If ever there was a Major League Soccer coach who decided to drink from the poisoned chalice, that coach would be Greg Vanney.
On Aug. 31, 2014, Toronto FC fired Ryan Nelsen following a 3-0 loss at home to the New England Revolution. Although sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, the Reds, with a 9-9-6 record, were trending in the wrong direction with 10 games remaining in the MLS season. TFC were mired in a dreadful run of defensive form (26 goals against in 13 matches) and Nelsen had lost the room, so general manager Tim Bezbatchenko and former president and CEO of MLSE Tim Leiweke decided to make a change.
Less than 24 hours after the loss to New England, Nelsen was gone, and Vanney, at the time an assistant GM and director of the team’s youth academy, was hired as his replacement. Vanney became the ninth Toronto coach in eight seasons. No TFC coach ever made it past two years, and considering this team’s history of managerial turnover, and Vanney’s inexperience—this was his first head coaching gig, having only previously served as an assistant coach at Chivas USA—the odds were pretty good that he wasn’t going to last long, either.
Two years later, Toronto FC has never been in better shape. The Reds boast the best player in the league, they have a playoff game under their belt (albeit in an embarrassing loss to rivals Montreal), they currently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference and are challenging for the Supporters’ Shield (awarded to the top team in MLS at the end of the regular season), and they look a sure bet to qualify for the playoffs for a second straight year.
And Vanney? He’s still in charge. This past Tuesday marked exactly two years since his appointment, making him the longest-serving coach in franchise history.
On the date of his two-year anniversary, Vanney sat down for a lengthy, one-on-one chat with Sportsnet.ca to discuss a variety of subjects, including: how he got the job, his managerial style, Sebastian Giovinco’s influence, the playoff loss in Montreal, club president Bill Manning’s decision to stick with him after the playoff loss, his views on social media criticism of the team, and his future with TFC.
You can read part one of this extensive Q&A by CLICKING HERE.
You can read part two by CLICKING HERE.
