Whitecaps 2017 Season

[Keegan]

I've been wondering for a while why de Jong was never tried at CDM. His skill set at this point seems to point to the position, I wouldn't mind him having a look there for Canada too.

[harrycoyster]

1 hour ago, Keegan said:

I've been wondering for a while why de Jong was never tried at CDM. His skill set at this point seems to point to the position, I wouldn't mind him having a look there for Canada too.

He played soe time at CDM in preseason IIRC...I recall him moving into midfield in the RSL preseason game in the second half. Think the biggest issue with him there long-term would be his passing ability. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

14 hours ago, TRM said:

At least Robbo rotated his squad and I didn't burst an aneurysm like I almost did against Seattle. Marcel may be the replacement for Laba. He was way better on and off the ball than Russ. A few mistakes but solid mostly. We may actually play with a lone DM while Laba is out.

In the end we were lucky to get one much less three points but I'll take it.

I think the rotation should have come more partially mid-week, not in this one. We were totally outclassed, and pretty well got a result from pure luck, we led and were able to go into an even tighter shell without having had a shot on goal. Our second goal, in fact, was our first shot. 

There is no merit in that kind of play and, as I see it, it is a degenerate way of playing soccer with the talent we have.

[jonovision]

If the mid-week match had not been at home and against a rival, I'm guessing we would have seen a different sort of rotation. As it was, Robinson and team management likely decided to go all in for a result vs Seattle, and more or less write off the Orlando match. I don't think that was an unreasonable approach given the circumstances.

[BearcatSA]

8 minutes ago, jonovision said:

. As it was, Robinson and team management likely decided to go all in for a result vs Seattle

I think a fair number of the A list guys didn't get the memo on that because there never seemed to be an all in urgency from them for most of the match.

[TRM]

23 hours ago, harrycoyster said:

He played soe time at CDM in preseason IIRC...I recall him moving into midfield in the RSL preseason game in the second half. Think the biggest issue with him there long-term would be his passing ability. 

So far this season I've seen him in V's Cup and MLS play at LB, LM, RB, CB and now DM. This is a huge advantage. The coach trusts him at a lot. I can see Marcel replacing the Swiss Army Knife named Jacobson.

What I am most afraid of is that with Laba out Robbo, being way too conservative, will resort to 2 DMs. If Marcel can do the job alone while Laba is out then we may get to see more emphasis on attacking and possession. Without a box to box mid (Tchani's role) it wastes the skills Reyna, Bolanos, Tchera, Davies and Montero bring to the game.

[Unnamed Trialist]

15 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

I think a fair number of the A list guys didn't get the memo on that because there never seemed to be an all in urgency from them for most of the match.

Exactly, it was a low intensity game from the start from everyone who started 4 days earlier. Playing at home vs. a key rival is enough motivation for a guy who did not start the previous game to step up. It was purely illogical squad management. In the end, we were underpar vs. Seattle, and very poor vs. Orlando. I love the results, they are great and since we've lost points undeservedly in other games, I'll take them greedily. But we were below part the last two games. 

[TRM]

https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2017/09/08/whitecaps-fc-add-nigerian-international-midfielder-nosa-igiebor

Another box-2-box mid? Getting kind of busy in that position. 

[Big_M]

Doesn't mean he's fit right away and with Laba out, not much trust in Teibert and Ghazal maybe not match fit this signing doesn't hurt

[TRM]

11 minutes ago, Big_M said:

Doesn't mean he's fit right away and with Laba out, not much trust in Teibert and Ghazal maybe not match fit this signing doesn't hurt

This could be planning for Jacobson to move on at the end of the year. Doesn't hurt like you say.

[TRM]

3-2 over RSL with Ousted making some key saves and Montero doing everything but scoring. Ally played in midfield for the full 90 and looked very good. Davies comes on for 15 minutes. 

[toontownman]

The squad depth the whitecaps have right now is the best it's been in the mls. Still weak on the defensive side but everywhere else is stacked. 

Not a world class squad or even half close but Robinson has slowly built up a squad that has so many different options and players with different styles.

Hitting form at the right time for a change. Hopefully it continues. 

[Dub Narcotic]

On 8/24/2017 at 5:55 AM, michaeltfc91 said:

I would cheer for Vancouver way more (and they would probably be better) if they replaced Williams Harvey and Jacobson with Aird De Jong and Teibert (if they still had Aird)

They must have someone else doing the scouting this year. I'd like to know who. No more South American specials but deep cuts from Europe.

[GlassCity]

8 hours ago, Dub Narcotic said:

They must have someone else doing the scouting this year. I'd like to know who. No more South American specials but deep cuts from Europe.

Former Celtic chief scout John Park was hired in January.

[TRM]

4 hours ago, GlassCity said:

Former Celtic chief scout John Park was hired in January.

He seems to be finding a lot of skilled players who won't break the bank in our salary capped league. 

[Unnamed Trialist]

3 hours ago, TRM said:

He seems to be finding a lot of skilled players who won't break the bank in our salary capped league. 

Agree, a lot of midfield talent especially, with strong backgrounds and a lot of them keen to make a mark still. I think we are a bit overbooked in the middle, as mentioned, but still. We are going to have a very internally competitive team over these last 2 months and whatever comes off the bench will be strong, except maybe if we lose a central defender, or if Montero has to come off. 

[Yohan]

Looks like Caps are rounding into form and hitting stride at the right time, which is crucial for a deep playoff run. I can see Caps being the dark horse in the West. Seattle is strong, but inconsistent at times, Portland has iffy defence, SKC can't score, Houston can't win away and wheels have fallen off at Dallas.

[Dub Narcotic]

A really weird team: constantly out-shot, out-chanced and out-possessed but always seem to find a way to get points recently. It seems like smoke and mirrors but they are also upgrading the team in-place as they go so it's hard to know their true level.

It's really helping them that the west is so poor this year. Dallas had its shortcomings exposed, Colorado fell back to earth, the Galaxy has bottomed out and RSL is re-building from their disastrous last coach.

 

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

Last year 46 points got you playoffs, 58 a bye into semis. The year before that, 51 points for playoffs, 53 the bye, which we had. I think if we get half the remaining points, 12, leaving us at 53, we will also merit a bye and home advantage in semis this year. 

Though on current form we should be able to get slightly more than that point total.

Our next three home games are vs teams with very poor road records, though we have faltered vs. weaker competition a few times this year, not dominating all phases of the game can cause that. Then, we have the second best road record in the league, so have to be optimistic about being away to Cascadia rivals before season's end. 

Finally, no Western rival has emerged as our real nemesis this year, we have handled them all, fairly well, so I'll come out with it: we will make the MLS final this season.

[TRM]

2 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Finally, no Western rival has emerged as our real nemesis this year, we have handled them all, fairly well, so I'll come out with it: we will make the MLS final this season.

An all Canadian final. Now that would be cool. Unfortunately for TFC they would lose in the final again to another Cascadia team

[Gian-Luca]

3 hours ago, TRM said:

An all Canadian final. Now that would be cool. Unfortunately for TFC they would lose in the final again to another Cascadia team

Assuming TFC even get there........the stats for Supporters Shield winners (assuming, like Patrick Vieira has said, TFC end up with that) winning the MLS Cup aren't great.

[Unnamed Trialist]

13 hours ago, Gian-Luca said:

Assuming TFC even get there........the stats for Supporters Shield winners (assuming, like Patrick Vieira has said, TFC end up with that) winning the MLS Cup aren't great.

I think TFC may not even make the final. Anyways, as shown last year, since TFC are on paper better, every team nows what they have to do: sit back, defend hard, don't open up too much, make them do all the work.

You have to get lucky, like Gio not scoring on a free kick. Thing is, as their season has gone, they have to take it to all other teams, they have no choice. In the league, there are teams that need the points to improve playoff status and aren't thinking a tie is okay, but in playoffs that changes. They are on a roll in league play, playoffs can alter the mood and tone of a team. They also are the only team in MLS with any pressure at all to win the Cup, they pretty well have to.

Then the trap they are falling into with the hype. They are so foolish they are even getting ahead of themselves (or the press is) and talking about the Champions League; on their thread folks are saying they are at Liga MX level. That is a formula for an upset, and since every rival they'll face in postseason will be thinking the same, I think the chance of it happening are high. Starting with the East, where there are two rivals who have the players and the quality to challenge them on a good day. 

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

33 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

...They are so foolish they are even getting ahead of themselves (or the press is) and talking about the Champions League;...

Already qualified through the Canadian Championship so that's not entirely unreasonable.

[Unnamed Trialist]

1 minute ago, BringBackTheBlizzard said:

Already qualified through the Canadian Championship so that's not entirely unreasonable.

Hey sure, for me, way better, keep your eyes on that ConcaChampions prize, fine by me.

Any team that at all focuses on a trophy in six months time when they have two other they can nab in the next few weeks is setting itself up for a fall. That is a golden rule, and in sports it tends to play out. 

You can only focus on one thing, the next, in sports. It's Simeone's "partido a partido", game to game, and no sensible club should even be fielding questions about the day after. Especially the coach and players. Another thing is if a FO is thinking longer term and contingencies (like an earlier preseason). Right now if TFC is thinking about hosting an MLS Cup final, thinking dates and field availabilty and all that, for me, great, go for it. No other team in MLS is that far thinking.

 

 

[Gian-Luca]

10 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

 They also are the only team in MLS with any pressure at all to win the Cup, they pretty well have to.

Then the trap they are falling into with the hype. They are so foolish they are even getting ahead of themselves (or the press is) and talking about the Champions League; on their thread folks are saying they are at Liga MX level. That is a formula for an upset, and since every rival they'll face in postseason will be thinking the same, I think the chance of it happening are high. Starting with the East, where there are two rivals who have the players and the quality to challenge them on a good day. 

To be fair, I think it is the fans and the media that are falling into the hype more than the club or players are. After TFC beat Montreal in Montreal Bradley said that the next game - a fairly inconsequential one against a non-playoff team in Philadelphia - was the most important game of the year. Then they said something similar prior to the SJ match, against a team that isn't even in the same conference & likely won't make the playoffs either.

I do agree though that they will have the most pressure of any team in the playoffs. I am cheering for Montreal to make the playoffs instead of Atlanta or Columbus - on the one hand I cheer for all Canadian teams to make the playoffs because getting "big-game" experience for our Canadian players can only be a good thing for WCQ (of course, the Canadian teams also have to actually play Canadian players in the playoffs, but they can't do that at all if they don't make it in the first place). Secondly Montreal vs. Toronto makes media headlines over here so that's also good for the sport. But thirdly, I see a team like Atlanta potentially being trouble for TFC because they will have nothing to fear and no pressure on them as a first year team.

I actually worry for Vancouver that the same could happen - they actually have 1st place in their own hands as they lead the west in points per game. But I could see a quick exit in the playoffs but I don't see that they would have anywhere near the same pressure if they finish first in the West.