Chris Armas just isn’t it. There, I said it. We’re not even half a season into his tenure with Toronto FC, and it’s already very apparent that he is not the right manager for this team. Where is this coming from, and what was the last straw? The Jozy Altidore situation.
If you’re not familiar with what’s happened, or if you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of days, this was reported last night by ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle:
“Toronto FC has told striker Jozy Altidore to train on his own and apart from the first team following a disagreement with manager Chris Armas.”
The reported incident stemmed from Altidore being unhappy with Armas’ decision to take him off in the 70th minute in Saturday’s 1-0 loss against Orlando City SC, which resulted in a confrontation between the two, initially started by Altidore.
Apr 27, 2021; Tampa, Florida, USA; Toronto FC forward Jozy Altidore (17) warms up prior to the match against Cruz Azul at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
With this situation, it’s fair for fans to assume that this incident is solely on Altidore, however when we look at his past instances of, for lack of a better term, drama, it pretty much never involved former manager Greg Vanney. So, why is it that three months into a new manager’s tenure, has Altidore already been banned from training with the first team? Why did we never get to this point last season with Vanney, when Altidore had an arguably worse season than he has so far this year?
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This latest incident between Altidore and Armas raises questions about Armas’ leadership ability for me. As the manager, the onus is on him to keep the dressing room in order and happy. As the manager, Armas needs to know that Altidore has not had a good season and is probably pretty frustrated. So, as the leader of the locker room and someone who Altidore most likely sees as being one of the reasons for his poor play, he has to be willing to take some heat from him.
What worries me is that I HIGHLY doubt Altidore is alone in this frustration. Simply looking at the roster and lineup decisions that Armas has made, you can see likely frustrated players. For instance, Quentin Westberg is probably borderline furious he has yet to get a SINGLE game this season, even though Armas said at the very beginning of the season that he had “two number 1s“.
I’d also be willing to bet Richie Laryea is a little frustrated right now and would probably love to play a bit higher up the field (which would allow Auro to play his more natural right-back position instead of in central midfield).
Sep 19, 2020; Washington, DC, Washington, DC, USA; Toronto FC goalkeeper Quentin Westberg (16) makes a save in front of D.C. United forward Griffin Yow (22) in the second half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
I’d imagine TFC’s young players are pretty frustrated because they haven’t received any massive opportunities to play, despite Armas saying it’s important to find minutes for young players. This season, Jakheele Marshall-Rutty, a 16-year-old considered one of TFC’s top young talents, has played only 35 minutes across two matches. Luke Singh, one of TFC’s standouts from their Champions League matches, hasn’t gotten any minutes since the team’s second match of the MLS season. Jayden Nelson has gone 101 minutes across two games, both of which he started. Given the number of injuries so far this season, would anyone be surprised that these guys are frustrated their not getting minutes?
The entire team as a whole is probably frustrated with Armas because we have yet to see any tactical adjustments. If the results were there for the club, I wouldn’t question it, but they just have not been there.
TORONTO, ON – MARCH 07: Alejandro Pozuelo #10 of Toronto FC during the first half of an MLS game against New York City FC at BMO Field on March 07, 2020 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
And I’m sure some TFC fans will say, ‘but he hasn’t had Pozuelo yet’, and yes, you’re right, but your job as a manager is to adapt to the situation at hand, and, so far, Armas has not shown a willingness to adjust his tactics, or even the ability to do so. Add on this latest saga of alienating a DP who happens to be a club legend, and a very worrying trend begins to emerge, and this trend shows no signs of coming to an end anytime soon.
So, where does that leave TFC? Well, the club is left with a manager who has tactically not worked well with the team, refuses to adapt or make any meaningful changes, and is currently banning one of your DPs and a club legend from training with the first team. That is a situation that is not sustainable or good for the club.
TFC are currently 12th in the league, with FIVE points through six games. Those results are not good enough. It’s time for Ali Curtis to swallow his pride and admit that he made a mistake in hiring Armas because he is not the person to lead this club, now or in the future.
Follow me on Twitter: @CWGSomerville
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