Whitecaps 2017 Season

[TRM]

So far I've only seen glimpses of Tchani and so far I'm not impressed. I can see why on road games you'd have him in there with Jacobson as they give you 2 very large bodies. As to home where they will want more offense I definitely see Davies and Shea getting the starts.

[Free kick]

What a cheesy PK that was.  That was not foul. And, the supposedly fouled player was not even in scoring opportunity or close to the ball.   And, it ultimately decided the game.  All based on two players accidently bumping into each other or maybe trying to establish position. 

This is the kind of stuff that bugs me more and more about this game.  I really cant see how anyone, much less a professional ref, can make a mistake on that kind of call.  Yes, i know, that many instances of penalties in the box there are a lot grey areas.  But there was no grey area in that play.  That looks to me like a situation where the ref is looking for an opportunity to award penalty and he invented an opportunity based on someone falling to the ground instead of assessing whether or not there is actaully a foul commited.  

Worst still, this kind of stuff does not look like an issue of mls referees versus other refs or even the professionalism of MLS referees.  

[The Beaver]

On 2017-05-13 at 8:57 AM, Free kick said:

What a cheesy PK that was.  That was not foul. And, the supposedly fouled player was not even in scoring opportunity or close to the ball.   And, it ultimately decided the game.  All based on two players accidently bumping into each other or maybe trying to establish position. 

This is the kind of stuff that bugs me more and more about this game.  I really cant see how anyone, much less a professional ref, can make a mistake on that kind of call.  Yes, i know, that many instances of penalties in the box there are a lot grey areas.  But there was no grey area in that play.  That looks to me like a situation where the ref is looking for an opportunity to award penalty and he invented an opportunity based on someone falling to the ground instead of assessing whether or not there is actaully a foul commited.  

Worst still, this kind of stuff does not look like an issue of mls referees versus other refs or even the professionalism of MLS referees.  

Weak call, I totally agree.

Caps got caught on that first goal but otherwise played a conservative/decent road game. Yeah, Tchani is not growing at all. I expected him to improve significantly as he got his legs under him, but I am not seeing a player who contributes much of anything. Until Reyna is fully game fit, we need Bolanos in the centre of midfield. Or get Mezquida in there. 

[Symp_Res]

It sure is great to see how much playing time the Whitecaps are giving to Canadian players. 5 games in a row without a Canadian in their starting lineup? I'm sure glad that they consider all of western Canada as their own...CanPL can start soon enough.

[TRM]

3 points with the same lineup. Wicked strike by Techera for the first goal. Bad PK call by Toledo but had one like that go against us last week. Keeper saved it so it didn't affect the game. Pasher goes 45 for the first half in a meh type performance. Davies in for 30 and makes a difference again and again.

[Obinna]

Who are we going to see for the Caps tonight? Is Marco Bustos fit? What about Adekugbe?

I can imagine Davies will get a full run out, as will De Jong and Teibert. Is Mckendry going to get minutes I wonder?

[shermanator]

My best guess is Davies, de Jong, McKendry and Teibert start. I would think out of any other Canadians that Gloire Amanda could be the best bet for a sub appearance.

Adekugbe is not on the roster.

[TRM]

Seeing as Laba is out due to card accumulation I'm wondering if Robbo will change formation back to 4-2-3-1 with Teibert & Jacobson in the DM role or stay with the single DM and let Teibert go it alone?

I'd say keep the current formation and let Teibert work the middle by himself.

[TRM]

Well with Laba out Jacobson gets the start as the lone DM but Davies gets the start and goes 63 minutes. He had his moments but at this point in his development he seems to really light it up for 30+ minutes then fade.

3 crossbars, 1 post and we lose 0-1 on a bogus PK that was a total dive. Hope the league suspends the clown. We'll see.

[Bison44]

Did anyone on Van light it up for more than 30+ min?  

[TRM]

1 hour ago, Bison44 said:

Did anyone on Van light it up for more than 30+ min?  

Lots of great effort and play making by Bola, Tech, Freddie, Harvey and Sheanon but all to no avail. One of the few times we out possessed (53-47) the other team. Just not our night.

[Unnamed Trialist]

I was cursing the team most of the night, because we did not whip DC's butt from the first minute. We played at about 60% intensity until they scored, I am amazed Robinson did not tear them apart at the half. Our aggressivity in defence was shameful, we ball-watched a team a rung below us. We had players who were very passive, like Tchani, who on top of things was carded and stayed for about 15 m too long. 

But to be fair, you hit four posts, you miss a penalty, Montero misses two sitters, and the ref calls a dive that was shameful (though the penalty he called for us was so unprofessional, since no one saw it and they had no intention of calling it until we complained, so amateur that was; I think they did not see it, did not notice it, and should never have given it to us in those conditions). So we were very unlucky and DC took points from us no way they deserved. 

Davies had a weak night, for me the defence was fine, Techera, Jacobsen. Bolaños is a good player even when he is not having his best day. Tchani does not deserve to be playing in that spot and should be benched.

[Dub Narcotic]

I found this game depressing, DCU is not a good team and not well coached and dragged down the level of the game. Add to that the bad penalty, the usual Robinson inability to get the attack working when down at home and it was a frustrating game to watch. 

MLS just has too many bad coaches right now. It's dragging down the level of play. The refereeing will get fixed by the cameras next year but more clubs need to get better at the coaching and scouting, which, after all, isn't controlled by a cap and should be a big advantage.

[Big_M]

Colorado, dc, new england, philadelphia, vancouver their coaches came in with no head coaching experience and have had too much time

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, Dub Narcotic said:

I found this game depressing, DCU is not a good team and not well coached and dragged down the level of the game. Add to that the bad penalty, the usual Robinson inability to get the attack working when down at home and it was a frustrating game to watch. 

MLS just has too many bad coaches right now. It's dragging down the level of play. The refereeing will get fixed by the cameras next year but more clubs need to get better at the coaching and scouting, which, after all, isn't controlled by a cap and should be a big advantage.

It really is rather bewildering, how passive Robinson is for example. But I am used to this from British coaching, it is tactically and strategically weak, they simple are not able to read games and anticipate how to counteract the rival. It is basically a crap-shoot system, which is one reason why Britain does not export coaching to quality leagues. 

I mean, Robbo did the right changes, but so late it was silly. Including taking off Williams with three minutes left and going for three defensemen. Fine, but hey: before the change you can make the adjustment anyways by sending an outside back permanently into the midfield and liberate a mid forward. You don't even have to sub to do that, it shows how rudimentary he is. 

Tchani on a yellow, another case. He was screaming to be changed. 

But what do you expect from a coach who accepts his worst passer (Waston) as the go-to guy for the definitive pass out of the back. Every rival team covers everyone else so he does it, just to expose his weakness. And Robinson is fine with it. 

[Dub Narcotic]

Yes, sometimes the ex-player thrown in to the fire works well (Vanney, Marsch), but often it doesn't, and too many MLS teams don't want to pay out coaches contracts after firing them so the team languishes in mediocrity and sometimes just make the playoffs at random (e.g. Colorado last year) which is enough to justify continuing on with the same setup.

In addition, the teams often heap on the GM/TD role on top of this already-overwhelmed person, making it two jobs they are unable to do correctly. You then end up with situations like Mo Johnston in Toronto and Carl Robinson just using friendly agents (Robinson's brother!) to feed them players regardless of their quality or financial fit. 

You are spot on about Robinson last night, not only did he wait far too late to make the formation change but he only had one striker in the team against a club that was more than likely to bunker all night and hadn't scored in a month!

[Bison44]

There is another big benefit of having CPL.  We can stock it with our own ex players and give them years to try and become professional coaches like MLS does.  

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

On May 28, 2017 at 0:48 AM, Unnamed Trialist said:

It really is rather bewildering, how passive Robinson is for example. But I am used to this from British coaching, it is tactically and strategically weak, they simple are not able to read games and anticipate how to counteract the rival. It is basically a crap-shoot system, which is one reason why Britain does not export coaching to quality leagues. 

I mean, Robbo did the right changes, but so late it was silly. Including taking off Williams with three minutes left and going for three defensemen. Fine, but hey: before the change you can make the adjustment anyways by sending an outside back permanently into the midfield and liberate a mid forward. You don't even have to sub to do that, it shows how rudimentary he is. 

Tchani on a yellow, another case. He was screaming to be changed. 

But what do you expect from a coach who accepts his worst passer (Waston) as the go-to guy for the definitive pass out of the back. Every rival team covers everyone else so he does it, just to expose his weakness. And Robinson is fine with it. 

I think the fact that the Caps attempted 20 shots was a telling stat. It wasn't Robbo's fault that the Caps lost. The system worked. They were the better team by far and easily could have won if the players could hit the net. The Caps controlled the game but the offensive players were just having an off night. Sometimes that happens. We can't go shouting for Robinson to get fired after every game we don't score. 

Robinson has made the team far better than last year by bringing in guys we can afford like Montero and Shea. Don't forget Reyna still hasn't played a game because of an injury. He will be another guy to give the offence a boost. This Caps team has shown some really good promise through the beginning part of the season. They have shown that they can defend, and attack. I have faith that by the time it really matters this team will pull through. 

[Dub Narcotic]

Is the sample size too small on Robinson for you? He's been here over three years now and has a worse record than Martin Rennie while acting as both GM and coach.

[BenFisk'sBiggestFan]

3 hours ago, Dub Narcotic said:

Is the sample size too small on Robinson for you? He's been here over three years now and has a worse record than Martin Rennie while acting as both GM and coach.

Nope. I have followed whitecaps since he became coach. Sometimes clubs go through ups and downs. Robinson seems like the right fit for the club. He inspires the younger players, believes in the Canadians, and does a good job of organizing the team. I believe they will have a successful season this year. Sometimes it just takes time to get the right combinations of players when building a club. Don't forget the budget he seems to have to work with. Robinson has to find talent at a low price. So far, I have been impressed this season. We'll have to wait till the end of the season to see who is right here though.

[Unnamed Trialist]

17 hours ago, BenFisk'sBiggestFan said:

Nope. I have followed whitecaps since he became coach. Sometimes clubs go through ups and downs. Robinson seems like the right fit for the club. He inspires the younger players, believes in the Canadians, and does a good job of organizing the team. I believe they will have a successful season this year. Sometimes it just takes time to get the right combinations of players when building a club. Don't forget the budget he seems to have to work with. Robinson has to find talent at a low price. So far, I have been impressed this season. We'll have to wait till the end of the season to see who is right here though.

So, Robinson is the right fit because the board is more interested in a friendly guy they can talk to and pay little than a top quality technical coach for MLS. For me, he fits because his office has his name on it, that is all.

As for young people, actually no. Just Davies, no one else. Most have to emigrate. 

We play the least Canadians of the three MLS teams. So bleh...

Right combinations: well perfect, keep mixing them up, crap shoot method. If you play the wheel long enough your number will eventually come up. But it is not because you know what you are doing, it is called luck.

As for price, not all our players come at a  low price tag. Some are rather expensive. And rarely have we seen any correlation between salary and performance. We have never had the top-paid player clearly and definitively the best player. While TFC, for example, most likely has the 4 best paid as the 4 best players.

So I pretty well disagree with everything you say, Go Caps!

[Dub Narcotic]

Carl Robinson has been great at selling the narrative of his struggle against ownership, referees and etc.. and etc.. In reality the club spends quite a bit relative to the rest of the league (almost nobody else has a fully funded residency along with three DPs) and his results continue to be relentlessly mediocre.  Hopefully this year will be the last of this tedious experiment. At least he's not giving kickbacks to his brother anymore for mediocre and overpaid South Americans.

[BearcatSA]

On ‎6‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 0:35 PM, Unnamed Trialist said:

So, Robinson is the right fit because the board is more interested in a friendly guy they can talk to and pay little than a top quality technical coach for MLS. For me, he fits because his office has his name on it, that is all.

As for young people, actually no. Just Davies, no one else. Most have to emigrate. 

We play the least Canadians of the three MLS teams. So bleh...

Right combinations: well perfect, keep mixing them up, crap shoot method. If you play the wheel long enough your number will eventually come up. But it is not because you know what you are doing, it is called luck.

As for price, not all our players come at a  low price tag. Some are rather expensive. And rarely have we seen any correlation between salary and performance. We have never had the top-paid player clearly and definitively the best player. While TFC, for example, most likely has the 4 best paid as the 4 best players.

So I pretty well disagree with everything you say, Go Caps!

I have disagreed with some of your opinions over the years here, but not on this one. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 hour ago, BearcatSA said:

I have disagreed with some of your opinions over the years here, but not on this one. 

Thanks.

Guys, if you are a fan of any MLS team, no matter what, you have to ask the club to aspire to winning. In MLS it is perfectly feasible, look at the last two MLS Cup winners, both mid-level MLS teams with good runs. So there is no excuse. You can't be in MLS as a retirement project or for fun or to sell bs entertainment. We are not even saying winning 80% of games or two thirds, at MLS if you win 55% of points you are set, 57 pt regular season, 16-9-9.

MLS is a league that any club could and should be thinking: solid regular season, sweet playoff run, win the Cup. 

Whitecaps are so far from this mentality it is insulting. The FO is conning the fans, and they have no reason to be. They do not believe a professional board is relevant, and don't believe in a top quality coach. Our DPs are amongst the worst-performing in the league. They played cheapo with the league leading scorer, insultingly, and we lost him, shamefully. But the fans come out, the press supports them, the facilities are good, they have a decent 2nd team and residency, everything in their favour. And just scorn us, it is sad.

 

[TRM]

I know it's a salary caped league but we seem to upgrade only one position per year and add some depth. That doesn't get you far. I'm still hoping that when Rayna is fit he will provide Montero with some openings.

For me the frustrating part of Robbo's reign is that we had one great season and finished 3rd overall with a bunker and counter strategy but that was it. As I said when they resigned him to a long term contract, his record hardly screams long term extension. Maybe they were hoping he could do it again and after last year they are still waiting for it.

I just hope that they plan better next time and aren't left empty handed as the coaches they want say "no thanks" and they are left with their 3rd or 4th choice as Robbo was.

By his own reckoning he was on a 7 year program to be a head coach. Counting his time as a playing coach with NYRB it starts at 2011 and he's been our head coach since 2013.

I hope for the team and wish him well but I think his biggest problem is one he said himself in 2009-10 when he was sought by teams in England's Championship League: "Being brought up in English football, this is all I know".