A century in red: Grading Vanney's first 100 games as Toronto FC coach

There was a time when a Toronto FC head coach reaching the 100-match mark seemed impossible, such was the turnover at the club. But on Wednesday night, Greg Vanney will oversee his 100th game at the Reds' helm with Orlando City visiting. Here's how we grade his performance at the milestone:

Results and stats (A-)

Soccer is a results business and there's no simpler way to assess a manager than to look at his track record. Vanney boasts a commendable 41-36-22 record, delivered a Canadian Championship, and took the Reds to their first-ever playoff dance. An Eastern Conference championship in 2016 and a narrow MLS Cup loss tell the story of Toronto's best year in MLS (so far).

Simply put, no coach has enjoyed as much success as Vanney has at the club.

Tactics and formation (B)

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

"The thing about Greg is he is the ultimate student of the game," assistant Robin Fraser told MLSsoccer.com in 2015. "He's one of the brightest young soccer minds in the country, for sure."

Vanney's tactical decision-making was a mixed bag in his first year as the team struggled with the question of Michael Bradley's best position. It took a while, but Vanney eventually figured out the equation when he made his biggest tactical adjustment at the tail end of 2016.

A shift to a 3-5-2 gave the team the tools it needed to dominate New York City FC and pull off an incredible comeback against the Montreal Impact in the playoffs. His substitutions are smart, too, if sometimes a touch pragmatic.

Man management (A+)

(Photo courtesy: Action Images)

The measure of a manager is how he treats his players, and his work in the TFC locker room may be Vanney's greatest accomplishment. A teacher at heart, Vanney was thrust into a situation where an experienced hand was probably necessary, but has done the job nonetheless.

Toronto FC has a lot of big personalities in the locker room, especially star trio Bradley, Sebastian Giovinco, and Jozy Altidore. But there has been nary a whisper of infighting, and even the fiery Atomic Ant has cooled off and is smiling again by the turn of each passing week. That's not easy.

"I've known Greg a long time and I knew that the keys to the Ferrari weren’t going to scare him," Fraser said of the roster.

Long-term vision (B+)

Under Vanney, Toronto FC has utilized a number of analytic and performance-monitoring tools, which have helped mitigate some of the club's injury woes from years past. Altidore in particular has benefited from a change in direction, as Vanney implemented a regimen that actively tracks each player individually.

At the academy level, Toronto FC II continues producing young talents, with Raheem Edwards the latest to turn heads.

Media personality (B)

(Photo courtesy: Getty)

Ryan Nelsen spoke with cocksure bravado; Aron Winter drew from the breadth of his Dutch experience with respect and authority; John Carver ... well, let's just say Carver didn't mince words. But Vanney? Why, he's positively boring by comparison.

Vanney rarely admonishes his players to the press, nor does he offer much beyond the platitudes we have come to expect from pre- and post-match talks. But he's never been "the" guy at the club - except once, because his pink shirt became a good-luck charm. He's certainly no Jose Mourinho during news conferences, either. Instead, he speaks with knowledge, is non-controversial, and is always friendly and honest with reporters.

Plus he wears a pretty cool trucker hat sometimes.

Overall (A-)

Vanney has been the breath of fresh air Toronto FC supporters begged for after enduring a decade's worth of the managerial carousel. That he is the first TFC head coach to reach 100 matches for a franchise in its 11th year is odd, but it doesn't matter. Vanney brought competency, calm, and consistency to a club that lacked each. For that, this underrated coach deserves a bit of praise.