Whitecaps II

[Dub Narcotic]

Why are more Canadian minutes better after a certain point? FC Montreal is getting slaughtered and their skill players see very little of the ball. Much better to do like the Whitecaps and mix your best prospects with some first-teamers and USL players so they actually are part of a successful team and not pinned in their own end for 90% of the game. 

[jpg75]

They've had 1189 foreign minutes out of 7890 minutes That's 84,93%. The fact that pretty much every one is Canadian on that team except one (Morelli) helps.

 

I was sure that there would be one day where TRM would be trying to defend the Whitecaps II of not playing enough Canadians.

I figured Vancouver had signed enough Canadians to avoid this situation. What a joke, and even worse the typical fan boys who claim to be V's are defending them. If TFC pulled this shit there would be a half dozen TFC V's outraged at the bullshit our club is pulling.

[tmcmurph]

I figured Vancouver had signed enough Canadians to avoid this situation. What a joke, and even worse the typical fan boys who claim to be V's are defending them. If TFC pulled this shit there would be a half dozen TFC V's outraged at the bullshit our club is pulling.

 

Ah the usual "not doing enough" bullshit. I was cheering for Canada back in the 70s when I was a teen so I don't give a shit if you think I'm not "enough" of a fan for you. You and your constant hate for the club team I cheer for is pathetic and trying to wrap yourself in the flag and claim holier than thou status is a joke. Yes you and your attitude are the joke. You drive more people away from supporting Canada so well done.

 

 

They've had 1189 foreign minutes out of 7890 minutes That's 84,93%. The fact that pretty much every one is Canadian on that team except one (Morelli) helps.

 

I was sure that there would be one day where TRM would be trying to defend the Whitecaps II of not playing enough Canadians.

 

Kudos to Montreal for having the lead but how exactly am I " trying to defend the Whitecaps II of not playing enough Canadians" when we are 14% OVER the quota in minutes played? Seriously give your head a shake. That is the STUPIDEST thing I've heard since the last "Whitecaps hate Canada" idiocy.

 

I knew it couldn't last. While I wish all Canadian clubs the best and truly look forward to the day when all 3 MLS teams are in the playoffs in the same year others just look for any pathetic excuse to rag on someone else's club.

 

I'm happy to have a quota for playing time at the USL Pro level and glad that the CSA set it up that way. The fact that we are OVER the quota isn't good enough for you. Oh no we must meet YOUR criteria on every count and even then you wouldn't let up, you'd just find some other pathetic excuse to dump on my club team.

 

There are several threads for this type of discussion but if you want to threadjack this one into a shit fest then I'm game. I'll be happy to play along. 

[shamrock]

Why are more Canadian minutes better after a certain point? FC Montreal is getting slaughtered and their skill players see very little of the ball. Much better to do like the Whitecaps and mix your best prospects with some first-teamers and USL players so they actually are part of a successful team and not pinned in their own end for 90% of the game. 

 

Yes, and it also helps that on average Whitecaps have an older team than either TFC and Montreal. More physically developed, but I'm more excited about 17-18-19 years old players than 24 year olds. Yes they help you in the league, but I don't understand what's there to develop with 23-24 yr olds...

[jpg75]

Ah the usual "not doing enough" bullshit. I was cheering for Canada back in the 70s when I was a teen so I don't give a shit if you think I'm not "enough" of a fan for you. You and your constant hate for the club team I cheer for is pathetic and trying to wrap yourself in the flag and claim holier than thou status is a joke. Yes you and your attitude are the joke. You drive more people away from supporting Canada so well done.

No, your constant defence of your club and their win-at-all cost attitude is the joke. Whoopee they're 14% above the absolute min. requirement! Want a cookie? That's nothing to brag about. 6 Canadians for a reserves game is a low threshold and they can't even meet that obligation? That is truly sad.

And have you noticed how this season no one has harped on your team now that there's 2 Canadians on the field most games? Hmmm, almost like our low expectations are being met and we don't actually make excuses to shit on the Whitecaps without reason.

[Obinna]

I think a better metric to consider is how many Canadians on "II" teams are getting looks with their MLS squads.

Froese comes to mind for Vancouver, while Chapman has now made his debut (with minutes for Hamilton, Manella and Aparicio seemingly not far behind). I know JGL and Jackson-Hamel have made the bench so far, but has anyone from Impact II seen the field this year?

[tmcmurph]

No, your constant defence of your club and their win-at-all cost attitude is the joke. Whoopee they're 14% above the absolute min. requirement! Want a cookie? That's nothing to brag about. 6 Canadians for a reserves game is a low threshold and they can't even meet that obligation? That is truly sad.

And have you noticed how this season no one has harped on your team now that there's 2 Canadians on the field most games? Hmmm, almost like our low expectations are being met and we don't actually make excuses to shit on the Whitecaps without reason.

 

A cookie? Sure. I like cookies. Win at all costs? Ha ha ha. Have you seen the USL standings?

 

Well if this isn't up to your lofty standards might I suggest you take it up with the CSA and regale them with your insight and wisdom? Maybe you could inquire about why they granted the exemption?  Or you can continue your anti-whitecap diatribes and keep me entertained. 

 

Well Sam is still not back from injury and Russell is just back from his so I'm sure you'll get all worked up again if our numbers get lower. At least the Montreal fans have been spared the "Impact hate Canada" bullshit routine. Thank god for that so there is some small progress around here. 

 

Have a nice day.

[tmcmurph]

Yes, and it also helps that on average Whitecaps have an older team than either TFC and Montreal. More physically developed, but I'm more excited about 17-18-19 years old players than 24 year olds. Yes they help you in the league, but I don't understand what's there to develop with 23-24 yr olds...

 

The average age of the Caps2 team is just under 22. Most of the Canadian are below that and pull the average down. I think you need a mix. Some like Roselund who've been there and can help the younger players along. 

 

This being the first year also plays into it. I'm hoping the academy continues to put more players every year into the USL team. That should bring the average age down over the years. 

 

As to what there is to develop in 23-24 year olds I think it depends where they learned soccer. The NCAA players seem to be great athletes but kind of unaware of what to do in certain situations. Others that came up through the academy seem to understand the game better. If you don't try to teach them you'll never know whether they can learn it. 

[Blackdude]

At least the Montreal fans have been spared the "Impact hate Canada" bullshit routine. Thank god for that so there is some small progress around here.

 

You know why it doesn't happen? Because noone is trying to defend it. Because there isn't an Impact fan like you that will try to defend the Impact for what they are doing now. A lot of people are pissed on why Tissot didn't start on Saturday when you have Reo-Coker playing at RB and why Bernier hasn't gotten a start in the league this year and that we let Ouimette go because they brought too many defenders and Ouimette was the easiest guy to cut. Am I defending them for that? NO, because we admit it. The only time I said that it wasn't acceptable was how the Smits situation was said by people like shermanator but even he somewhat agreed that there were tons of problems of not playing Canadians on the Impact, but Smits was not their problem.

 

The problem is that you've got to defend your club when it's attacked. Where would we be if you didn't put a word on it? It would have ended, but nobody needs that The problem with this board is that when people disagree about something they'll talk about it ad nauseam for 80 pages. We know what everybody thinks about Argos to BMO. We know that. I don't need to read another 50 pages on how this is good or this is bad. We freaking know.. The problem is that  Trillium says things and people are continuing to talk about whatever he posts.

[tmcmurph]

Maybe it doesn't happen as much because it is more about some here being more anti-whitecap than being pro-canada? Maybe they cut Montreal more slack than the Whitecaps? I've seen none of the vitriol directed at Montreal that I saw spewed at the Caps so maybe some people grew up or maybe they have preferential treatment bias? 

 

"The problem is that you've got to defend your club when it's attacked" ... Uh yea. That is what a supporter does and I do it for country and club.

 

Now I'm being compared to Trillium? You've hurt my feelings badly.

 

If you know like you say you know then why do you provide me with this endless entertainment? Like I said if you want to derail another thread instead of one of posting in one of  the other threads about quotas, playing time etc, then I'm game. I'll be happy to play along.

[masster]

A reserve team acting like a reserve team and playing their reserves when they need minutes. Not the least bit shocked or surprised or angry.

[Blackdude]

Now I'm being compared to Trillium? You've hurt my feelings badly.

 

I never compared you to Trillium. You did. I've just named stuff that makes this forum sad.  But, you had to go the extra mile to defend a team that while we get it, because TRM, what you are writing on your posts about WFC2 isn't to convince us that hte Whitecaps are good or bad, because you'll defend them, but to who? not to the non-Whitecap fans. The only people you are trying to convince are people who do not think that the Whitecaps hate Canada.

[Grizzly]

Maybe it doesn't happen as much because it is more about some here being more anti-whitecap than being pro-canada? Maybe they cut Montreal more slack than the Whitecaps? I've seen none of the vitriol directed at Montreal that I saw spewed at the Caps so maybe some people grew up or maybe they have preferential treatment bias? 

 

Yeah in a forum where roughly half of the people are TFC fans everyone just hates the Caps and cuts the Impact some slack. LOL. You are not on a Seattle-Portland Cascadia forum. No one hates the Caps here. No one is happy with the number of Canadian players on any of the Canadian MLS teams or in the league as a whole. However, there are some signs on all the Canadian teams that the academies will start producing more players and things will at least improve soon even if only slowly. But the difference between the Caps and the other 2 teams is no one is writing lengthy defences of every small criticism of the other two teams. And the management of TFC and the Impact always say they want to produce more Canadian players and are trying to do so while whenever Lenarduzzi was asked about Canadian players he comes up with some arrogant response that makes it seem like he doesn't give a shit about Canadian players (kind of like a lot of your responses). Fortunately since Robinson has been head coach he seems to take developing Canadians more seriously and gives better responses to questions and we do not hear as much from Lenarduzzi which is one reason there has been less criticism of the Caps recently. There is some merit to having some older players to help the younger players and have a more successful team but I am not sure the USL teams should really be playing 24 year old American journeymen either of which the Caps have 2 and also a 23 year old American. If MLS is not going to change the rules to make things fair for Canadian players in the league at the very least the USL teams should be playing mostly Canadians.

[shamrock]

The average age of the Caps2 team is just under 22. Most of the Canadian are below that and pull the average down. I think you need a mix. Some like Roselund who've been there and can help the younger players along. 

 

As to what there is to develop in 23-24 year olds I think it depends where they learned soccer. The NCAA players seem to be great athletes but kind of unaware of what to do in certain situations. Others that came up through the academy seem to understand the game better. If you don't try to teach them you'll never know whether they can learn it. 

 

 

I like the Rosenlund signing, cause he's experienced. What I don't fully understand is the signing f Schuler, Christiansen, Pridham, Sandhu, Blagojevic. For the Canadians it's just to fulfill requirements, but does this mean they don't have the talent in the 17-22 range like TFC and Montreal? 

 

 

 There is some merit to having some older players to help the younger players and have a more successful team but I am not sure the USL teams should really be playing 24 year old American journeymen either of which the Caps have 2 and also a 23 year old American. If MLS is not going to change the rules to make things fair for Canadian players in the league at the very least the USL teams should be playing mostly Canadians.

 

Plus this. If you sign older players, at least sign players with experience. Otherwise keep it Canadian.

[masster]

I like the Rosenlund signing, cause he's experienced. What I don't fully understand is the signing f Schuler, Christiansen, Pridham, Sandhu, Blagojevic. For the Canadians it's just to fulfill requirements, but does this mean they don't have the talent in the 17-22 range like TFC and Montreal? 

 

That's a good question.

 

First off, Pridham and Blagojevic were just draft picks that happened to be Canadian. They will get a look and they will either be kept or discarded. No real Whitecaps development has gone into them.

 

Secondly, it was widely anticipated that WFC2 was going to be used as a transitional proving ground for the 6 Whitecaps on the Canadian U20 national team. Bustos has been injured since the start of the MLS season. Adekugbe won a place in the senior team and is now injured. Froese has had more first team appearances than expected as well. Haynes and Farmer have been regulars. Carducci shuffles back and forth between the reserves and the U18 squad. A seventh player, Mitch Piraux (did not make the final U20 qualifying roster), has had a few appearances as well. Throw in Clarke, 21, and McKendry, 22, and that is 9 Canadian players between 18-22.

 

This is the cream of the Whitecaps crop in that age group. The most important thing is that they see minutes and develop.

 

Is 9 players/prospects between 18-22 enough? Should that be considered sufficient? I don't know.

 

Who else could realistically be in this group and has shown to have enough quality to at least get a look at USL level? Alderson chose Europe. So did Zanatta. Youth internationals Huitema, Duncan, Sigue, Wirth and Irving all went the college route prior to USL being around. Sagno and Saleh are probably still a bit young at only 17.

 

Please don't think I am trying to make excuses for the Whitecaps. I am not. I am unsure whether this amount of youth participation is ideal or not. I'm just trying to answer a question that I have already been thinking about myself.

 

EDIT: Forgot about Chris Serban. So 10 Canadians between 18 and 22 that should be the core of the WFC2 team. When you take into account injuries and first team duties, on the whole, I think they have been. Even then, you are still going to need other players to fill out the roster, even for training purposes, and that is where the likes of Schuler come in.

[shamrock]

I wasn't pointing my finger, I just noticed WC2 have more players 23-24 than the other 2 clubs. We'll have to see in 5 years which players are were.

[madmonte]

Don't forget that just 3-5 years ago the biggest concern was that there was almost no place for Canadians to go after the age of 23 except for abroad.  We've already come a long way.

[tmcmurph]

2-2 draw with RSL. Clarke with another and Lewis with the Caps second. I picked Caleb to be the breakout player of the year and so far at the USL Pro level he is doing it. He has now scored in 3 straight matches. Other interesting stuff is that Bustos was on the bench as a sub and played part of the game. So his rehab looks about complete. According to the match report he had an immediate impact. Good to see him back.

 

    (Clarke's goal)

 

PS. 9 is tonight's number in case you are interested.

 

Edit: Lewis not Levis scored the second. I misread. Lewis is back from his ACL injury.

[shamrock]

Clark the goalscoring machine! I like Levis though, he has that dribbling ability not a lot of Canadian or American players have. 

[masster]

The second goal scorer tonight was Jamaican Andre Lewis, not Brett Levis.

[Dub Narcotic]

Yes, I think Levis is ticketed for a MLS contract offer sooner rather than later. Clarke is ready to receive some first team minutes, perhaps in the CCL.

[shermanator]

Have to think that Clarke is ready for another taste in MLS. Have to think he's on par ability wise with someone like Hurtado, and a much better long term option than Earnshaw

[Northvansteve]

The player who has made the greatest leap since the beginning of the year is Ben McKendry. Plays holding mid but last few weeks has pushed further up the field as more of a centre mid. He's been the driving force behind the team's improvement in recent weeks. Very active, very good and fast distribution of the ball, not afraid to get in the box and put a shot on net. Think we will see him soon in the Whitecaps 18.

[Northvansteve]

My take on the ranking the top Whitecaps Canadian prospects in USL so far:

 

McKendry

Clarke

Levis

Serban

Farmer

Piraux

Carducci

Haynes

 

Bustos has been injured. Not counting Froese. Spanish prospect Victor Blasco would probably be ahead of all of them.

[shamrock]

Have to think that Clarke is ready for another taste in MLS. Have to think he's on par ability wise with someone like Hurtado, and a much better long term option than Earnshaw

 

Of course. And that's what it's about, Caps should't be counting on an aging foreign journeyman for back-up. If Clark keeps putting them into the back of the net, his time will come fur sure.