Toronto FC: Greg Vanney’s astute tactics led to record win

Toronto FC are on a six-game winning streak during which they’ve had injuries to key players. This has forced Head Coach Greg Vanney to use all of his tactical knowledge to keep the win streak alive.

As the BMO Field faithful roared Toronto FC to a franchise record sixth straight win against Minnesota United  FC, Greg Vanney was busy racking his brain to adjust to his team’s injuries.

During the game, Vanney employed three different formations, mostly due to injuries. How well they were executed, is a credit to his coaches and players.

Sebastian Giovinco scored the first goal of the game from the penalty spot, but was forced to leave before half-time. Drew Moor and Jonathan Osorio were already key absentees pre-game. Both centre-backs Nick Hagglund and Jason Hernadez went off injured during the game.

To start the game, Vanney employed the usual three at the back, with a more rigid midfield three:

Against Atlanta United, we pointed out how easy it was for them to cut through the three TFC defenders, and Vanney didn’t make the same mistake twice.

Raheem Edwards and Armando Cooper started as unorthodox wing-backs. Vanney had the team shift to the wings to stop overloads and spaces for forwards to run into:

Edwards is the only player on that left wing who creates a two-on-one when the ball goes down the left side. Chris Mavinga pushed over to stop that and the rest of the back four followed.

This was replicated on the other side as Cooper pressed up the field, Hagglund would push over and Edwards would tuck in.

With the injury to Hagglund, Vanney was left with the game tied and no healthy centre-backs, after already replacing Hernandez at half-time with Eriq Zavaleta. Victor Vasquez was brought on to replace Hagglund, and Vanney went to a 4-3-3:

TFC then continued to press, but still needed that cutting edge from deep. Ricketts and Cooper were often left isolated on the right side. Altidore was marked up in the middle and the midfielders had no passing options:

This played into the hands of the deep-sitting Minnesota team whose forwards pressured Michael Bradley and the fullbacks, both of whom are not natural in this position.

TFC had no joy on the wings, so Vanney made a third tactical change that would eventual clinch the game:

Minnesota were sitting back deep and forcing Toronto’s players out wide. TFC had plenty of possession, but didn’t have options in the middle.

Vanney moved Ricketts back up front and gave the fullbacks the go-ahead to bomb up the field. This created a 4-4-2 diamond that had an overload in the midfield:

What ensued was an onslaught of pressure from TFC. They cycled the ball between the four midfielders getting the ball out to the fullbacks, who were high up the field.

When the ball was on their side the strikers would pull to the sideline to get behind the defence, while the other striker would make a run in the middle awaiting the cross. That’s exactly how the game was won:

Altidore goes wide with Edwards and isolates Minnesota two-on-two. Altidore beats his man and Ricketts was there in the middle to score.

Without the subtle move by Vanney to change the 4-3-3 to the 4-4-2 diamond, Altidore wouldn’t go wide to collect the ball and Ricketts would have been out on the wing and not in the middle to head the ball home.

Next: TFC keeps rolling as they make history

Thanks to Vanney’s astute moves, TFC secured another record win and continued to stretch their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference.