Breakdown: Toronto FC falls into familiar pattern by sacking Ryan Nelsen

Breakdown: Toronto FC falls into familiar pattern by sacking Ryan Nelsen

Published Sep. 1, 2014 9:00 a.m. ET

The ghosts of the past emerged once again during a tumultuous weekend in Toronto. The continued spiral in form and the looming possibility of somehow missing out on the playoffs yet again prompted another drastic move on the sidelines.

After spending $100 million on Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe in January, the Reds simply could not afford to watch a bloody big deal turn into the same old mess. The urgency prompted TFC to dismiss Ryan Nelsen after a season-and-a-half in charge and install Greg Vanney on a permanent basis as the ninth boss in eight seasons.

“You can't let history stop you from making a decision you believe,” Toronto general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a press conference on Sunday.

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Nelsen gave Bezbatchenko ample reason to adhere to the time-honored traditions and usher him out the door after a rather dismal Saturday. TFC floundered and sauntered through a 3-0 defeat to New England. Nelsen then made the poorly calculated decision to shine the spotlight firmly on Bezbatchenko’s pre-match comments about the importance of the game and the need to start performing up to standards instead of the abject display from his players.

Bezbatchenko denied one awful day served as an excuse to sack Nelsen, but the entire imbroglio neatly captured why Nelsen is now out of a job. Nelsen failed to cope with the lingering absence of Steven Caldwell and shifted away from his basic 4-4-2 shape to compensate. The resulting performance – for large stretches of the first half, it looked like the Reds had never played together and had no real desire to attempt the feat – highlighted the influence wielded by the absent Steven Caldwell and illustrated the dearth of tactical dexterity in the ranks. Nelsen’s defensive post-match remarks underscored his continued willingness to shift blame and shirk the burden created by losing with one of the league’s largest clubs.

Nelsen may transform into a good manager with more time and a more stable situation, but his departure makes sense at this stage given the reportedly uneasy working relationship between coach and general manager. Toronto FC needs cohesion and responsibility from front office through the technical area. The widespread cull – only Jason Bent managed to survive the clear out – underscores the need to consolidate power with Tim Leiweke on the way out and set the entire club on the same course.

The success of the new game plan hinges on the ability of new coach Greg Vanney to overcome his lack of experience and the commitment of a squad good enough to emerge from this downturn. Vanney represents a peculiar choice (like Nelsen, he is a novice manager at this level) given the stakes, but he is at least someone with Bezbatchenko’s full faith and credit and a working knowledge of MLS. The lack of technical infrastructure in place now rather mandates some triage work to assemble a group capable of leading this side to the postseason.

Most of the hard work ahead lays at the feet of the players. Bezbatchenko assembled a squad good enough to reach the postseason, but his rebuilding job is not just a one-year effort. There are evident holes within the ranks (the lack of cover in central defense is an issue), but the sum of the parts should provide enough might to reach the playoffs. By and large, they have not met the necessary standards in recent weeks, though injuries to Caldwell and Defoe have played their parts.

It is incumbent on Vanney to figure out a way to put the pieces together. He may need to stick with the 4-4-2 for now given the Reds’ rather unimpressive work in possession, but the balance in midfield needs to change to give Michael Bradley more license to operate without sacrificing the cover in front of the back four. If Vanney can devise a way to extract the best out of Bradley during the closing stages of the season, then the Reds will find themselves in good stead.

Whether Defoe remains to aid the cause is an open question. Defoe is the subject of at least one lucrative bid from overseas, according to Bezbatchenko. It is difficult to imagine TFC selling Defoe after less than a full year, but the economics of any deal – the repayment of the $10 million transfer fee paid to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this year plus the removal of his hefty wages – may prove too alluring to ignore. The added complications created by Nelsen’s departure create more factors to weigh as the Reds ponder any offers.

It is far, far too much to ask this beleaguered club to cope with the loss of the potent Defoe ahead of the stretch run. Bezbatchenko said he expects to retain Defoe’s services, but it is difficult to rely on much of anything with TFC. This club often promises the world and falls well short of delivering on those edicts. The departure of another coach offers yet another tangible sign of those failures. It is down the current regime to ensure this latest instance in a painful pattern finally spirits away the bad memories once and for all.

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