TORONTO – On the field, Greg Vanney has won everything in sight this year: the 2017 Canadian Championship, the MLS Supporters' Shield, and now, the MLS Cup.
Off the field, though, the Toronto FC head coach has had to deal with a loss that puts all his on-field triumphs and trials into perspective: the passing of his mother in April.
And while Vanney didn't miss a beat all year, even in the face of immense personal tragedy, he finally let a little bit of his emotion show right at the moment of his team's ultimate triumph, when Victor Vazquez iced the championship deep into stoppage time of Toronto's 2-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders.
“That second goal was for me the first time my emotions kind of just came out a little bit,” Vanney told reporters in his post-match press conference. “For me, I looked up the sky because, as most of you are aware, I lost my mother this year and she would’ve been very proud.
“I’ve lost this game four times prior to tonight, and she was a witness to all of those, and I was just really happy to be able to do that with this group of guys who have been amazing all year.”
Vanney, who forged a successful career as a player in MLS, abroad and with the US national team before becoming a coach, used one simple word to describe his mother's influence on his chosen path: “huge.” He went on to credit his parents' teaching backgrounds as an influence on his decision to get into coaching, something he said he knew he wanted to do “from a very early age.”
As noted, Vanney has fallen just short of the league's ultimate prize on four occasions: three times as a player with the LA Galaxy, and last year on the TFC bench. Dealing with such adversity – not to mention the day-in, day-out grind of coaching professional soccer – requires immense degrees of patience, and that's one of the principal qualities he credits his mother for instilling in him.
“She herself was a kindergarten teacher. And so I think I got some of my patience from her side. My personal skills, my patience with people and my ability to interact with people and hopefully create an environment our guys love to have, those are traits that she had as a kindergarten teacher.”
They served Vanney well this season – after falling just short in 2016, the Reds enjoyed a historic campaign, setting the record for most points earned in the MLS regular season and becoming the first team in league history to earn a domestic treble. Though he was unable to share that success, her support still meant the world to him.
“As with a lot of moms, she was probably my No. 1 fan in the grand scheme of things,” Vanney said. “And she was in the stands yelling at the referee when I didn’t get calls and all that kind of stuff. So I’m pleased that in a year like this, that we were able to do this. And I know she’s proud.”
"I think it's the greatest team ever"
