Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney knew expectation was bearing down on him at the beginning of this Reds season.
Last fall, questions were asked about the rookie boss’s abilities, when Toronto crashed out of its inaugural playoff run in the first round. But new president Bill Manning put an end to a club traditional of prematurely ousting managers by sticking with his man.
But with a bolstered defence to match one of the league’s best offences u2015 starring Designated Players Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore u2015 the pressure was on Vanney to produce this year.