2022 Was Bad For MLS Managers Who Are Also Sporting Directors

Bruce Arena, Bob Bradley and Peter Vermes are the three active leaders (in that order) on the Major League Soccer all-time managerial wins list.

They are also the only three MLS coaches who are also their club’s top personnel executive, occupying the titles of sporting director and head coach at the same time.

And in 2022, their clubs had three of the most disappointing seasons in MLS.

As the MLS Cup Playoffs begin this weekend, it’s almost shocking that none of these three gigantic league figures will be taking part.

But during a season some MLS observers think may represent a watershed moment in terms of the league’s emergence as a player on the international transfer market, it’s worth asking whether the dual role these men each occupy is becoming too difficult.

It’s especially so given that, in looking at the shortcomings of Arena’s New England Revolution, Bradley’s Toronto FC and Vermes’ Sporting Kansas City, it’s easier to point to roster moves gone wrong than tactical mismanagement.

But there’s also enough promise within each squad to allow for the possibility that the convergence of these poor seasons was only coincidental. If we’re in the same place a year from now, though, we may look at this past season as the end of one way of doing business in MLS.

Here’s a closer look at what happened to Arena, Bradley and Vermes’ teams in 2022 and the prospects for recovery in 2023.

New England Revolution

Manager and Sporting Director: Bruce Arena

What went wrong in 2022: The easiest place to start is to look at the handful of players who arrived in New England after previously playing for Arena at other clubs or with the U.S. national team. Of the quartet of defender Omar Gonzalez, midfielder Sebastian Lletget, midfielder Ema Boateng and striker Jozy Altidore, only Boateng was productive and still on the roster by season’s end.

But the Revs’ also had to absorb a trio of major outgoing transfers to Europe. Canada national team winger Tajon Buchanan moved on following the 2021 Supporters’ Shield winning campaign, and striker Adam Buksa and goalkeeper Matt Turner followed in the summer. And striker Gustavo Bou battled injury for much of the season.

Why 2023 may be better: For whatever moves Arena’s Revs got wrong, they hit it out of the park in signing Djordje Petrovic as Turner’s replacement. The Serbian immediately became New England’s second-most-valuable player behind 2021 MLS MVP Carles Gil and might have had a shot at MLS Goalkeeper of the Year had he played a full season. Dylan Borrero looked promising on the wing vacated by Buchanan when the Colombian signing joined the squad.

Why it may not: Giacomo Vrioni, signed from Juventus to fill Buksa’s place, hasn’t shown much in his limited time in the No. 9 role with the Revs to date. New England’s three most-used players in 2022 — and four of the six most-used — will be 30 years old or above by this time next season.

Toronto FC

Manager and Sporting Director: Bob Bradley

What went wrong in 2022: For all the excitement of Euro 2020 winners Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi joining the squad in the summer, Toronto FC’s obvious flaw — the Reds’ defensive spine — was never satisfactorily fixed. The preseason move for Mexican center back Carlos Salcedo proved a failure, and mid-season acquisition Mark-Anthony Kaye only played in eight matches while he dealt with injuries.

Michael Bradley’s ability to play all but 11 minutes of the MLS season while turning 35 is laudable. But he becomes a liability when Toronto don’t also have a workhorse midfielder to pair next to him and cover the ground he can’t at this point in his career.

Why 2023 may be better: The front three of Bernardeschi, Insigne and Jesus Jimenez is still as talented as any in the league. Kaye will be healthy with a full preseason under his belt. Toronto has repeatedly shown a willingness to spend to fix other roster problems.

Why it may not: There were a couple whispers that Bob Bradley the sporting director worked against against Bob Bradley the manager as time went on in his previous role at LAFC, which won the Supporters’ Shield in 2019 and finished outside the playoffs entirely in 2021. The father-son dynamic between he and son Michael could also prove tough to navigate now that Michael is well past the peak of his career.

Sporting Kansas City

Manager and Sporting Director: Peter Vermes

What went wrong in 2022: Vermes might deserve the most benefit of the doubt for the 2022 season, with both his first-choice striker and first-choice No. 10 suffering season-ending injuries and failing to make a single appearance.

However, center forward Alan Pulido’s decision to have knee surgery and miss all of 2022 in hopes of a healthy 2023 exposed a lack of serviceable alternatives at the position. Sporting’s first attempt to find a short-term solution — Montenegrin international Nikola Vujnovic — never found the net in his nine appearances before his contract was terminated by mutual agreement.

Why 2023 may be better: After a dreadful first half, SKC were much improved once they hit on two summer signings in striker William Agada and midfielder Eric Thommy. Sporting won six of their last 10 while playing to a +11 goal differential over that stretch.

Why it may not: Even moreso than New England, Kansas City relied on a lot of older players in 2022, with seven of Vermes’ most-used charges aged 30 or beyond. That’s just not a recipe for consistent success with the extensive travel and sometimes oppressive climate that MLS play presents.