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It is a pivotal home and home pair of fixtures for Toronto FC and the timing leaves much to be desired as the Reds first travel to Philadelphia to take on their Eastern Conference rivals on Wednesday night. Unless you have been off the grid for the last three days, TFC are now on head coach number nine as Ryan Nelsen was given his walking papers and Greg Vanney now appointed his replacement. There is not much Vanney can do to prepare in the interim to make any major adjustments and without question it will be a tough two games ahead against the Union.
TFC are still without key players, and after Saturday's dismal display in a 3-0 loss to New England it will be intersting to see if the Reds can get motivated for their new gaffer to change things around quick. Philadelphia have had a tough go to this season, but of late have been showing better form and results, both at home and on the road. With only three points separating these two clubs (but Toronto with a game in hand) these two games are pivotal in the Reds staying in the top five and controlling a playoff spot.
Keep thinking
After Saturday's sad performance that saw TFC show up, but without any fight, it is no wonder New England handled them easily 3-0. Far from a formidable home side in MLS, Ryan Nelsen's team dropped three more important points that would have kept them in a more secure playoff position. His post match interviews left much to be desired that the head coach did not seem to grasp of the importance of winning the match and it's value for ensuring they are closer, not further, from the playoffs.
Even though he was able to run off his CV and list of accomplishments, none of them translated into a formidable team at BMO Field and unless Toronto are simply looking to make an appearance in the playoffs, instead of actually contending for the title, something needed to change. Gone is Nelsen and his entire coaching staff save for Jason Bent and in comes Greg Vanney from the Academy to steer the ship for the final ten games.
Vanney will have his hands full as there is not much time to change tactics or philosophy and what will be his number one priority is improving the mentality and attitude of the team. There is no question to anyone who watched this past weekend's game that save for perhaps Nick Hagglund and Gilberto, it was collectively a gutless performance and deserved result. It was highlighted by perhaps Michael Bradley's least inspired outing for the club and as a consequence the midfield was completely overrun and outgunned by New England.
Thankfully Philadelphia does not offer the same attacking depth as New England, however, they have a handful of dangerous players that will once again test Toronto's inexperience back line. Sebastien LeToux has bounced around the league since his breakout season back in 2010, but is back with the Union and in his usual form with elelven goals so far this season. Alongside him are Conor Casey, who always delivers a physical outing and Andrew Wenger, who is still developing as an MLS attacker.
Perhaps the most intriguing player on Philadelphia is new keeper Rais M'Bolhi. The Algerian National Team member gained notoriety from the past World Cup and his country's impressive display against the eventual winners, Germany. M'Bolhi will be needed after his first appearance with the team, a 4-2 victory over San Jose, as the Union have not kept a clean sheet in MLS play in three months. It is a similar issue as with Toronto with an unstable backline dealing with injuries and new players as only Ray Gaddis has appeared in every game for the club. While the midfield is not one of the more intimidating in the league, it has solid players such as Maurice Edu, Carlos Maidana, Vincent Nogeira and Danny Cruz.
What Toronto needs to do, as has already been noted, is have an immediate 180 in terms of their on field attitude. While Philadelphia do not look like MLS Cup contenders, they are an improving side who will be difficult at home and away. The timing for these fixtures is poor as the Union can capitalize on Toronto's disfunction and lack of confidence.
Greg Vanney has said some of the right things in terms of how Toronto will approach games moving forward. Most notably, they will move forward, not backwards. This will be something to watch as Michael Bradley of late was reminicient of Torsten Frings' last season with Toronto where his ability to control and create was made impotent by essentially employing him as a sweeper. This will be the key to any kind of competitive performance, as we've seen in the early going of 2014 that Bradley can control the midfield and do it all to earn a result.
What that will hinge on however is who his midfield corps is and their roles. We've seen Dominic Oduro able to cause problems out wide but finding out who Bradley's ideal partner is remains to be seen. Whoever it is, needs to lock down the defensive midfielder position as TFC backline needs all the help it can get without Steven Caldwell. Toronto should be good enough up top if Gilberto remains positive, as he has been in fine finishing form, but there is an opportunity to add in an x-factor with either Bright Dike or Dwayne DeRosario that Vanney might want to consider if he lives by his word of trying to be more aggressive. There is little doubt the same old TFC will not be able to get a result in Philadelphia otherwise.
In the end
Timing is everything and in back to back matches against a real rival in Philadelphia, firing Ryan Nelsen with two days to prepare leaves little to be desired in terms of a positive outcome. Yes, teams who are in a negative mindset from a particular coach often get a bump in performance when the new gaffer comes in, but in the final stretch of the season with the Union looking like they are coming together as a team, spells a very difficult challenge indeed. It is not out of the question Michael Bradley could come back rejuvinated after his worst display of the season, as that will be needed for them to have any chance. However, with Philadelphia on a good run of form and players looking in sync, TFC will likely need next week's full six days of rest to implement Vanney's vision and begin seeing results.
Prediction
Toronto FC 1-2 Philadelphia Union
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