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MLS 5 Best and Worst

Bezbatchenko Blows Up Toronto, Now Must Deliver

With big boss Tim Leiweke bowing out, Toronto FC's 32-year-old first-time GM decides to fire coach Ryan Nelsen, install his own manager, and make himself the focal point of the franchise.
BY John Godfrey Posted
September 02, 2014
1:09 PM

MLS 5 BEST

I'LL SAY THIS for the 2014 edition of Major League Soccer—it's not boring.

Between Landon Donovan's farewell and Eddie Johnson's antics and Jermaine Jone's bizarre arrival and now this sad soap opera (or is it a Shakespearean power grab?) in Toronto, there is plenty to say about the North American top flight.

Here is this week's iteration of MLS 5 Best and Worst.

5—Kelyn Rowe's Laser

The 22-year-old midfielder would seem to be in line for a January call-up, don't you think? How many current national team players make this shot?

Rowe, Patrick Mullins, Diego Fagundez, Steve Neumann, and Andrew Farrell all stand to gain from Jermaine Jones' leadership and passion. Don't be surprised if this long-struggling franchise rides an emotional wave all the way to the postseason.


4—Chicago Steps Up

Given its bad luck in the blind draw for Jermaine Jones' services—combined with it's poor all-around season—the Chicago Fire might have been forgiven if it phoned it in this weekend against a surging FC Dallas side.

Instead Frank Yallop's men parlayed a Robert Earnshaw header into an impressive 1-0 victory against one of the hottest teams in the league. Particularly noteworthy—Chicago's stalwart defending and total commitment from start to finish. The Fire are still on the outside looking in, but you can't help admiring the performance in the wake of last week's disappointment.


3—Tommy Thompson's Topping Display

He's fast. He's skillful. And he's only 19-years-old.

San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Tommy Thompson made made his second professional start this past weekend, and looked dangerous throughout his team's 1-1 draw with Real Salt Lake. Thompson was named to the United State's Under-20 squad currently training in Argentina, and the five-foot-seven midfielder seems destined to play in the 2015 U-20 World Cup next summer in New Zealand.


2—MLS Live's Condensed Games

Don't have time to catch every minute of every Major League Soccer game every single week? Does anybody?

Still, you don't have to miss out completely thanks to the "Condensed Game" replay option on MLS Live. These intensely shortened broadcasts—15 minutes or so—are far longer than highlight clips—not that ESPN shows a whole lot of MLS highlights—but much shorter than an entire 90-minute match. You can get a sense for a given contest even if life prevents you from investing two hours in it.

1—The Brace, The Chip, The Bow

Gyasi Zardes scored a pair of goals off two Landon Donovan assists, Robbie Keane did something wonderful at Dan Kennedy's expense, and Bruce Arena acknowledged as much with a bow from the sidelines. The Los Angeles Galaxy are, once again, the most exciting team in Major League Soccer.


MLS 5 WORST

5—Set piece defending

Alexi Lalas is going to have night terrors thinking about this poor defensive display. That's United States national team captain Clint Dempsey all by his lonesome in the penalty area, right? Yes, we were afraid of that.

4—A Very Bad Call

Sorry, David Gantar, but this is not a penalty. Yes, I know refereeing is a brutal and often-thankless job, but if you cash the checks you have to accept the criticism. San Jose was desperate for a win and this poor call stole two points away from them.


3—Cheap Shot of the Week

Enjoy your time with El Tri, Mr. Torres.

2—SKC Bleeding Goals

On August 23rd Sporting Kansas City gave up three tallies in a shutout loss to D.C. United—at home. Peter Vermes' squad allowed another troika on Friday against a middling Houston Dynamo squad, also at Sporting Kansas City Park.

What's going on here? Boredom? Overconfidence? Tired legs? This is a situation worth watching.


1—The Nightmare in Toronto

Earlier this year Toronto FC appeared to be the envy of the league. Today, the franchise resembles a SuperFund site.

Eight months ago Toronto boasted the best soccer owner on the continent, three new designated player signings, a supportive fan base, and a coach who pretty much embodies integrity within the sport.

Last month, however, CEO Tim Leiweke announced he was leaving the organization, creating uncertainty around the club. And then Toronto FC—which has missed Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe for long stretches—lost a few consecutive games. And then general manager Tim Bezbatchenko, a 32-year-old lawyer who used to work on contracts for Major League Soccer, went nuclear: He fired Nelsen and his staff over the weekend, replacing them with Toronto assistant GM and former U.S. national team player Greg Vanney.

To hear Nelsen tell it, Bezbatchenko was running off his mouth in a counterproductive way, adding unnecessary pressure to the team, undermining the coach's authority, and otherwise demonstrating his lack of soccer and front office experience. (Really—a Wikipedia entry?)

“What we do at Toronto FC is we keep it in house," Nelsen said after Bezbatchenko gathered reporters and criticized the team. "Everything we do we keep inside the four walls. The players, coaching staff, everything, stays in the four walls. So if you are going to criticize anybody today, it’s me. I picked the team, I tried to play a certain style: criticize me and leave the players out of it."

Bezbatchenko—whom Leiweke calls "Harry Potter"—claims that Nelsen was creating excuses for his team's poor—but still playoff-worthy—2014 performance.

Either way, it's Bezbatchenko's team now.

If the MLS season ended today, Toronto FC would qualify for the playoffs for the first time in its eight-year history—thanks to its record under Nelsen. If Bezbatchenko and Vanney fail to make the postseason, it's all on them. Actually, it's mostly on Bezbatchenko, who comes off a bit power-obsessed in all of this.

Was Michael Bradley envisioning this scenario when he left AS Roma, and the UEFA Champions League, to return to Major League Soccer? Unlikely.

What's your take on the situation in Toronto? We'd like to hear below.

John Godfrey is the founder and editor in chief of American Soccer Now.

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