Greg Vanney leaves Toronto FC. Hey, the LA Galaxy need a coach!

Greg Vanney and Toronto FC announced they were parting ways Tuesday, the longtime head coach walking away from the club he helped transform, winning a domestic treble there, two additional Canadian Championships, two more trips to the MLS Cup final and the final of the Concacaf Champions League, too.

Before Vanney, TFC were a laughingstock in MLS, eager to splash the cash on old players and ill-fitting managers, and Vanney really did play a major role in turning things around at the club.

In a press conference Tuesday going over the news, the club and Vanney made it clear Toronto wanted to keep him on as head coach, but despite agreeing to a contract extension, Vanney never signed it and decided to walk away.

What next? Nothing is announced but the bright flashing neon signs are obvious.

Vanney played for the LA Galaxy for seven seasons total in his career, playing over 200 times for the club from 1996-2001 and 2008, winning a Supporters’ Shield, a U.S. Open Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup and being an absolute fixture in defense. He was named to the MLS Best XI both in 2000 and 2001.

The Galaxy are looking for a new head coach. Ideally, they want someone who knows MLS, who has a track record of success, and who has a track record of turning a club around. Vanney has literally done all of those things.

Needless to say, the chatter online thinks Vanney to the Galaxy is done already or close to it. I think there’s good reason for that, the pieces fit here perfectly.

Having said that, although the press release announcing his departure from TFC didn’t mention the now-clichéd “personal reasons” or “I want to spend more time with my family” explanations, Vanney did hint at that in the press conference. That could be genuine or it could be a way to throw folks off the scent of an imminent move, or an attempt at leverage if a deal is not yet done with the Galaxy. Just because it seems like a perfect fit doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to happen.

So we’ll see. I think there’s a good chance Vanney will be Galaxy head coach in a matter of days, but you just never know until the club announces it. We’ll keep you posted.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.