TFC Notebook: How Bob Bradley is managing the frustration of Insigne and Bernardeschi

Toronto FC need more out of their two Designated Players, what the departure of head scout Jack Dodd means for the club, and Kobe Franklin is taking full advantage of his opportunity. It’s time for another TFC Notebook!

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Without further ado, let’s dive in.

What does the departure of head scout Jack Dodd mean for Toronto FC?

Earlier this week, Toronto FC lost an influential member of its front office, as Head Scout Jack Dodd joined the Portland Timbers as a Technical Director, ending a nine-year spell with the Reds.

During his tenure, Dodd played a key role in bringing talents like Victor Vazquez, Sebastian Giovinco, Alejandro Pozuelo to Toronto.

Dodd managed a group of scouts that covered matches in different places around the world, and worked closely in collaboration with Bob Bradley, Jason Hernandez, Arthur Casupanan, and Mike Sorber – Toronto’s main roster decision makers.

The group worked together to create a process that understands what the club is all about, the team’s identity, and style of play etc.

And although Bradley, Toronto’s Head Coach and Sporting Director, believed Dodd did “an excellent job,” he feels that the team hasn’t been able to execute that aforementioned process over the past two seasons because the club has still been “trying to undo things” and figure out ways to improve the squad quickly to give the team “the best chance in the short run.”

“But I do think the thinking of all this has to have a little bit more of a plan that’s not just about what we do today that’s good for tomorrow,” said Bradley.

“Some of the things that we were discussing with [Dodd], we’ve not been able to put into place yet. And hopefully, even with his departure, we’ll be able to continue those discussions and try to find the right ways to improve in the way we go about looking for players, recruiting players, signing players, all the rest.”

There stands a good chance that a few of Toronto’s scouts will join Dodd in Portland, but that remains to be seen.

The team will miss the native of Derby, England’s wide range of connections overseas. If you can recall, Dodd was the key factor in landing Tony Gallacher on loan from Liverpool a few years back because of his ties with the Premier League club (Dodd served as Liverpool’s academy scout from 2008-2013).

In the meantime, Toronto will continue to lean heavily on Hernandez, now the Assistant GM of player personnel, engagement and strategy, and Casupanan, who specializes in understanding MLS mechanisms, including the salary budget and roster rules.

Bradley will lean on his relationships and connections that he’s made over his storied career to also help on the recruitment side of things while the club figures out the best way to move forward. It was Bradley’s connections that helped land Norwegian defender Sigurd Rosted from Danish top-flight club Brøndby IF this offseason.

The club is still discussing the best way to fill the vacancy left by Dodd, whether they fill that position in the same way or rearrange somehow.

Dodd’s departure isn’t ideal; however, it does give the club a chance to hit the reset button and really reassess their overall recruitment strategy and how they go about bringing in the right players.

“Since I arrived, we've had discussions about the process of how we scout, how we recruit, how we use data, how that fits in with opportunities, understanding salary, budgets and contracts and the whole bit, because I do think that we've got to think hard about the way we go about all of that.”

It’ll be interesting to see what will come next.

What does Bob Bradley say to Insigne and Bernardeschi in moments of frustration? 

Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi make more than 11 Major League Soccer teams, according to figures released by the MLSPA this past week.

Toronto FC are committing more than half of their salary budget towards the duo, meaning the expectations for the two Italian superstars to create are sky high.

“Are they creating enough? Look, as a team, I think we create a fair number of advantages. I’ve said that after many games so far this year. How sharp are we when we get those advantages? I think that has to improve. I think in some moments that includes them,” said Bob Bradley.

Toronto needs to get more out of Insigne (1G/0A) and Bernardeschi (3G/2A). The team has been held scoreless over their last three matches and have scored just 13 goals in 13 matches this season — a mark that should be higher when your attack is led by the two European champions. Over their past six matches, they’ve produced just one goal and one assist combined.

Is it all their fault? Certainly not. The team is dealing with an injury crisis worse than Bradley “has ever seen” in his 32-year career. They’re being asked to find ways to create while linking up with young, inexperienced players who can’t yet see or play the game at the pace of Insigne or Bernardeschi.

TFC are also dealing with a bit of a striker crisis, in the sense that the team just can’t seem to get any sort of meaningful production out of their No. 9 position.

But in a game at home against the New York Red Bulls – a depleted side that was also missing 12 players – one would expect that the two Italians would’ve been able to win a match like that on their own, or at the very least, create a goal.

That didn’t happen, and overall, it’s been a struggle lately for Toronto’s two stars, with Bradley admitting during this past stretch “you can tell (Insigne and Bernardeschi) are frustrated.”

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READ MORE: Is Bob Bradley on the hot seat?

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So what does he tell his two Italians in moments of frustration?

“A lot of things. We tell them that we need them, and that even if a game isn’t going in some ways, you try to almost point out to them that like in all games, there are good plays and bad plays, […] it’s not just MLS. […] So you try to refocus them on the fact that, come on, this is football. Now, that doesn’t always register,” explained Bradley.

The former USMNT manager added: “Sometimes in the moment they are frustrated and you want them to know that we are committed to them. We are committed to trying to work on little things to put them in position to be more successful. We are committed to the fact that if we can hang in and get a few guys back on the field and whatnot, that there were some signs early in the year of more. So, it’s patience. It’s here are the things we have to work on. It’s understanding the league. It’s all that kind of stuff, every day, over and over. Long days.”

Bradley is still trying to work out the best way to get more out of his two DPs. He says it’s something that he thinks about every day. But, in the meantime, the challenge is to keep them engaged and believing that things are going to improve. Because the success of Toronto FC ultimately lies on both of their shoulders.

Kobe Franklin is growing on the job, says Bob Bradley

I wrote about Toronto FC’s insane stretch of injuries last week. It sucks. But the one benefit is that it forces the team to give extended looks to players who otherwise wouldn’t have been given a shot, and no one has taken advantage of their opportunity more than Kobe Franklin.

The 20-year-old fullback, who was signed to a first-team deal just a few days prior to the start of the season, has stepped up and shown that he belongs. He’s starting to grow in confidence and is no longer just a passenger on the pitch and allowing the game to merely come to him — he’s starting to make a difference.

“I think he’s grown on the job,” said Bob Bradley after Wednesday’s match. “He’s more confident. Just the way he competes in games right now has gone up a bunch of notches. That’s what you want to see.”

“He’s been fantastic,” added Richie Laryea. “He’s done so good. Getting forward today as well. I thought he got into some really dangerous spots, got himself in the box. He’s a really good player and he has a bright future at this club and beyond, so I’m excited for him.”

Two things have stood out to me about Franklin. First, he’s a strong passer, completing 88.1 per cent of his passes this season. It’s not just simple back passes either, he isn’t afraid to take risks and progress the ball forward, which speaks to his high-level soccer IQ – reading situations and making the correct decision – as well as his confidence on the ball and the ability to go out and execute.

The next step I would love to see him take is to begin to whip more balls into the box. Having watched him with TFC II, I know he has the ability to cross in a really good ball into dangerous areas. He’s been getting up the pitch more and more and finding himself in those positions where he can whip a ball in; keep an eye on that.

The second thing is Franklin’s engine. It feels like the East York, Ontario native can run for days, which is a welcome sight on an older team whose energy levels clearly fade as the game progresses. Bradley has given license to the young homegrown defender to take more risks by getting higher up the pitch because his recovery runs have been relentless. For as hard as he runs getting forward, he runs twice as hard getting back. His legs add an extra element into a side that lacks pace.

Even with the team on the mend, Franklin has made a strong and compelling case to stay in the mix. He’s up to just over 450 minutes in five starts (eight appearances) this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him hovering around 1500 minutes by the end of the year — a mark no one would have predicted just a few weeks back.

News and Notes: Added Time

– Toronto FC will miss at least eight players for their match against Austin FC, though there’s a good chance it ends up being more than eight. Mark-Anthony Kaye (hip flexor), Matt Hedges (lower-body), and Jordan Perruzza (lower-body) are all questionable.

– TFC have signed three TFC II players to short-term loan agreements for Saturday’s game: Markus Cimermancic, Antony Curic, and Jordan Faria. That’s the most call-ups they’ve made for one match this season.

– Toronto’s injury problems are part of the reason why Austin FC are heavily favoured (+100) against the Reds (+275). The other is that TFC have just one win in their last 10 matches in all competitions and haven’t won a game on the road since August of last season.

– Mark-Anthony Kaye leads all players in tackles won (33) this season.

– Richie Laryea leads all players in fouls drawn (39) this season.

– Sean Johnson has five clean sheets in 13 starts this season. He’s tied for the fourth-most in MLS. Seattle Sounders ‘keeper Stefan Frei – a former Red – leads the league with seven in 13 matches.

– A quick shoutout to former Red Lukas MacNaughton, who scored his first goal for Nashville SC midweek. The 28-year-old CB was named to the Team of the Matchday, and he now has as many goals as CJ Sapong.

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