By: Michael Crampton
Paul Mariner’s travelling Toronto FC road show are set to roll into greater Philadelphia this Sunday for a late afternoon kickoff and, in most un-TFC-like fashion, are actually carrying a bit of momentum away from home. One win and two draws in their last three road games might not sound like much but when you stop to remember the graveyard of expectation that Toronto’s away form has been over their five and nearly a half seasons of existence it’s actually quite remarkable. In a mere six games in charge Mariner has not only lead Toronto to their largest ever margin of victory in a league game away from BMO Field but has managed to make the Reds’ look competitive in every match but one. Whether that improvement continues or the wheels come off the bus against the Union will be the primary point of interest come Sunday evening.
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In terms of opponent, there are two ways you can look at a match between Toronto and Philly right now. The simple and obvious approach is to acknowledge that this is still a contest between the two worst teams in MLS. When the sides met at the end of May in each team’s final game before the international break this was clearly the truth. Both were in terrible form and the Union somehow managed to look worse and lose to “the worst team in the world”. Since then, both clubs opted to use the break to make a change in leadership – it would be interesting to find examples of games around the world where both managers were removed afterwards - and that has resulted in a period of renewal and positive trajectory for Philadelphia as well as Toronto.
Interestingly, even with the luxury of a gap in the schedule, Philly decided, like Toronto, at least temporarily, to promote from within when looking for their new coach. Many would suggest that it’s simply an easy option devoid of imagination but it’s been a popular response to in-season coaching changes at MLS clubs before and has enjoyed a fair amount of success even in the short term. Frank Klopas in Chicago and Richie Williams in New York both took over historically terrible iterations of those MLS clubs and got them headed in the right direction before the season was over. It took a while longer but Peter Vermes in Kansas City, Ben Olson in DC, and, famously, Jason Kreis in Salt Lake all came from inside those organizations and successfully transformed their teams. So far, and it’s early days yet, both Mariner and new Union head coach John Hackworth seem to be continuing the trend.
Only an interim head coach officially the move from the departed Peter Nowak to Hackworth has resulted in a more subtle tactical adjustments than the pronounced change from Aron Winter to Paul Mariner in Toronto. The biggest difference seems to have been in the response of the Union’s players. Nowak was a respected coach who brought playoff soccer to Philadelphia in only their second year as an expansion team but his somewhat prickly demeanor and willingness to jettison fan favourite players alienated parts of the support and possibly the team. Competitive in every match since the break the Union have lost narrowly to New York and Houston under Hackworth but soundly beat Sporting Kansas City and recorded an away victory in Los Angeles over a re-emerging Galaxy side in midweek.
Hence, the other way to look at this match is as, based on form, a battle between two lower mid-table clubs looking to continue their improvement and solidify new regimes. Toronto and Philadelphia may not be elite MLS sides locked in an all or nothing struggle for the playoffs but that doesn’t make the game meaningless. A win for either would be an important step towards moving off the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and convincing skeptical fan bases that a corner has been turned. Players, managers, and both organizations all have something to prove and, sultry conditions notwithstanding, that should make for an entertain contest.