Toronto FC are in for a pivotal winter of decisions. 

TFC have been one of the elite MLS clubs in the past half-decade, but in a league of parity, that can all sour quickly with a few ill-fated moves. It's hard to stay at the top in this league, something Toronto felt in 2018 when they missed the playoffs a year after a historic treble-winning season. 

As of Tuesday, they will be embarking on a head coaching search for the first time since 2014 after club legend Greg Vanney decided to step away, while the ambitious club have another Designated Player spot available to bring in a difference-maker. They have added the likes of Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco and Alejandro Pozuelo when given this opportunity in years prior. 

At the same time, Toronto are returning a large chunk of their core from last season, headlined by MVP finalist Pozuelo. 

"I’m excited about the opportunity and what’s in front of us," GM Ali Curtis told media on a virtual press conference Tuesday. "We’re a big club and we’ll be embarking on an offseason unlike any in the history of the club.”

Head coach search

Toronto's first priority is bringing in the successor to Vanney. 

Whoever that coach will be, they'll have big expectations to live up to. Curtis and club president Bill Manning routinely referred to Toronto as a big club with trophy aspirations every single year, while Vanney is the club leader in all categories. Vanney's reign in Toronto was the third-longest active tenure in the league when it came to an end, sparking Manning's first coaching search in his time at the club. 

“Right now both of my phones are on silent because they’ve been pinging with emails, texts, Whatsapp and those things," Curtis said.