T-7 days: Meet the staff

By: Sam | March 31st, 2007

Going into the home stretch before the season final-fricking-ly starts on April 7, I’ll be providing a daily look at what the team is looking like coming into the inaugral campaign. Today’s feature: A rundown of Toronto FC’s coaching staff.

On August 22, 2006, the owners of the expansion club made an announcement to bring their team one step closer to being ready to face the MLS challenge. Mo Johnston, former Scotland international and MetroStars head coach was to be the first manager of Toronto FC’s history. Having begun to coach the MetroStars/Red Bulls as an assistant to now-USMNT head man Bob Bradley, Johnston was awarded the title of interim head coach when Bradley was fired three games before the end of the season. After a dismal start to last year’s season for the Red Bulls, Mo was fired from his post, two months before he was hired by MLSE, TFC’s owner.

Johnston had a pretty decent playing career himself, playing with a variety of clubs in the UK and around. Starting his pro career at Partick Thistle, he moved on to Watford and then Celtic, where he had begun to establish himself as a very good striker, good enough to crack the Scottish national team. After Celtic, he went south and played two seasons for the French side Nantes, followed by Rangers, Everton, and Hearts. After playing for Falkirk for one season, he moved to the MLS, where he enjoyed five seasons with Kansas City before retiring from the footballing profession. In his career, during 623 games, the final tally was 221 goals. He also scored 14 with the Tartan army, which included Italia 90.

Shortly after being hired, Johnston helped select three assistants to help him out.

The first was Bob Gansler, a very experienced coach whose credentials include the US national team and the Kansas City Wizards. Born in 1941 in Hungary, Gansler coached his first notable team in 1979, that is the USA Under-19s. Perhaps the highlight of his coaching career was in 2000, when his Wiz won the MLS Cup, the MLS Supporters Shield, and he himself was honoured as the MLS Coach of the Year.

Second on the list is less-known but well-respected Mike Matkovich. Longtime Super-Y Chicago Magic Director of Coaching, he accepted this post after almost 10 years of service to the club, which operates in the immense youth league that stretches to the far corners of the continent.

The third is Goalkeeper coach Carmine Issaco. Once a Canadian international, Issaco was an All-American at the University of Maryland and played in various semi-pro leagues in the US and Canada.

Sparing you the physiotherapists and video specialists, that’s what TFC’s bench bosses are looking like right now. Tomorrow: Meet the supporters