2017 Whitecaps

[Dude]

I'm saving those for when I watch @utah's Aldergrove United play. When least he expects it, boom, BODs in the ear.

 

[machel]

Lots of good points there @LION . I would also like to see more Canadian players get a chance but the consensus usually is that they're usually not good enough and people wouldn't support a mediocre product on the pitch. We made the play-offs and almost won the Western conference. Some would say the Whitecaps are doing something right, some would say the overall play of the league is just that bad right now. I think it's a bit of both.

I've been a fan of BC soccer in general since I was a kid. Watched highlights of the 86er's on tv and followed the A-League/USL caps in the early 2000's. There's something special when you can line-up/play against/or even watch local players in an amateur league(VMSL) and then watch them play pro. Those USL Whitecaps were fun to watch and if you followed local soccer then there was something a little more special on the pitch at Swangard. (A shout out to those players...Sulentic,Heald,JJ,Valente,Clark,Nash,Morris,Sandhu,King amongst others). It hurt my feelings when they didn't offer Nash a real role for the inaugural MLS season. Wearing the armband in MLS would have been the proper way to go imo.(Well that's how I remembered it anyways).
My point is it's easier to get behind a team where you know and enjoy the product and players.

I still follow the caps but as a fan you have to ask some questions sooner or later. We've had some good players here and why we let them go is beyond me. For example:
Mane : Pacey young winger who would torture his markers on the wing. A dip in form and he's out? After all the years developing and marketing and you let him go? wow.
Koffie: Some would say that Laba has filled that role sufficiently but Koffie had a more dynamic offensive side and a great personality. Plus, he was wanting to play for the national side one day! Lets trade him for money. what?
Camilo : Sure he turned out to be a worm and was training with another club behind our backs but he had just won the MLS golden boot and was due for a raise.

This is what they should do:
-Sell Davies because we all know that's going to happen sooner or later. With that money...go sign Hutchinson who has a few good years left in him(especially at MLS level).
-Go out and buy Larin. He was a hot commodity earlier in the season but his dip in form in the second half of the season may see him leave cheaper than expected.
-Get rid of Shea. I was hoping for good things from him but I don't think he's a good fit here. Trade him to TFC for Osorio.
-Get rid of Laba and sign Larin's teammate Will Johnson. Johnson is a proven winner at the MLS level and a couple of All star apperances as well.
-Get rid of the artificial grass. seriously. hahaha

The team is starting to look a lot more Canadian now

 

[STD]

That was fun grumpy pants.

 

[Dude]

Fun is an understatement. That was easily the most fun I've had attending any Caps game, and the atmosphere was unreal good. I can only imagine that stadium full, it'd be so loud.

A lot of great performances. Jake and Marcel were excellent, the bug was MOTM, Monterro and Reyna did their jobs well and were problematic for the fullbacks. Not much to complain about. Nice seeing Lion for a quick sip, too.

 

[bandcamp]

Get rid of Shea. I was hoping for good things from him but I don't think he's a good fit here. Trade him to TFC for Osorio.

No chance. He is pacey and smarter than you think. He's one of those players who has a nose for opportunity. Don't want him starting but off the bench very effective. He's just hard to look at.

Get rid of Laba and sign Larin's teammate Will Johnson

NEVER. I can see Laba gone at some point but for Will Johnson?

 

[bandcamp]

Fun is an understatement. That was easily the most fun I've had attending any Caps game, and the atmosphere was unreal good. I can only imagine that stadium full, it'd be so loud.

A lot of great performances. Jake and Marcel were excellent, the bug was MOTM, Monterro and Reyna did their jobs well and were problematic for the fullbacks. Not much to complain about. Nice seeing Lion for a quick sip, too.

That starting lineup is excellent. And for those Bollanos complainers talking about 3rd gear: he's our best technical player and the ONLY player in the lineup that defenders back off of and don't lunge in on. There's a reason.

 

[Dude]

No chance. He is pacey and smarter than you think. He's one of those players who has a nose for opportunity. Don't want him starting but off the bench very effective. He's just hard to look at.


NEVER. I can see Laba gone at some point but for Will Johnson?

I am a Shea fan. His off the ball movement was very good in his role last night, and he's a very good "swiss army knife" type player. Problem is his contract and DP status, but if one of the many weird MLS TAM GLAM or RAM money funds can help the situation, I think it's good to have him around, not just for experience, but because he's a damn good player.

Laba, me thinks, has run the course here. Ghazal is a far better player, not just a tackling machine.

 

[bandcamp]

Laba, me thinks, has run the course here. Ghazal is a far better player, not just a tackling machine.

Agreed. We were very fortunate to pick up Ghazal just before Laba got injured. He tackles extremely well and is far better on the ball than Laba. I just don't agree with @machel and his trade proposition

 

[Dude]

Neither do I. WJ was a good player, but not as good as Laba, and he's also declined.

 

[Dude]

That starting lineup is excellent. And for those Bollanos complainers talking about 3rd gear: he's our best technical player and the ONLY player in the lineup that defenders back off of and don't lunge in on. There's a reason.

On Bolo...mixed for me. He is a flow killer, and there is one other player that backs up defenders: Alphonso Davies. And his defensive work is actually better than Bolo. He is a man child that defenders have a near impossible time handling, and he looks to cross (mostly, some bad decisions recently). The whole "Gotta protect the boy" bullshit from Robo baffles me. How about "Gotta ruin the boy's development by shattering his confidence"? He's still the 2nd or 3rd best winger we have, and he's being stapled to the bench.

Bolo was very smooth last night, and played confident. I just don't like how when he receives it, we have outside backs flying up the wing, Reyna making smart, diagonal runs, and he'll go square, or look to dribble across midfield at a pedestrian pace. Overall, if you had the Bolo that plays like it's his last match every time he puts on a CR jersey, I'd take that player every time. Basically, he's confounding to me.

That said, the lack of rest till the next match may see the switch of him out and on the bench, and either Shae or Davies in to start Sunday. I'd prefer Davies, and the x-factor he brings to the table.

 

[bandcamp]

WFC's strength is their counter punch and speed. But if you look at the players we've had in the past that had speed but zero awareness or ball protection (Manneh, Mattocks etc) then you'll remember how maddening it is to watch them dribble into backlines with no support and then cough the ball. Davies does that btw and that's the reason why he doesn't see the field. His awareness isn't there yet. He's got massive potential but in the last bunch of games he's played he stuck out as the worst player on the field (to me). I hope for his sake that we sell him so he can get himself into a proper team that can coach that talent. If not then he's just another Manneh. Moments of magic but very inconsistent.

Bollo, to your point, does step on it more than the others but there's a method to his playing. Watch defenders when he's on the ball. They back off and he gets his space. We can't have just race horses...we need guys like him to pull the strings.

 

[Dude]

I don't disagree w/ you, and when he's playing the way he played last night- with a defensive awareness- then I like him. Too frequently he checks out, but that may simply be because he's not interested, and rises up for big matches.

W/ Davies, he's going through a tough patch, yes. Earlier this season, though, he was showing that awareness, in WFC colors, and Canadian colors. By not playing him, we're doing nothing for him. Besides, even at his worse, he's still far less maddening than Manneh (who never saw our side of center), or Mattocks / Hurdato. He shows far more intelligence than those players. If we'd seen the Bolo we saw last Sunday, then we'd have likely lost last night. He's Jekyll & Hyde...but I will admit for sure, what we saw last night was him close to his best.

 

[dezza]

I have no issues with Bola on the ball. Defensively I still think he's useless. The few times he actually tracks back to help out the fullback, he's still way too far off the opponent and pretty much guarantees letting them have a free cross.

 

[machel]

Nice result last night. Very entertaining indeed.

Just when I bash Shea he put in a good shift. I guess I'm a bit hard on him because he was such a talent before his move to the EPL. It's frustrating to see him not perform the way I remember he once was.

Will Johnson must be one of the most underrated players...and to most Canadians. lol
He regularly captains his sides in MLS and has been to a couple of all star games. Even wore the armband in the all star game. His leadership qualities on and off the pitch would be a valuable asset. He's in his early 30s and has a few good years left IMO. It probably didn't work out at Toronto because they already had a leader there in Bradley. I remember watching TFC games and Johnson tried to boss the team, you could tell that wasn't going to happen there. I wasn't surprised to see him move on after again reaching another MLS cup final(2 wins, 1 loss). Yeah you guys are right, we don't need a player like that here.

 

[Sniffer]

WFC's strength is their counter punch and speed. But if you look at the players we've had in the past that had speed but zero awareness or ball protection (Manneh, Mattocks etc) then you'll remember how maddening it is to watch them dribble into backlines with no support and then cough the ball. Davies does that btw and that's the reason why he doesn't see the field. His awareness isn't there yet. He's got massive potential but in the last bunch of games he's played he stuck out as the worst player on the field (to me). I hope for his sake that we sell him so he can get himself into a proper team that can coach that talent. If not then he's just another Manneh. Moments of magic but very inconsistent.

Bollo, to your point, does step on it more than the others but there's a method to his playing. Watch defenders when he's on the ball. They back off and he gets his space. We can't have just race horses...we need guys like him to pull the strings.

I agree Davies hadn't been looking great but wasn't Robbo playing him centre mid? He is never a centre midfielder!

 

[Dude]

Nice result last night. Very entertaining indeed.

Just when I bash Shea he put in a good shift. I guess I'm a bit hard on him because he was such a talent before his move to the EPL. It's frustrating to see him not perform the way I remember he once was.

Will Johnson must be one of the most underrated players...and to most Canadians. lol
He regularly captains his sides in MLS and has been to a couple of all star games. Even wore the armband in the all star game. His leadership qualities on and off the pitch would be a valuable asset. He's in his early 30s and has a few good years left IMO. It probably didn't work out at Toronto because they already had a leader there in Bradley. I remember watching TFC games and Johnson tried to boss the team, you could tell that wasn't going to happen there. I wasn't surprised to see him move on after again reaching another MLS cup final(2 wins, 1 loss). Yeah you guys are right, we don't need a player like that here.

I actually like WJ, I just think he's played a hared game for a long time, and his injuries have gotten the better of him. He'll never be close to the player he was in his prime w/ Portland.

Back to Davies...I don't mind experimenting with him, but benching him for a couple of poor showings is not going to pay off. His string of very good showings wasn't a fluke. Let him run amok on Sunday at home, and rest Bola for the return match (although, Bola pure sucks on the road....).

 

[bandcamp]

Play Davies as a 9

 

[Dude]

I see him as a future 9. Now, I still think the wing gives him the balance of experience he needs without too much responsibility.

Yeah, the Caps need to sell this kid, ASAP, for as much as they can get. Robo and his "protection" are going to stunt the kid's development, and the next thing you know he will be nothing better than a player like Manneh. Can't let that happen. Robo is killing the club's investment / future.

 

[cascadesoccer]

“Due to demand, vwfc will be opening the full lower bowl for Sunday’s match against Seattle”

 

[club_i_champ]

Brek Shea is useless.