MONTREAL – Left back. A problem position for Montreal since 2007.
Donny Toia has heard. Some teammates and coaches have told him about the struggles the Impact have endured at that position since Mauricio Vincello left the then-second division outfit, more than seven years ago.
Some solutions worked out, for a time. But many have come and gone in the blink of an eye. In Montreal’s first three MLS seasons only, 11 different players got a start at left back.
Montreal fans are begging for someone to finally make the position undeniably theirs. Pressure, you say? Toia doesn’t feel it.
“I'm just out here doing my job, doing what I have to do,” Toia told MLSsoccer.com this week. “I’m just working hard, trying to stay in that starting lineup.”
So far, so good. This season, his first with the Impact, Toia has played every minute of their five games in all competitions.
Against all odds, some would be tempted to say. When Toia joined Real Salt Lake’s Academy in 2009, he wasn’t out for Chris Wingert’s job. He had only played one season at left back, and that was during the very first year he played youth club soccer.
“After that, I played forward, and then, once I went to Salt Lake, they moved me to left back,” Toia said. “I’m not quite sure why they moved me there, but it doesn’t bother me one bit, to be honest. As long as I’m on the field, playing, helping the team out, that’s all that matters to me.”
Jason Kreis’ repositioning of Toia turned out to be an inspired move, but Kreis’ utilization of the young left back after RSL made him their first-ever Homegrown Player in 2011 was another thing. The club released Toia after his first season there. He hadn’t played one first-team minute.
Looking back, Toia knows that his younger, inexperienced self wasn’t at the right place at the right time. One season in PDL, with hometown club FC Tucson, and another in USL Pro, with Phoenix FC, gave him the tools he needed to have another shot at MLS. He joined Chivas USA in January 2014.
On April 19, Toia replaced Andrew Jean-Baptiste for his second appearance of the season. He never looked back. Toia made 27 total appearances for 2240 minutes of play, catching the Montreal Impact technical staff’s attention along the way.
“Donny Toia played an excellent game against us last year for Chivas,” Impact assistant coach Mauro Biello told reporters on Thursday. “He played [at right back] against [Andres] Romero, and he stuck in our minds. We liked him a lot.”
They like him even more since they picked him up in the 2014 Dispersal Draft. Toia’s ability to defend one-on-one, his concentration and his willingness to learn have most impressed the Montreal staff so far.
“Jason Kreis knew what he was doing,” Toia said. “He’s a very good coach. He knows how to coach the players really well. When he wants something done, he makes sure it’s done the right way. So far, it’s turned out that way, I think. It’s just that, at that point, it was up to me, learning the position and getting better at it.”
Toia’s ability to adapt to his new environment has to be recognized, as well. Montreal’s preseason was shorter than usual due to CONCACAF Champions League commitments, yet Toia struck a fine partnership with Dilly Duka on the left, combining well offensively – Toia’s pass set Duka up for his first goal at Pachuca – and shutting the door for the opponent down their flank.
“We definitely have chemistry there,” Duka said. “Obviously, having Dilly there, he’s got experience playing left or right mid. Having him there, communicating with him is key. The most difficult part, for me, is having him tuck in or go out wide, just because it’s hard to communicate that quickly. But I think, right now, we have the chemistry, and it’s only going to get better.”
That’s not bad for a guy who wasn't playing left back four years ago. He may have been a forward in a past life, but Toia insists that “staying home is my No. 1 job,” even though he enjoys the occasional foray into the opposition half.
Toia's style of play as a forward actually eased the transition to left back. His base position was close to the opponent’s goal, but Toia was indeed playing defense.
“I always ran back,” Toia said. “I don’t know why. That was just my style of play: playing offense and defense, just giving 100 percent the whole time. Coming from forward and going all the way to left back was a big change, but for me, the mentality was still the same: just work hard and give everything you've got.”
