By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Dec 9, 2016) US Soccer Players – The lead up to MLS Cup 2016 includes more written pieces tracking the paths of the respective finalists to the game than most of us can count. There’s a purpose in them, of course. The season stories of Toronto FC and the Seattle Sounders are part of the build-up to the game. They provide the backdrop for the clash at BMO Field on Saturday night.
Naturally, the stories of the two conference champions is dominated by attacking stars. Those players score the goals and goals grab the headlines. When the story of Seattle’s turnaround and eventual Western Conference championship is told, it inevitably focuses on names like Nicolas Lodeiro and Jordan Morris. For Toronto, those names are Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco.
However, the reason that Toronto FC finds itself playing in and hosting this MLS Cup final isn’t just the goals pumped in by Altidore and Giovinco, among others. TFC managed to improve on last year’s first round playoff appearance because they went into the offseason with a clear plan to upgrade the defense. Goals were not a problem for the Reds. It was preventing them that was holding them back.
The fix started with the signing of free agent Drew Moor from Colorado last December. Moor was part of the first-ever free agent class in MLS history, a result of CBA negotiations ahead of the 2015 season. Whatever reasons the Rapids had for not re-signing Moor, Colorado’s loss was TFC’s gain. The Reds desperately needed an experienced player who knew the league to anchor their revamped backline.
Then came the a trade for fullback Steven Beitashour from the Vancouver Whitecaps. Beitashour had a reputation as a solid defender and a threat going forward from his position, but was available for the right price. Adding him to a Toronto roster that already included his former Earthquakes teammate Justin Morrow gave them a pair of above-average fullbacks in a league where such a thing is rare. On the same day that they acquired Beitashour, TFC traded for midfielder Will Johnson. The hard-nosed Canadian international brought with him a wealth of MLS experience. He already built his reputation as a player who could handle the week-to-week challenge of manning a defensive midfield position. Johnson added another option to help shield the reformed Toronto backline, a support system for Michael Bradley and a bonus depth player for Greg Vanney.
The last piece of the defensive rebuild was goalkeeper Clint Irwin. Again, Toronto FC benefited by obtaining a player the Rapids deemed unnecessary to their own overhaul. They got Irwin in a trade for Targeted Allocation Money and a pair of draft picks. While Irwin missed a significant number of games this season due to injury, he was a noticeable upgrade. With his Rapids teammate Moor in front of him, Irwin helped TFC dramatically improve their defensive record despite a season-opening run of eight road games.
Moor turned into the pick of the free agent litter, the best signing from the inaugural class by a wide margin. A smarter approach and the presence of Johnson in front of the back line helped Toronto go from 58 goals allowed in 2015 to 39 this season. That nineteen goal improvement is the singular difference in the Reds from last year’s first round playoff exit to this year’s MLS Cup final. Yes, TFC conceded three times on the road in Montreal and needed to open up to find the goals necessary to execute the comeback in the second-leg. That didn’t hamper their confidence in the defense. That’s informed so much of what the club has accomplished this season.
No one in Major League Soccer spends more than Toronto FC. On the surface, spending looks to be the obvious driver of their newfound success. In the big picture sense, that massive spending had real limits. Most of it went to three designated players, Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore. That highlights something we already knew. It takes more than spending on star players in this league. This club spent on attacking talent before and got nowhere.
It was the attention to the defense, and the use of mechanisms to acquire players within the league that made the difference this season. Giovinco is TFC’s season MVP and Altidore deserves ample credit for carrying the team through the last two months of the season without the Italian star. Congrats to both, but perhaps the most important figure in Toronto’s success isn’t one of the players–DP or otherwise. It’s the person responsible for bringing them together.
Maybe more of the stories that track the path of Toronto FC from the beginning of a promising season to the culmination in the form of an MLS Cup final should focus on that man: TFC GM Tim Bezbatchenko. The team needed a defense, and Bezbatchenko built them one.
Jason Davis is the founder of MatchFitUSA.com and the host of The United States of Soccer on SiriusXM. Contact him: matchfitusa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter:http://twitter.com/davisjsn.
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