TFC’s first coach of the century
Vanney will celebrate 100th match at the helm when Reds host Orlando City
The headlines on October 15, 2015 were all about The Bat Flip.
It was the day after the Toronto Blue Jays met the Texas Rangers in that decisive Game 5 of the American League Division Series. Bloopers, brawls and beer-can showers were overshadowed by flipper Jose Bautista’s epic celebration of his three-run homer.
It also overshadowed Toronto FC down the street. The Reds were second-page news the next day despite securing a first playoff berth in club history.
But to Greg Vanney, who will celebrate his 100th game as TFC coach when Orlando City SC visits BMO Field on Wednesday, there has been no sporting moment more memorable in nearly three years in the job.
Not even last fall’s MLS Cup beats Toronto’s 2-1 win over the New York Red Bulls two years ago, a game that saw striker Sebastian Giovinco score a dazzling winner just hours after getting off a plane from Rome.
You have to make the playoffs to get to an MLS Cup, Vanney theorized this week.
“The monkey was off the back,” he said. “We could move forward as an organization and start thinking about much bigger and better things than just making the playoffs.”
It was a seminal moment for the Reds, but the organization’s ascendance began in earnest more than a year earlier.
Vanney, then Toronto’s assistant general manager and academy director, took over from Ryan Nelsen in August 2014. He has since been credited with changing the culture of a long-beleaguered franchise.
The 42-year-old’s tireless commitment is the cornerstone of his success, according to captain Michael Bradley, who has a close relationship with his coach.
“He knows every academy player, he knows everything that’s going on throughout the club and he has created an environment inside the club where we all feel a part of something. We all feel like it’s ours, if that makes any sense.”
What Vanney and his players are working toward is something bigger than 25 guys playing 34 odd games.
“It’s something where you encourage every guy to come in here every single day ready to spill everything they have into it and not just be content with going through the motions, not just be content with being a passenger in the whole thing,” Bradley said.
“He encourages guys to have opinion, to talk, to challenge each other, to challenge him at times. The entire tone gets set with him and the way he goes about things.”
Vanney’s aims include more than just the now, said assistant coach Robin Fraser, a friend and colleague for decades. The admittedly insatiable Arizona native is dedicated to creating an environment that delivers sustainable winning.
“Coaches, teams, clubs have good years on and off, but that’s never been his intention,” Fraser said. “His intention has been to create a culture and an environment where winning is expected and winning is standard.”
Vanney is on that path, boasting a 41-36-22 record in 99 games.
His laser focus precludes Vanney from putting much worth in milestones such as Wednesday night, but he is proud to be Toronto’s first coach to reach the 100 mark and acknowledged the club’s growth during his tenure.
“I think since the culture has started to really take shape, I think the future — the next 100 games — is even brighter in so many ways.”