Apr 20, 2015
Changes need to happen fast at TFC
Toronto FC knew it had to spend the first two months of the season on the road while BMO Field renovations were taking place. But after just three points from five games to start the season, it's apparent to TSN soccer analyst Kristian Jack that changes need to happen for the Reds to get the most out of their star imports.
Sometimes good things happen after midnight.
In Dallas on Saturday night Toronto FC effectively played two games of football interrupted by a lightning storm. In the first game they reminded everyone of a dark and dreary past. It was a performance linked to the bad old days when incompetence off the field led to incompetence on it. Yet on a damp Dallas night in April of 2015 those days were supposed to be behind a team that has since attracted the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore.
Mother Nature ensured the team had a three-hour half-time teamtalk.
The response may well have been encouraging but ultimately meant the team headed home with a fourth straight defeat.
Giovinco's late brace meant Toronto FC won the second leg of Saturday's clash 2-0 but the problem for the Reds was the damage had already been done, even though it was hours earlier.
Three goals from FC Dallas inside the first 27 minutes again exposed Toronto defensively, something each of their opponents have done this season.
In fact under head coach Greg Vanney, dating back to the start of September, the team has now conceded 26 goals in 15 games. Incredibly, they have fallen behind in the first half in 11 of them. Only three times have they made it to half-time without conceding; allowing a total of nineteen first half goals in 12 games.
Too many words have been written about this club's formation, shape and overall philosophy but none of it matters if they can't find a way to collectively defend better.
The second half in Dallas showed just why this is paramount.
This sport is ultimately a very simple game. There are many ways to win a game and many clubs around the world are benefiting from having star players secure crucial points. Giovinco's two goals at Dallas were the perfect example - taken by a true star at this level - of how a team can go about winning games by producing such moments of brilliance.
This cannot happen if the team continues to dig themselves in a massive hole at the back. They are not paying the likes of Giovinco to score magnificent goals when games are already decided.
Adjustments need to take place. Quickly. It should come as no surprise to anyone that rumblings of a change in the hierarchy surfaced on Monday. Some of us close to the team have heard similar things over the past couple of weeks but that doesn't necessarily mean an immediate change is on the horizon.
What we need to remember, though, is that Toronto FC's owners have invested a fortune into the current squad and with that comes a whole host of benefits for its supporters.
The biggest bonus of all for fans of the club is the expectations are at a level all fans want from investors. When ownership groups put in a lot of money to any sports team the radar, from within, on that franchise grows. If the money is invested wisely the attitude inside the dressing room also improves and the apathy that we saw too often last season seems to have been replaced by a real desire to get better by key leaders on this team.
Ownership is aware of the difficulties of starting an MLS season away from home for the first two months. This was discussed months ago when plans were put in place to expand BMO Field but this is where the club's performances and results this season have to be evaluated differently.
Three points from the opening five games may fall slightly below expectations that were drawn up in the winter but it has been the manner in which the club has lost recent games that has forced upper management to have a rethink about how the club should play.
This is bound to put Vanney on a hotter seat than what he had a few weeks ago. That is the nature of professional sports.
What we do know is right now Tim Leiweke remains and it was Leiweke that wanted Tim Bezbatchenko and it was Bezbatchenko who wanted Vanney. Unity leads to continuity and five games into the season it appears most remain on the same page inside and outside of the dressing room, despite it being a trying time in Toronto's season.
However, Leiweke's upcoming departure throws a large spanner into the works as does a potential search for a club President that remains a real possibility.
Through five games it has been TFC's inability to deal with their opponents during their best moments of the match that has led to their downfall. Far too many goals have been conceded when the momentum has shifted and it is in these big moments that the team on the field needs to improve on.
Off the field it is no different. This is a crucial period for Bezbatchenko and Vanney. Surrounding them are a lot of well paid individuals who have a lot to say about the direction of this side. In their short history Toronto FC has had far too many changes at the very top but never in the past did they invest this amount of money and have had this many experienced, professional players who demand a high level of sustained excellence.
Making the playoffs come October remains the ultimate goal but this team was never going to be allowed to be judged simply by whether or not it reaches its ultimate destination.
They are on a 34-step journey and each one that is taken comes with tremendous scrutiny. It was Bezbatchenko who talked about it being 'a results-based business' when he fired Ryan Nelsen in August and clearly results need to turn around and will be on the mind of ownership but going forward it is the type of performances that need to be monitored even closer.
Changes need to happen. If they don't bigger ones are around the corner.