Toronto FC’s Ongoing Crisis: Armas Fired, What’s Next?
It’s been eight days and one win later under interim head coach Javier Perez since Chris Armas was fired. Looking back to July 5, 2021 and Rocco Fasano’s (@CatenaccioNA) article from Breaking the Lines https://breakingthelines.com/opinion/toronto-fcs-ongoing-crisis-armas-fired-whats-next/ on what could be next for Toronto’s beleaguered MLS entry.
In the wake of an embarrassing 7-1 trouncing at the hands of DC United, Toronto FC brass fire Chris Armas and hand the reins to Javier Perez. Rocco Fasano looks at Armas’ short reign and what’s in the cards for the Reds.
In the middle of a sunny and hot Sunday afternoon, the news release many Toronto FC fans expected (and some clamored for): TFC coach Chris Armas is relieved of his duties. Reds fans called for Armas’ firing after the shocking 7-1 defeat in DC’s Audi Field, where matters got back quickly and often: TFC had conceded three goals in just 21 minutes of play. The wheels came off late in the game, conceding four more goals in the last twenty minutes.
“Chris [Armas] is a good man, but we have to win,” said TFC President Bill Manning, in a press conference that took place an hour after the news release. The decision comes on the heels of a poor start that sees Toronto FC at the bottom of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference. Manning bemoans poor performances noting that “it hasn’t been good enough on the field”, and adding that the team “has been too soft particularly on defence.”
Manning implied that Armas was given the tools for success, pointing out that the Reds’ roster features nine players who played in the treble-winning 2017 season, and another nine who played in 2019, when Toronto made it all the way to the MLS Cup Final, adding that “this is a team that knows what winning looks like.”
By extension, however, he also admitted that his subordinate – General Manager Ali Curtis – is to blame for the coaching selection. Curtis, later confessed, “there is a collective responsibility here, but I have to bear a lot of the responsibility here.” Armas will be replaced in the interim by his assistant, Javier Perez.
Chris Armas’ Legacy
One cannot talk about a “legacy” when a coach is relieved in his first year. Chris Armas will be remembered for having to navigate a transition from a coaching “institution” such as Greg Vanney during a period in which TFC never played before their home fans in BMO Field.
For the rest of the article by Rocco Fasano (@CatenaccioNA) please go to https://breakingthelines.com/opinion/toronto-fcs-ongoing-crisis-armas-fired-whats-next/.
Should be interesting with the Reds home for the first time in almost a year. Stay tuned because the ride is just about to get interesting.