MLS U23 LEAGUE

COACHING STABILITY

It has been a rather wild season for Toronto FC, who started o with just eight out of a possible 36 points. After finishing the campaign last season with the second most points in all of Major League Soccer, a supposedly improved TFC squad found themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference by the beginning of July. The Reds had just su ered their worst defeat in franchise history, a humiliating 7-1 loss to D.C. United at Audi Field, when the club's front o ce finally acknowledged that something needed to change. They decided it was time to let go of head coach Chris Armas, just six months after he had originally been given the job. While it was never going to be easy for anyone to take over from Greg Vanney after everything he had accomplished in Toronto, nobody expected the disastrous results that would occur under Armas. The tactician had taken a legitimate MLS Cup contender and turned them into a side with little confidence and a plethora of internal issues. Jozy Altidore was sent to train alone after a disagreement with Armas, forcing the team to play without a club legend and Designated Player. It just wasn't very good business to have a player earning $3.6m a season be excluded from the team entirely. In came Javier Perez, who was named the team's interim head coach once Armas was relieved of his duties. One of the first objectives he was able to accomplish was to welcome Altidore back into the squad and get the American striker involved again. Having his star forward back in the line-up and believing in the project again paid o immediately for the new coach. TFC managed to beat the New England Revolution 3-2 in Perez's first game at the helm, before Altidore made his triumphant return during the tactician's second game in charge. The 31-year-old came o the bench in the 64th minute to replace Dom Dwyer with his team down 1-0 to Orlando City. It took Altidore less than 10 minutes to equalise for the Reds, finding the back of the net in the 72nd minute. The team decided to remove the interim tag from Perez's title after he went 2-1-4 in his first seven games with the club. Although the team had taken just 10 out of a possible 21 points under Perez, they were playing a better brand of soccer that was much more reminiscent of what fans had been used to seeing from their club. More importantly, it was a sign that the organisation was behind Perez and that the players no longer had to worry about more potential changes. "It's not about me, it's about the team," Perez said when he had the interim tag removed from his coaching title. "I think it gives a little bit more stability to the team, if anything. I know that we have to go out there and still get the three points. But the team was very tense every time that we were going out on the field. And I think it's very di cult to

"WHEN YOU YELL, YOU LOOK FOR A REACTION FROM THE TEAM, THE PLAYERS… THE MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE IS JUST TO STAY CALM, ESPECIALLY WHEN HARD TIME COMES”

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE

Marco D'Onofrio discusses the league's hottest team and the trophies that have always eluded them.

While fans of most Major League Soccer teams can complain about their club in one way or another, no supporters have had it harder than those of the New England Revolution. As one of the league's 10 charter clubs that were around since the inaugural season, Revolution fans have seen it all - except for an MLS Cup triumph. The Revolution have just two trophies in their cabinet, winning the 2007 U.S. Open Cup and 2008 North American SuperLiga. They have reached the MLS Cup final on five separate occasions, including a span of three years in a row between 2005 and 2007, but they have never won the league's most prestigious prize. That could all change this year though, with the Revolution proving to be a legitimate MLS Cup contender under Bruce Arena's leadership. New England not only find themselves fighting for a potential MLS Cup, but also their first ever Supporters' Shield. They have been the best team in the league by far throughout the regular season and this could finally be the year they put their past disappointments behind them. Gustavo Bou arrived as a Designated Player in July, 2019, but it wasn't until this season that the Argentine really captivated the league. He has been clutch for his team when called upon, scoring countless late winners and terrifying opponents. No coach has ever won more MLS Cups than the aforementioned Arena who has two with D.C. United and three with the Los Angeles Galaxy. However, if he manages to get the Revolution over the hump and help them lift their first ever MLS Cup and/ or Supporters' Shield, it would easily be his greatest accomplishment yet.

COACHING STABILITY

improve performance if you play tense." Stability is what Vanney brought to the club after years of turmoil and Perez has been eager to do the same after he was named as the 11th coach in the franchise's 15-year history. "You have to still be in athletic focus but at the same time you need some kind of calmness to play. And I think the team felt that kind of pressure that if we lose the next game there's going to be another change - what does that mean for the team, what does that mean for us? So right now we have the backing of management, now it's o cial. And everybody can feel comfortable - as comfortable as we can be in the position where we are." Along with welcoming Altidore back into the fold, Perez has also made a number of other significant changes to improve the play of the team. "Nothing has to be reactive," he told members of the media. "When you yell, you look for a reaction from the team, the players… The most important message is just to stay calm, especially when hard time comes. It's easy to stay calm when things are going our way. But when things are di cult, that's when we have to manage (things) and stay calm." Despite never having been a head coach at the top level before, Perez still has plenty of useful experience that will help him and the club going forward. He holds his UEFA Pro Licence and a PhD in sports science from Spain's Universidad De Leon and is not afraid to think outside the box if needed. While he worked under Armas as an assistant coach in Toronto, he also worked under Jurgen Klinsmann with the United States senior team and under Patrick Vieira at New York City FC. Armas tried to implement a high-pressing and high-energy system, but was often missing his star players and had no backup plan if things weren't working out. Perez has already adjusted the system to suit TFC's players better and is willing to make critical in-game adjustments when required. In a game against New York City FC where TFC found themselves down 2-0 at half-time and lacking pace, Perez opted to take out both team captain Michael Bradley and Altidore. Youngsters Ralph Priso and Ifunanyachi Achara were tasked with starting the second half and the changes worked masterfully, with the Reds coming back to level the game 2-2. Priso played a big part in both goals, while Achara set up the equaliser. It proved that Perez was willing to make the tough decisions for the overall benefit of the team. Perez still has a long way to go before he can even be in the conversation with Vanney, but he has managed to navigate the club through some choppy waters already. While Vanney eventually left TFC after leading them to an MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield and three Canadian Championships, much like Perez his first objective was to bring stability to a team that had fired their eighth coach in eight seasons. Toronto FC fans are just hoping Perez can do the same.

ABOVE (OPPOSITE PAGE): The 44-year-old Javier Perez has had the di cult task of trying to salvage TFC's 2021 campaign

BELOW (OPPOSITE PAGE): Chris Armas was hired to replace Greg Vanney as Toronto FC's head coach, but lasted less than seven months before being let go

BOTTOM RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): The most successful coach in MLS history, Bruce Arena, is looking to perform one more miracle

TOP: American striker Jozy Altidore found himself training alone under Chris Armas, but has been welcomed back to the fold by his successor Javier Perez

RIGHT Vanney lead TFC to their only MLS Championship

TOP RIGHT: Tajon Buchanan has become the talk of the league after his performances for both club and country

THE EMERGENCE OF TAJON BUCHANAN

Marco D'Onofrio looks at the growth of Canadian international Tajon Buchanan and why he has become such a hot commodity.

The ninth overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft has become a hot topic in the world of Major League Soccer. Not only has Tajon Buchanan impressed during his time in MLS, but he also showed o his skills during CONCACAF's most prestigious international tournament this summer, the Gold Cup. With a plethora of absences that included Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Lille's Jonathon David, Buchanan was able to put Canada on his back and help them reach the semi-finals of the competition for the first time since 2007. "He’s grown tactically," said New England head coach Bruce Arena. "Obviously playing more, he has a better feel for the game. Technically, he’s a good player. Physically, he’s grown into a real man and his physical qualities are enormous as well. But I think the experience combined with his technical ability and his physical attributes have made him a very good player." The native of Brampton, Ontario has a bright future ahead of him. Much like the aforementioned Davies who was named in the FIFA Best Men's World XI in 2020, Buchanan has big aspirations and could be the next Canadian international to take the world by storm. Securing a move to Europe, signing for Belgian side Club Brugge, Buchanan will have the opportunity to go up against some of the best players in the world. A Champions League group against PSG, Manchester City and RB Leipzig will provide invaluable experience.