Greg Vanney’s next head coaching gig takes him back to a familiar spot with the LA Galaxy.
Photo: Michael Fayehun/F10 Sports Photography
The Los Angeles Galaxy have turned to a familiar face to resurrect the franchise.
The Galaxy on Tuesday made the announcement that they had hired Greg Vanney as its head coach. Vanney takes over a Galaxy side that has missed the playoffs three of the last four seasons, but Vanney arrives with a coaching resume that made him the ideal coach for a franchise looking to restore its luster in MLS.
Vanney comes to the Galaxy after six-and-a-half seasons with Toronto FC, and his tenure with the Canadian side oozed success. Buoyed by the arrival of Sebastian Giovinco, Vanney led Toronto to its long-awaited first playoff appearance in 2015 after an eight-season drought that was filled with turmoil on and off the field. While its stay in the playoffs was short, a loss to archrival Montreal Impact, that 2015 season was apparently a sign of things to come.
In 2016, Toronto FC finished third in the Eastern Conference, but made their run in the playoffs. Toronto upset New York City FC in the first round, then defeated Montreal in a thrilling two-leg Eastern Conference final to reach the MLS Cup Final in just its second playoff appearance. Hosting the Seattle Sounders on a frigid December evening at BMO Field, both teams played to a standstill and the match went to penalties, where Seattle eventually prevailed and captured the MLS Cup title.
That loss would serve as motivation for the following season. With the addition of Spanish midfielder Victor Vasquez to compliment Giovinco and USMNT stalwarts Michael Bradley and striker Jozy Altidore, Toronto enjoyed a banner season in 2017, winning the Supporters Shield, its second straight Canadian Championship, and once again hosting Seattle in the MLS Cup final, finally delivered the MLS Cup title to Toronto with a 2-0 win.
Toronto missed the playoffs in 2018, but made it back in 2019 and again made a Cinderella run. Playing as the fourth seed, Toronto once again knocked out New York City in the Eastern semi’s, then defeated the then-defending champion Atlanta United in the conference finals to reach the final for the third time in four years, and again, they would face Seattle, this time as the visiting team. Toronto controlled the match, but Seattle eventually turned the match in its favor, and captured the MLS Cup. Toronto again made the playoffs this past season, but were upset by Nashville SC.
Galaxy fans should be familiar with Vanney, though not for his exploits with Toronto. Vanney, a former standout defender, played his first six seasons in MLS with the Galaxy, then after a stint in Europe combined with MLS stops with FC Dallas, Colorado Rapids and and DC United, finished his career with the Galaxy in 2008. Interestingly, Toronto was not Vanney’s first foray as a head coach. That was 2012 when Vanney, then an assistant with Chivas USA, was elevated to head coach for a half during a game against the San Jose Earthquakes back in September of that year. Vanney became the coach in the second half of that match after then-head coach Robin Fraser was ejected after arguing with the officials over the length of time it took to determine whether a foul had occurred inside the penalty area.
