Toronto FC officially appointed Robin Fraser as its 15th head coach on Wednesday, with hopes that the former TFC assistant coach can return the club to its former glory.
Frazier, 58, was a key assistant to coach Greg Vanney from 2015 to 2019 before leaving Toronto to take over the Colorado Rapids.
Fraser was part of Toronto’s 2017 treble-winning season (MLS Cup, MLS Supporters’ Shield and Canadian Championship). TFC also won two Canadian Championships (2016 and 2018), reached the MLS Cup Final in 2016, and finished runner-up in the 2018 CONCACAF Champions League during his time with the club.
With Colorado, Frazier was a runner-up for the 2021 Coach of the Year award as the Rapids topped the Western Conference with a club-record 61 points. However, he was fired in September 2023 after posting a record of 47-48-34 in all competitions.
Sixteen months later he returned to TFC, this time in charge.
“Walking into this building was like putting on an old pair of shoes.” Frazier said with a smile. “I really enjoyed my time here. The first situation I was in was that TFC had never been to the play-offs before and I was really, really proud to be part of the group that pushed the club forward and got them to the top of the league.”
“, he said, adding that I know it’s not the same.
Toronto, which failed to advance to the major league playoffs for four consecutive seasons last year, has been without a coach since John Herdman resigned in late November.
When asked how he felt watching Toronto’s decline from afar, Frazier responded, “It was sad, to be honest.”
shared vision
Keith Pelley, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, said the club has been engaging in a “methodical and meticulous rebuild.”
After speaking with Hernandez, Pelley and MLSE President Larry Tanenbaum, Frazier said he was confident everyone shared the same vision moving forward.
“There was a sense of unity from top to bottom for what the club wanted,” he said. “Again, I’m not going to dwell on 2016 and 2017, but during that time, Tim (former MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke) and Greg and the rest of the staff and the scouting staff all felt that way. It really did. Click here. “Every time I came in, it felt like the family was pushing in one direction.”
Fraser inherits a squad that is still a work in progress, with the club looking for a striker to bolster Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi.
Insignho has put in some stellar performances, but the 33-year-old winger has looked forlorn at times, frustrated by injuries and sub-par supporting performances.
Fraser said turning TFC around would require a “collective approach”.
“If everyone does their job, we will move forward. ΓǪ And if people don’t want to get on the bus, they have to get on the bus.”
Since last reaching the playoffs in 2020, when the club fell at its first postseason hurdle, Toronto has posted a 30-75-31 record in MLS play and finished 26th, 27th, 29th and 22nd in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
The current national team, which conceded 61 goals and scored 40 goals in the league last season, will likely need help in every position except goalkeeper.
‘High level tactical insight’
Hernández, who spent two seasons as a TFC player while Frazier was on Barney’s coaching staff, calls Frazier a coach with “steady hands” and “a person of very high integrity.”
“This is a guy with clear, high-level tactical insight and tremendous experience in MLS. There’s not much he hasn’t seen or done in our league,” said Hernandez.
Toronto’s roster has changed dramatically since Frazier was last there, but this is an organization the new coach is investing in. Hernandez says it’s invaluable.
“He already knows our building, our people, our team, our market, our ownership and our expectations,” the GM said.
Hernández said he and the new coach share a common bond when it comes to TFC.
“I believe there is a real benefit to having someone in this building and having someone on the first-team sideline means more to them than just coaching a football game.”
The club departs for Spain on Friday for pre-season preparations.
While playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy and Columbus Crew in Colorado, Frazier earned MLS All-Star honors five times and was named MLS Defender of the Year twice. On the international stage, he played in 27 games for the United States.
He began his MLS coaching career as an assistant at Real Salt Lake from 2007 to 2010, helping the team win the MLS Cup in 2009. He was the head coach of Chivas USA in 2011 and 2012 and an assistant coach of the Red Bulls before retiring. First meeting with Toronto.
