When Greg Vanney introduced his prefered formation to start 2019, it really did seem like he was just winging it. The Toronto FC manager introduced the 4-3-3 at a time when the club didn’t have the wide attackers to properly succeed in the formation.
In a season opening 4-0 Concacaf Champions League loss to Independiente, the reds rolled out a 4-3-3 with Justin Morrow and rookie Griffin Dorsey playing as wingers. As a result Vanney would mostly abandon the formation for the first half of the season, until personnel finally allowed him to reintroduce his initial vision.