Kevin Long has been credited with a leading role in Toronto FC’s transformation from ‘a dire mess’ to MLS challengers. .
Birmingham City allowed Long to join the Canadian club in February after the Irishman fell out of favour under Tony Mowbray. Krystian Bielik's conversion to centre-back bolstered Mowbray’s options and Blues opted to get Long’s wages off the books four months early.
Toronto, who are managed by Englishman John Herdman, offered Long a one-year contract with the option of a further 12 months and they have reaped the benefits of his presence at the back. Toronto are third in the Eastern Conference, behind only Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati, with 19 points from their opening 11 matches.
“He has been a really welcome addition to Toronto FC,” says John Molinaro, who reports on the team for TFC Republic. “You have to keep in mind that Toronto finished bottom of the MLS league table last year. It was their worst ever season. They only won four times and they only collected 22 points, both franchise lows, and they had the second worst defensive record in the league.
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“Kevin has come in and helped them solidify things at the back. They have already recorded five clean sheets through their first 11 games and are much more defensively sound. He’s just provided some much needed leadership and solidity to a team that was a real mess last year. He has been a really solid hand and a great presence on the pitch and off the pitch.
“This is a team that was a dire mess last season, with in-fighting and the team was divided into cliques behind-the-scenes. Kevin has really just offered some level headedness to the team. There are other factors at play; they have a new coach in John Herdman but Kevin has been a solidifying presence. His leadership on a team that absolutely leaked goals last year has been really refreshing.”
Blues’ decision to let Long leave came back to bite them within two weeks. With Bielik and Marc Roberts injured, Dion Sanderson’s red card against Southampton left Blues with only one available centre-back for their match against Hull City.
Long, 33, lost his place in Blues’ starting XI under Wayne Rooney after making a solid start to the season under John Eustace. Long was renowned for being one of the Championship’s most aerially dominant centre-backs, winning 72 percent of his duels – only eight players in the league recorded a higher percentage across the course of the season.
Blues missed Long’s ability in the air at the tail-end of the campaign when set piece goals conceded to Southampton, Hull City and Millwall cost the club vital points. And in a season where various managers bemoaned a lack of leaders in the squad, it begs the question as to why they let one go when they couldn’t replace him.
Molinaro added: “He quietly goes about his business and has been really effective and I think Toronto fans have been appreciative of that. To have players like Kevin come in and right the ship, in a quiet and unassuming way, has been really appreciated.”
Like every MLS team, Toronto has its stars in the form of Italian duo Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne. Now that they have changed managers and shored up their defence, Toronto are in contention of the play-offs.
“It’s certainly looking that way,” Molinaro said. “I’m not sure anyone would have predicted that. This was a team that finished last in the table last year and there weren’t that many off-season changes. Except for the addition of Kevin Long and a few others, it’s largely the same team that finished bottom of the table last year. They are definitely overachieving at the moment and a lot of that is down to how defensively improved they are.”
