(Chivas USA and the MetroBulls, if you are looking for the answer to the trivia question).
It could be argued that Vanney still has his job only because of that dismal record. If the Reds had made sensible hiring/firing decisions all along the way then new president Bill Manning would have been justified in canning him. It's likely only the newly found commitment to "stability" that saved him. The season ended terribly, after all. He seemed paralyzed to make adjustments to his tactics and if Seba Giovinco wasn’t producing magic TFC wasn’t winning.
That was compounded by poor buying decisions, highlighted by Ahmed Kantari, who was historically poor even by TFC’s disastrous standards.
Compounding things even further was the bad taste left in fan’s mouths after being blown out by a rival in the playoffs. TFC fans are notorious for being resilient – this club has done things that few fan bases would have put up with yet TFC's support remains among the biggest in MLS. However, everyone has a breaking point. Fan cynicism creeps in more and more each year and losing to Montreal like they did was just about enough to convince many that TFC was not heading in the right direction despite the “historic” playoff berth.
So, no one would have blinked if Vanney had been fired, especially if he had been replaced by Manning's former coach at Salt Lake, Jason Kreis. Manning admitted that the thought had crossed his mind. He called the playoff performance embarrassing and fired a warning shot across the bow of the S.S. ThatsSoTFC.
Manning didn’t spell it out directly, but the implication was clear – if the team started poorly in 2016 he would be making changes. He even put a specific point total out there – eight points on the eight game road trip to open the season.
It’s probably worth pointing out that Kreis is currently living off City Football Group’s money while doing busy work for MLSSoccer.com. It’s a short flight from Manhattan to Toronto.
He still might end up making that flight, but Vanney is already half way to the eight point target. A 2-0 win in week one against the Red Bulls was followed up by a cagey 2-2 draw with NYCFC in the second. The Reds sit just two points off the top of the conference without having played a home game. You would think that they might fall a bit off that pace in the weeks ahead, but you’d also assume that it should be easy enough to find four more points against Sporting KC, Colorado, New England, D.C. United, Montreal and Portland. Hell, Giovinco will probably win one of those games on his own.
What’s even more promising about the results so far, however, is the way that they’ve been had. Whether it was an off-season coaching epiphany, or if the addition of new players is allowing Vanney more tactical flexibility, the bottom line is that he is simply better in 2016 than he was in 2015.
Vanney completely out coached Jesse Marsch in week one, forcing the Red Bulls away from the favoured tactics and keeping a lid on the freelance tendencies of Michael Bradley. It wasn’t pretty, but the three points were fully deserved, despite playing most of the game without the ball (by design, it should be stressed).
The second trip to New York did start poorly, but what followed ended up being even more impressive for Vanney. He proved that he could change directions mid-game, something that many thought he was incapable of. After the second New York goal (the one that shouldn’t have counted, but never mind that) the game was controlled by TFC. The tying goal seemed inevitable all second half and if Will Johnson had finished either of his point blank chances (or if the ref wasn’t having a howler, but never mind that) TFC’s nice little road point would have been three.
It hasn’t all been Vanney, of course. Johnson and Jonathon Osorio are working brilliantly together (*cough* Benito *cough*) and Giovinco is already the favourite to repeat as MVP with two goals and two assists in the books (spectacularly for Canada fans, Cyle Larin might be a contender as well). However, a lot of the credit does have to go to the coach.
Very few people saw that coming. Fewer still will be upset if it continues.