Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney says Blue Jays have attributes worthy of any sport | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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Toronto FC coach Greg Vanney says Blue Jays have attributes worthy of any sport

Toronto FC head coach Greg Vanney moves onto the pitch during the first half of an MLS soccer match against the Philadelphia Union, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014, in Chester, Pa. Like many, Vanney is relishing the Toronto Blue Jays' playoff run.The Toronto FC coach sees positives in the Jays' makeup and style of play that ring true for many sports. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Chris Szagola
Original Publication Date October 01, 2015 - 9:30 AM

TORONTO - Like many, Greg Vanney is relishing the Toronto Blue Jays' playoff run.

The Toronto FC coach sees positives in the Jays' makeup and style of play that ring true for many sports. He also believes the fervent support for the baseball team could be headed his way if the MLS side achieves its long-awaited goal of making the playoffs.

"They are fun to watch," Vanney said of the Jays. "They've got a great attacking team. They put runs on the board, They do a good job of getting themselves out into leads early which has been fun to watch.

"I think they do a lot of things that are important regardless of your sport. They do a lot of things that good mature teams that have good pieces, that have been together, do to put themselves in the best chance to get as far as possible.

"I grew up playing baseball, so I have some sense of the game and I think they have a great group. And they've also got their mojo about them and a camaraderie about them that you get through experiences. Hard experiences as well as great experiences, you get this energy about you and this mojo about you.

"That's what I enjoy watching, because they truly are this team that's come together and feels great about who they are and what they're doing."

TFC could book its first-ever trip to the playoffs this weekend if it dispatches Philadelphia and gets some help from Montreal and D.C. United in other matches

Vanney says the fervent support for the Jays is hard to miss, especially when the two Toronto teams play same day and TFC is resting in its downtown hotel near the Rogers Centre.

"We're often in the hotel and they play at 1 o'clock and we play at 3 o'clock and we see the crowds pouring into the stadium in the Blue Jays shirts and everything else. You can see there's a groundswell of support for this group and people feel it.

"And that for us is also motivation. We know if we continue to win games and build that momentum and get over some of the hurdles that people keep bringing up in our past and we move forward and people start believing in us, that's same groundswell will come with this group because people are waiting for us to make that statement."

Vanney, who played his club soccer in MLS and France, says in his younger days he was a second baseman/leadoff hitter and occasional catcher who batted for average but not for power.

Centre back Josh Williams, an Ohio native who follows the Indians and also used to play baseball himself, has also been watching the Jays' progress.

"It's exciting for them and I'm enjoying it. It's good baseball," he said.

TFC players have gone to Jays games, with some of the foreign players a little mystified at the rules.

"You could tell guys were a little thrown off by it. They had no idea why guys (were) coming out of the bullpen, why is this guy on the field now, stuff like that," Williams said. "But for the most part I think most of the guys get it"

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News from © The Canadian Press, 2015
The Canadian Press

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