(Toronto) Struggling with all sorts of difficulties, Toronto FC on Monday fired head coach Bob Bradley, who also served as athletic director.
Club chairman Bill Manning made the announcement on Monday. Mike Sorber, assistant coach and technical director, was also fired, as TFC languishes in 14th place in the East with a 3-7-10 record, for 19 points.
“Bob was professional to the hilt with Toronto FC and we thank him for his passion and hard work here,” Manning said in a statement. We are all disappointed not to have obtained the expected results. ยป
Terry Dunfield, ex-TFC player and Canadian international, has been named interim head coach. He was the head coach of the club’s under-17 team.
Bradley, whose son Michael is the captain of TFC, was hired as club manager in November 2021. He compiled a 14-26-19 record in Toronto. He led his last game on Saturday, a 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution.
He was the club’s third coach since December 2020, since the departure of Greg Vanney, who led the team to the MLS Cup in 2017. Chris Armas and Javier Perez succeeded him in 2020.
Three-time MLS Coach of the Year Bradley had been in hot water for some time, though injuries and lack of depth plagued the team: TFC were without 11 players through injury or international caps against New England.
The 65-year-old Bradley was responsible for everything from scouting to product on the pitch. But after taking office, his efforts to revive the club seemed to take two steps back for every step forward.
As well as an injury-plagued squad, Bradley has often hinted that he’s inherited an array of bad contracts he needs to get rid of, suggesting that finding a winning team could take some time.
More than 30 players have left since Bradley began his overhaul of the club.
Appointed on November 24, 2021, Bradley became the 12th head coach of the Toronto team. He ranks third all-time in Major League Soccer wins, behind Bruce Arena and the late Sigi Schmid.