Toronto FC: Greg Vanney’s departure ends a memorable tenure
In an unexpected twist, Greg Vanney announced his resignation from Toronto FC ending a head coaching tenure that brought stability and memorable moments.
Toronto FC fans were hit with some shocking news that head coach Greg Vanney was stepping down from his role.
It ended a tenure that began with Vanney joining the club in 2013 as the assistant general manager and academy director. The following year, Vanney was then promoted to the role of head coach and in that time, Toronto made its rise as one of the top clubs in MLS.
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To get a true understanding of the impact Vanney had on TFC, it’s important to remember where the team was before he arrived. It’s no secret the club was struggling in the first eight years of its inception as they never made the playoffs.
Then the team started to make strides with Tim Bezbatchenko bringing in some quality players that Vanney guided to a championship in 2017. It was a triumphant season for TFC who wound up securing the historic Treble winning the MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and the Canadian Championship.
He guided Toronto to the playoffs five times over the last six seasons and the team made three MLS Cup Finals appearances. The decision certainly comes at a shock considering TFC remains a consistent contender but it appears this is something that developed recently.
"“This was a difficult decision, one that I processed for an entire difficult year and came to a conclusion that it’s the right time for myself and my family to move forward and take a different step,” Vanney told reporters. “This profession is about a journey, and in this journey, we have different experiences. I’ve taken every ounce of what I can from this experience and I think it’s time for myself and my family to move on.”"
President Bill Manning made it clear that the decision had nothing to do with finances or contract demands as MLSE was prepared to do what it took to keep Vanney around. Unfortunately, it appears that Vanney was wavering in his commitment past this season and the team wanted some idea of where he stood as they needed to figure out their path going forward.
Many are linking Vanney to the LA Galaxy as his next destination considering the once-dominant team has struggled lately. For TFC, it is unsure what the future has in store for them but Vanney feels that the team is in good hands.
"“Along the way, we had a lot of incredible memories and did a lot of incredible things,” Vanney added. “The club is destined to keep doing that. It’s time for somebody else to take that.”"
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What do you think about Vanney’s decision to leave? Who should TFC look to as his replacement? Let us know in the comments below.