TORONTO – It is unquantifiable how much Greg Vanney and his staff have invested in Toronto FC.
Countless hours have been spent pouring over game film, out on the training pitch, and in meetings of all kinds, striving to make the club better.
The fruits of that labour have been many.
Heading into Sunday's clash with NYCFC, TFC are top of the league, intent on making another run at MLS Cup this season, and have secured a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League for next year after claming a second consecutive Canadian Championship.
That success was rewarded on July 14 when it was announced that Vanney and Tim Bezbatchenko, the general manager who has overseen it all, were signed to long-term extensions by club president Bill Manning, ensuring both would be with Toronto for the foreseeable future.
Initially brought to the club on December 11, 2013 to assist Bezbatchenko in his GM duties and take up the reins as academy director, Vanney is fast approaching his third anniversary as head coach, having been named to the position, the ninth in club history, on August 31, 2014.
Days after the news, in the corridors of the Kia Training Ground, the coach was asked what TFC means to him.
“The club is like one my kids, one of my babies,” smiled Vanney. “Initially, [I came] to work with the young players, set up a long-term plan and vision for the organization at the academy level. I got to know all of those kids. Now [I'm] in charge of the football side of the whole club from top to bottom.”
His pride in seeing the progress made is unmistakable: “That we've come from where we were to where we are – with a little bit of that having my stamp, a lot of hours of work, blood, sweat, and tears. I feel like this is home; this is a huge part of who I am and what I do.”
“The people at the club have been so welcoming to family,” continued Vanney. “My boys play here. Between my wife and I we spend so much time here that this is our home. And we love the city. We feel like we're in such a good place right now.”
Achievements plentiful, Vanney sees no reason to rest on laurels: “Keep working, pushing to make it even better, to win more, and continue to ignite the people that love this club.”
“Improve every day,” reiterated Vanney. “Me as a coach, how I go about things; the clarity of how I see the game, how I want our team to play, and how I pass that on to the players.”
That vision and clarity is hardly a singular effort, as the leadership triumvirate of Vanney, Bezbatchenko and Manning have come together to push the team forward towards a common goal.
“If you look at when this club really started to turn around… [Vanney] and [Bezbatchenko] are at the forefront,” Manning stated. “The three of us have built a great camaraderie and we all agreed on one thing, we needed to raise the bar here. It’s about winning and competing for championships, and there’s not a person in this organization that doesn’t know what our goals are.”
Signposts mark the way.
“It's an ongoing thing, with different stages along the way,” explained Vanney. “In terms of this first phase with Sebastian [Giovinco], Jozy [Altidore], and Michael [Bradley] we're at a stage where we are 100% going after trophies every chance we get. Doesn't matter what, we're trying to win.”
All the while looking to 'improve the team, push the level at every position, keep guys competing.'
“We're along that curve,” said Vanney, “but there's always room to grow.”
Quick to credit his staff and players, who 'come in to work every day and make his job easier,' Vanney keeps an eye on the next phase as well.
“Keep pushing our academy players, so they can step in, start to be the face of this organization, and be the core group,” projected Vanney. “We're not quite there yet, [but] we're in a good spot. Ultimately my vision is I want us to be recognized as the best club in MLS, and to be recognized worldwide as a club that is doing things the right way; pushing the standard of the game in North America.”
