Only nine months after he was brought in to revamp a moribund squad, Toronto FC has parted ways with president and GM Kevin Payne.

MLSE chose to take the Brian Burke/Bryan Colangelo route in doing so. Payne will remain on to assist with a transition but do so without title.

This is part of a larger sweep of the executive suites that will continue with announcements as early as Thursday.

“I’m disappointed, but this is the way this business works,” Payne said Wednesday. He will remain in Toronto for the month before returning to his home in Washington, D.C.

“I’m going to help the team through a transition period. I don’t want to — I won’t — turn my back on this club.”

Ironically, the only sure survivor of the purge is coach Ryan Nelsen, whose shambolic arrival signaled the first warning sign of Payne’s regime. Nelsen was announced as Toronto FC coach while still under contract as a player to Premiership club Queens Park Rangers.

It was an odd start for a pair of old friends. By the time it ended, the two were at odds. Only one would survive the tension.

Payne was brought in by the interim MLSE boss, Tom Anselmi. The 60-year-old U.S. soccer veteran arrived with the blessing of Major League Soccer’s head office.

His tenure was punctuated by a great deal of talk about how to revive a DOA franchise. Payne promised a renaissance. Instead, he delivered more of the same.

One of the key issues was his fixation on two prospective designated players — Uruguayan Diego Forlan and Argentine Maxi Moralez.

While Payne pursued bust-out signings, the team was once again slipping toward the bottom of the Major League Soccer standings. Credit them for consistency — they will miss the playoffs again, as they have in every year of their existence.

While few new players arrived, promising existing talent like attacking midfielder Luis Silva was shipped out.

By the end, Payne lost the confidence of his bosses, most importantly new MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke. The two worked together at Leiweke’s former employer, AEG. That friendship was not enough to salvage the situation.

“I was a little bit surprised, but I understand that Tim wants to move — not in a dramatically different — but in a somewhat different direction,” Payne said.

Leiweke’s byword is “culture.” He has clearly found it lacking at two of MLSE’s major properties. Wednesday’s move at Toronto FC mirrors the recent bloodletting at the Raptors.

One key difference — while Andrea Bargnani was the rope used to string up former Raptors GM Colangelo, Payne was hanged in the end by a player he couldn’t sign.

Weeks ago, Payne was in South America attempting to close the deal with Forlan when he was told to halt proceedings and return to Toronto.

Forlan’s wage demands were not the concern. He was seeking a $16.5 million package (which, at the time, would have made him far and away the highest-paid player in MLS).

The problem was the length of the agreement. Even as it became clear an agreement would not be reached during the mid-season transfer window, Forlan continued to demand a 2 ½ year contract. This would have put TFC in a negotiating headlock as the deal expired halfway through the 2016 season.

Relations disintegrated entirely when word got back that Forlan’s agent had begun approaching other MLS clubs.

In the end, neither the Forlan nor the Moralez move came off. After teasing bold-face names for months, Payne had only youngsters Matias Laba and Maximiliano Urruti to show for it. Before being lost to injury, Laba was excellent. Urruti arrived out of shape, and has yet to feature at any length.

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Payne fell into the same pattern that bedeviled previous regimes — falling in love with a small group of unattainable targets, then refusing to consider anyone not on his own wish list.

At one point, an influential Serie A executive was pulled in on an ad-hoc basis to suggest potential recruits. He provided a shortlist of Italian pros he thought could be lured to MLS, including several internationally capped players.

Payne later said he couldn’t make any headway on the Italian question.

The Italian executive told his Toronto counterparts a slightly different story — that Payne had told him that the names had all been vetoed because of cost. This, despite the Toronto FC had been given a $25 million war chest by the MLSE board to buy and pay new arrivals. The bulk of that money remains unspent.

As Payne’s search for players foundered, his rookie coach’s frustration was growing. Well aware that Payne had taken a flier on him, Nelsen was loath to complain. But eventually, deflated by the lack of urgency in improving the squad, the New Zealander began losing faith.

The professional relationship between Payne and Nelsen deteriorated in recent weeks. On the way out, Payne continued to speak highly of his choice.

“I have the same regard for Ryan as when I brought him into the club,” Payne said. “He’s done a very fine job as a coach.”

Before deciding to part ways with Payne, MLSE considered wiping the slate entirely clean.

However, Nelsen was able to make the case that he understands the problems facing the team and has plotted out a solution combining big signings and low-cost trades.

Keen to retain a field boss who they see as key to man-managing top overseas talent, a decision was made to chop off the head and leave the hands to do the work.

It’s hoped that Nelsen can work his contacts in the Premiership to lure at least one major signing in the winter transfer window. One of the Italians on the unused list is also a top priority.

The team is determined that, unlike in past seasons, that work begin now. That was a major factor in the decision to release Payne with two months left in the season, rather than wait for a face-saving move during the break.

One of the early favourites to assume control is Real Salt Lake GM Garth Lagerwey, a young executive (40) noted for fielding competitive teams on a tight budget.

Lagerwey took over a last-place Salt Lake team in 2007. Since then, RSL hasn’t missed the playoffs. They won a championship in 2009.