‘They were an awful mess’ – Kevin Long showed Birmingham City exactly what they needed

Kevin Long has been credited with a leading role in Toronto FC’s transformation from “a terrible mess” to MLS contenders. .

Birmingham City allowed Long to join the Canadian club in February after the Irishman fell out of favor with Tony Mowbray. Krystian Bielik’s conversion to centre-back strengthened Mowbray’s options and the Blues opted to take Long’s wages off the books four months early.

Toronto, who are managed by England’s John Herdman, offered Long a one-year contract with the option of another 12 months and reaped the benefits of his presence at the back. Toronto sits third in the Eastern Conference behind only Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati with 19 points from their first 11 games.

“He’s been a really welcome addition to Toronto FC,” says John Molinaro, who reports on the team for TFC Republic. “You have to remember that Toronto finished last in the MLS standings last year. It was their worst season ever. They won just four times and scored just 22 points, both franchise lows, and had the second-worst defensive record in the league.

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“Kevin came in and helped them solidify things at the back. They have already gone five clean sheets in their first 11 games and are much healthier defensively. He just provided some much-needed leadership and solidity to a team that was a real mess last year. He was a very solid hand and a great presence on and off the field.

“This is a team that was a terrible mess last season with infighting and the team was divided into cliques behind the scenes. Kevin just provided some captivity for the team. There are other factors at play; they have a new coach in John Herdman, but Kevin has been a solidifying presence. His leadership in a team that absolutely leaked goals last year was really refreshing.”

The Blues’ decision to let Long go came back to bite them in two weeks. With Bielik and Marc Roberts injured, Dion Sanderson’s red card against Southampton left the Blues with just one centre-back available for the match against Hull City.

Long, 33, has lost his place in the Blues’ starting XI under Wayne Rooney after making a solid start to the season under John Eustace. Long was renowned for being one of the Championship’s most dominant centre-backs, winning 72% of his duels – only eight players in the league recorded a higher percentage over the course of the season.

The Blues missed Long’s ability in the air towards the end of the campaign, when goals against Southampton, Hull City and Millwall cost the club vital points. And in a season where various managers have lamented the lack of leaders in the squad, it begs the question of why they let someone go when they couldn’t replace him.

Molinaro added: “He quietly goes about his business and has been really efficient and I think the Toronto fans have appreciated that. It was much appreciated to have players like Kevin come in and right the ship, in a quiet and unassuming way.”

Like any MLS team, Toronto has its stars in the form of Italian duo Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne. Now, after changing managers and strengthening their defense, Toronto is in contention for the playoffs.

“It sure looks that way,” Molinaro said. “I’m not sure anyone would have predicted that. This was a team that finished last in the standings last year and there weren’t that many changes in the offseason. With the exception of the addition of Kevin Long and a few others, it’s largely the same team that finished last in the standings last year. They’re definitely outmatched right now, and a lot of that is because of how much improved they are defensively.”

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