TORONTO – They have become Toronto’s FC’s “Chosen 11.”

Clint Irwin. Nick Hagglund. Eriq Zavaleta. Drew Moor. Justin Morrow. Armando Cooper. Michael Bradley. Jonathan Osorio. Steven Beitashour. Jozy Altidore. Sebastian Giovinco.

All of their names have appeared on TFC’s team sheet in each of the last four games, marking the first time this season that coach Greg Vanney has used an unchanged starting 11 for four consecutive matches. Chances are very good that Vanney will make it five games in a row when Toronto takes on the Montreal Impact next Tuesday at Olympic Stadium in the first leg of the Eastern Conference finals.

Having spent much of the Major League Soccer campaign juggling his lineup and rotating through his roster due to a rash of injuries and international absences, Vanney has found a formidable combination in the aforementioned 11 players. After using a diamond-shaped 4-4-2 setup for most of the year, Vanney now favours a 3-5-2 formation, pushing fullbacks Morrow and Beitashour forward into midfield, and going with three central defenders.

The results speak for themselves. The Reds have won all four of their contests (three of them in the playoffs) with this group of 11 players, including their 7-0 aggregate destruction of second-seeded New York City FC in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

So, what’s worked so well for Toronto with this particular starting lineup?

“Something clearly has [clicked], I couldn’t tell you what it is,” Zavaleta admitted.

“There’s a good compliment, from back to front, of players around each other. Speaking for the back three, whether it be me reading the game, or Drew operating between the two of us, and Nick’s athleticism, there’s something that’s working amongst the 11 players. We’ve found the right recipe at the right time.”

For his part, Vanney puts the lineup’s success down to two simple principles: consistency and continuity.

“Consistency helps, because relationships on the field develop and connections get a little bit clearer and a little bit cleaner. We have a lot of guys who can do a job, and a lot of guys who are slightly different than the other guys,” Vanney explained.

“As an example, playing [Will Johnson] or playing [Osorio], they’re different types of players, so when Michael, or Armando or [Giovinco] is playing with Oso, it’s a little bit different than playing with Will. The more continuity you get and the more times you get to play together, the more you learn the nuances and get used to the nuances of each other, and that starts to grow.”

While he has gone with the same 11 players, Vanney admitted he did make some minor tactical adjustments over the last four games. That’s another reason why he hasn’t made any lineup changes.

“I thought tactically the guys that were out there had a good feel of it, and had gone through a few repetitions of it, and so to insert [someone new] would mean that that guy would have to have more repetitions of getting the feel of what that tactical task was on the day. As quickly as the games came, it was easier to stay with the same group, ask them to do the same thing over and over and over and over than it was is to implement a new guy,” Vanney stated.

Vanney has also been able to field a consistent starting 11 because Toronto FC is practically injury free, aside from defender Ashtone Morgan, for the first time this year.

“A lot of it is health. We’ve been fortunate enough over this stretch to stay healthy, so it gives us the opportunity to play this same group, but that’s not always the case,” Vanney offered.

“Part of it is reward. The [11 players] have played well and they’ve earned it, and so it’s tough to take a guy off the field who’s earned it and been able to get results.”

One victim of Vanney’s new and preferred lineup is Johnson. The Canadian midfielder was a starter for most of 2016, but he lost his job to Cooper after missing two games late in the year due to a MCL sprain. A mid-season pickup, Cooper has been very effective for Toronto, and the Panamanian has justifiably started the last four contests at the expense of Johnson.

Vanney admitted it’s a challenge to keep everybody happy amidst little squad rotation at such a critical juncture of the campaign.

“There’s a lot of guys who have played a bigger role over the course of the year and have helped us get to where we are… It’s [a challenge] keeping everybody engaged, but for sure, the amount of players and the depth we use [in the playoffs] is not going to be as much as we did over the course of the year,” Vanney said.

TFC’s coach described Johnson’s attitude as “excellent,” explaining the veteran hasn’t raised a fuss about losing his starting job and seeing less playing time.

“Like all competitors, he wants to be in more, he wants to have a larger impact. That’s normal. … But he’s been more than professional. He understands that the group that’s out there has done a good job and has earned results,” Vanney said.

Johnson isn’t bitter about losing his starting job to Cooper, and he’s embraced the unique challenge of helping the Panamanian be the best he can be on the pitch.

“I’m very proud of Jonathan and the way he’s stepped up. I’m very proud of Armando and how he’s integrated into the team. I’ve helped those guys integrate and to help them up their levels that I know they’re capable of. As a teammate that’s what you do,” Johnson said.

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