By Mike Crampton
Seven coaches in six years, more New Eras than a fashionable baseball fan, and a worn out and disillusioned fan base primed and ready to revolt once again. Rather than a story of hope and renewal Toronto FC’s latest change in leadership has, for many, simply confirmed their existing perception: TFC is a rudderless ship resigned to being tossed in whatever direction the waves of ill fortune take them. In some sense, the actual game Saturday night between Sporting Kansas City and Toronto FC has the feel of being a merely academic afterthought. Minds have been made up and it will take much more than a solid performance, or even a rare away win, before vast swathes of the support begin to credit the Reds with any sort of suitable direction worth sustaining; or even paying much attention to. Paul Mariner had a great reputation in MLS from his years in New England with Steve Nicol but that hasn’t seemed to translate into much confidence being extended by weary Toronto supporters.
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It’s worth remembering that Toronto has won in Kansas City before. In the days before the beautiful monument to the growth of MLS that Livestrong Sporting Park represents was constructed, when Sporting were still the Wizards, five head coaches ago for the Reds, John Carver got his last win on the sidelines with TFC in the first game of 2009. At that time Toronto still seemed a team in the ascendency both on and off the field: a model franchise that heralded the explosive potential of soccer in North America. Arguably, one of the clubs that learned the lessons of Toronto best was Kansas City’s MLS franchise.
For all their success in building a newer and healthier brand where Sporting have truly exceed Toronto is on the field. Peter Vermes six year involvement with the club, first as Technical Director, then as head coach, paid dividends in 2011 as Sporting overcame the hindrance of a long road trip to start the season and powered their way to a first place finish in the Eastern Conference. KC went on to win their first playoff series since 2007 and earned a berth in the Conference Final before losing at home to the Houston Dynamo. 2012 started even more impressively as SKC reeled off a seven game winning streak to start the season, the best since MLS eliminated shootouts, while conceding only two goals during the stretch.
Fortunately for TFC Vermes’ team has cooled off since then and only picked one win in their last five games. Thanks to the Reds finally breaking their own lamentable streak and picking up a win over Philadelphia, based on the form guide, Sporting is only one meagre point better off than TFC over that recent run of results. Rather than an unbeatable juggernaut ready to crush the hapless Reds, Sporting have proven to be a good but far from perfect MLS team.
Had Aron Winter still been in charge of Toronto FC this match would have been billed as the Battle of the 4-3-3s. Vermes’ Sporting side might play the same formation that the Reds were so explicitly tied to during the Winter era but do so with a radically different approach. Rather than a patient build from the back system Kansas City are a very North American team who play at a high tempo and move the ball forward as quickly as possible. Big, powerful, and fast forwards such as Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury, and C.J. Sapong work relentlessly to pressure opposing defenders and either force them into mistakes or lumped clearances. It’s a style that has been criticized as being aesthetically challenged and overly physical, most notably by Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis, but when it works the high energy and constant commitment to attacking can be just exciting as a more elaborate possession based system.
Sporting are not completely lacking in guile either as the creative play of Graham Zusi in midfield has moved him into the fringes of the American national team set-up. Along with Honduran international Roger Espinoza Kansas City has players who can pass the ball; it’s just that their passes tend to be more vertical and early when looking to play the ball into the three forwards.
How Toronto’s new head coach Paul Mariner sets up his team to deal with KC’s approach will be the most interesting question of the game. Word out of TFC training during the week has indicated that Mariner has had the players learning a new system in a new formation. Over the objections of supporters who still believe that Toronto had to stick with the 4-3-3, even without Winter, it seems likely some version of a 4-4-2 will be employed. Whether Mariner has had time to implement his ideas, whether that can counter KC’s formation and style, and whether Toronto’s players buy into it are all open questions and Saturday’s match will provide an interesting first test. As ever, Toronto FC provide drama and intrigue even in the absence of results.