Vancouver Whitecaps 2018

[Big_M]

Waston saves Brek Shea

[SkuseisLoose]

I wasn’t able to watch the whole game but was I the only one who thought Davies was lazy off the ball quite often.

[The Beaver]

48 minutes ago, SkuseisLoose said:

I wasn’t able to watch the whole game but was I the only one who thought Davies was lazy off the ball quite often.

I think he is still figuring out how to get into space when the Caps have the ball, especially when he tucks in.  He knows where to go when he stays out wide, but last night Carl clearly wanted both he and Ibini to tuck in a bit more--because they were playing 4-4-2--and he looked a bit lost to me. But he was great, as always, coming back defensively. And he made some exhilarating runs, linked up nicely with Kai a few times, and had a pretty solid game all around. He and Marcel played well. The whole team played well, created a LOT of chances, got unlucky on the second Houston goal, and should have scored two or three more goals themselves.  This is the second strong showing in a row. I hope they can build on this.  Reyna is looking better and better. And this team plays way better with Kai in the mix.

[Rheo]

de Jong signs an extension

https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2018/05/15/whitecaps-fc-sign-left-back-marcel-de-jong-contract-extension

[The Beaver]

Caps could not get the win last night. They played well for the most part but still look a bit scattered in terms of organization. Mind you, there were a lot of new guys out there--i.e. new to the team--and it is taking some time for the team to find cohesion. And they are asking the wingers to tuck in, which is working well in terms of getting the wingbacks up the field--Marcel had a very good game--but it is going to take some time for guys like Davies to figure out how to play in that set up.

[Obinna]

I want to like the Whitecaps, I really do.

Now a days I only tune in to see Davies, but even that is becoming a struggle.

When is their luck going to run out?

[Kurt-MTL]

Another scrappy point. Still think they are going nowhere with Robinson but they may just scratch and claw their way into the playoffs, which will inevitable entail a contract extension... sigh

[harrycoyster]

Thank goodness there is one player on this goddamn team that can finish.

[Gian-Luca]

Is it just me or does Aly Ghazal not even know how to kick a ball properly 

[BearcatSA]

1 hour ago, Gian-Luca said:

Is it just me or does Aly Ghazal not even know how to kick a ball properly 

He's definitely awkward.  However, the coach's decision to go with Ghazal as a CB is another example of his throwing-spaghetti-at-the-wall coaching approach.  Nick Dasovic was questioning it before the game even started.

[The Beaver]

Encouraged by a lot of what I saw on the field today from the Caps, though also very worried about CB when Waston is gone.  (Makes me wonder if we shouldn't have found the money to keep Parker.)

Ghazal is a decent destroyer, but the man cannot pass. And he is lucky he did not give away the PK toward the end. I think we miss Laba more than the Caps are prepared to admit. (Or maybe they ARE ready to admit it.)  

Still, the team has a lot of heart, and I think the adjustment to the formation, with the wingbacks getting forward a lot more, is starting to pay off.  And Kei will start scoring again. His work rate is fantastic; the touch will come back soon. Reyna looked great and still has more to give. Techera looked great. Davies had a number of fantastic runs and is learning the game quickly.  I still feel we are missing a proper general in the middle, but Felipe DOES bring some solid--but plodding--presence on the ball. 

Any chance Arfield will sign? (Is he really gone to Rangers?) We need a guy like Arfield to boss the midfield.

 

[BearcatSA]

13 hours ago, The Beaver said:

Ghazal is a decent destroyer, but the man cannot pass. And he is lucky he did not give away the PK toward the end. I think we miss Laba more than the Caps are prepared to admit. (Or maybe they ARE ready to admit it.)  

They are missing Laba only when you compare him to his other high priced replacement, Juarez, who looks a total bust at the moment.  When used properly, the Egyptian is fine because I think he is a better fit as a shield in front of the back four.  Shoehorning into a CB role?  Pretty bad decision there.

 

13 hours ago, The Beaver said:

I still feel we are missing a proper manager....

FYP

[Unnamed Trialist]

Ghazal, like Tchani, passes like a non-professional, he's a klutz. Not just those two ridiculous plays, pretty well everything he does going forward. I can't honestly believe he played for Benfica or wherever, how is that possible?

Whitecaps were ridiculously bad, then they have heart and guts and get goals. It was a mess, mostly, with consistently bad decision making all over the park. About to turn it off and move on, and then comes Techera.

And even then, Kamara's misses were huge and objectively, they deserved to win it.

 Imagine if they were properly coached, we'd have 10-12 points more a year with exactly the same team.

[toontownman]

I like Robinson but man it is harder and harder defending him the past year in terms of play and consistency. They have the deepest squad we have had imo but should be doing so much better. I am sure like last year we will get into the playoffs but are we moving forward, sideways or backwards. The team is so inconsistent its hard to tell. 

Kamara's performance really sums the team up. Got into great positions was decent in possession and play but then makes unbelievable decisions and mistakes. Misses aside he was reckless at times like many others. There seems to be little discipline in the players who kick out, slap and push with no thought for consequence. Could and arguably should have been two reds for us yesterday. 

[The Beaver]

On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:24 AM, toontownman said:

I like Robinson but man it is harder and harder defending him the past year in terms of play and consistency. They have the deepest squad we have had imo but should be doing so much better. I am sure like last year we will get into the playoffs but are we moving forward, sideways or backwards. The team is so inconsistent its hard to tell. 

Kamara's performance really sums the team up. Got into great positions was decent in possession and play but then makes unbelievable decisions and mistakes. Misses aside he was reckless at times like many others. There seems to be little discipline in the players who kick out, slap and push with no thought for consequence. Could and arguably should have been two reds for us yesterday. 

I know we've been critical of Robbo's tactics--if he even has any--but the thing that I find worrying is the culture he is nurturing. Maybe it isn't all his fault; maybe the FO is part to blame. But it seems that the team has adopted an attitude of inferiority that is compensated for with pluck, hard work and high spirits.  Sort of "Yeah, we aren't especially talented footballers, but we play our asses off and we're hard as nails."  This approach--this sort of culture--is mostly a last-ditch strategy when you indeed have shit for players. EVERY team must work their ass off, even if they have super talented players.  But I find it hard to see how the Caps/Robbo will build a winning culture if they start from an inferior mindset. I feel that a lot of the stupid on field behavior--Waston, Reyna, Juarez et al.--are a product of this clash between the players' innate self worth and the organization's inferiority complex.  But what is most alarming to me is that the whole "we ain't good but we fight hard" approach is NOT strategic at all.  And if you don't have a real strategy for how you build a successful team and culture, then you will have no idea how to figure out your on field tactics, or anything else for that matter.  Robbo's approach to managing mirrors is approach to playing the game himself: Hard-nosed, spirited, team-driven, but not very strategic or imaginative.  He's a smart guy, don't get me wrong, but he is not displaying the sort of big picture intelligence--i.e. strategic intelligence--you'd expect from a strong and effective manager.  (Herdman, for instance, displays that sort of intelligence at a much higher level than Robbo does.)

[harrycoyster]

I fully agree that Robbo is a mediocre coach who doesn't have a imaginative bone in his body...but I also don't think this roster is very good. RCB and RB are black holes, and with Waston gone for the World Cup it is only going to get worse. Selling Parker may not have been a mistake given his wage demands, but not getting a decent replacement certainly was. Martins has been good, but the production from the other CM spot has been below average. The attack, for as good as the individual players can be at times, lacks consistency and finishing ability....which is compounded by the fact that the team averages 40% possession and attacking chances are limited.

So I think Robbo is actually doing a decent good of getting points all things considered, but after fives years of this I'd rather see the team try to play like TFC or Atlanta do (even if it means losing more games) than another game of Robboball.

[Club Linesman]

1 hour ago, harrycoyster said:

 RCB and RB are black holes, and with Waston gone for the World Cup it is only going to get worse.

Here's hoping Doneil can return and deliver on some of the promise that West Ham obviously saw in him.  Still play FIFA 16 and I shudder when the Spurs play West Ham and Doneil has been their starting CB for years.  What could have been...  Hopefully the injuries are behind him and he can be a contributing part to both the Caps and the Nats.

[shamrock]

On 5/28/2018 at 8:22 PM, harrycoyster said:

I fully agree that Robbo is a mediocre coach who doesn't have a imaginative bone in his body...but I also don't think this roster is very good. 

...

So I think Robbo is actually doing a decent good of getting points all things considered, but after fives years of this I'd rather see the team try to play like TFC or Atlanta do (even if it means losing more games) than another game of Robboball.

After 5 years he's fully responsible for the roster. This IS what he's built. This IS the football he stands for. 

[Dub Narcotic]

Does anyone remember Robinson's 5-year plan to build with youth when he first started? Oi.

[BearcatSA]

On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 11:22 AM, harrycoyster said:

I fully agree that Robbo is a mediocre coach who doesn't have a imaginative bone in his body...but I also don't think this roster is very good.

He needs to take ownership of the personnel decisions here.  He's signing off on this acquisitions.

[BearcatSA]

9 hours ago, Dub Narcotic said:

Does anyone remember Robinson's 5-year plan to build with youth when he first started? Oi.

Let's just say he's become more pragmatic in his philosophy.

[Dub Narcotic]

18 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

Let's just say he's become more pragmatic in his philosophy.

Let's just say he's making shit up as he goes along.

[The Beaver]

Good win against a very poor Colorado team. Saw some decent football from the Caps. Doneil was solid but clearly needs more games. Back line was visibly more vulnerable in the air without Waston. Davies is looking better and better; worked his ass off in both ends of the field. Reyna is rounding into form, as is Techera. Still nervous about the defensive play, but the team seems to be heading in the right direction.

[Unnamed Trialist]

4 hours ago, The Beaver said:

Good win against a very poor Colorado team. Saw some decent football from the Caps. Doneil was solid but clearly needs more games. Back line was visibly more vulnerable in the air without Waston. Davies is looking better and better; worked his ass off in both ends of the field. Reyna is rounding into form, as is Techera. Still nervous about the defensive play, but the team seems to be heading in the right direction.

Basically against the weaker teams we have more possession, and are not dominated in that facet. That is a good sign. I think Felipe is a big factor, a creative guy sitting back, rather than a lead-footed player. The team has plenty of positives. I am not saying Robinson is really at all knowledgable about his job, but there are little details which make us more passable. 

[The Beaver]

8 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Basically against the weaker teams we have more possession, and are not dominated in that facet. That is a good sign. I think Felipe is a big factor, a creative guy sitting back, rather than a lead-footed player. The team has plenty of positives. I am not saying Robinson is really at all knowledgable about his job, but there are little details which make us more passable. 

Yeah, I agree that Felipe's calm and mostly sure-footed play in the midfield is starting to rub off on the entire team. There were spells where he and Reyna, Davies and Techera looked pretty good in possession.  Shea had some good moments too (but DeJong is still the better option in that role).

When Mutch is healthy, then I'd be pretty keen to see he and Felipe in the middle. Both have solid distribution. Davies on one side, Techera on the other. Reyna and Kamara up front, or Blondell.  Nice to see Levis get a spell on the wing in midfield.