and to use the spaces better.”
NOTES: Toronto lost 2-1 in the first leg in Ottawa last week. The away-goals rule is in effect, which means the Reds can advance to the final, where they would play either the Vancouver Whitecaps or Montreal Impact, with a 1-0 win on Wednesday… Canadian midfielder Raheem Edwards is suspended for Wednesday’s match after picking up two yellow cards in Ottawa… Captain Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore will miss the second leg and Saturday’s MLS road game against the New England Revolution as they are on international duty with the U.S. national team… Star striker Sebastian Giovinco could feature against Ottawa, as he’s just awaiting final medical clearance. The Italian, who is tied for the club lead with six goals this season, missed the match in Ottawa and the last two MLS games with a quad strain.
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