Vancouver Whitecaps 2019 Season

[The Beaver 2.0]

Adnan and MDS get Team of the Week honours (with an "u").

[The Beaver 2.0]

Not fully sure MDS got his tactics right last night. I know he had to adjust for the personnel available, but we seemed very disconnected last night, and I think that is due, in part, to the fact that we seemed to be playing the radical 8-2 formation, with a huge gap between the back eight and Fredy and Lucas up front.  Midfield worked hard, but link up play was poor, we rushed passes, and we sat far too back. Energy levels were not nearly as high as they've been the past four our five games either. Many of the players need a rest, especially Adnan and Inbeom, and Reyna looked like he may have reinjured himself toward the end of the game.  

I keep saying this, but the team seems to be a few quality players short of a truly competitive team. They are growing under MDS, and I see some very good signs for the future--I think MDS can win in this league--but they are a bit thin on talent, especially those players who can hold the ball and move it intelligently. Inbeom has shows flashes of real quality, and I expect we'll see better from him after the break. Reyna, in my mind, is likely their best player. (I love Adnan, and he has all the tools to be the best left back in the league, but his cockiness gets him in trouble more often than I'd like.)  Reyna's insertion into the game had an instant impact. Worried that he is not 100% yet. I hope the next few weeks will give him plenty of time to get fully healed.

Curious to see if the Caps add a couple of pieces in July. 

[toontownman]

Anyone know if Jasser Khmiri is alive? Still rehabbing? I literally had a eureka moment and remembered we signed him. looked like a nice addition to the squad when he was purchased.  

[BearcatSA]

I believe Chuck Barris' Gong Show was taped in LA in the 70s, so the Caps must have been doing an homage to it with their performance vs LAFC this evening. 

[Big_M]

20 points in 20 games..far from playoff line as houston has 27 in 18

[Gian-Luca]

9 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

I believe Chuck Barris' Gong Show was taped in LA in the 70s, so the Caps must have been doing an homage to it with their performance vs LAFC this evening. 

On the bright side, at least Herdman should be able to conclude that Levis is not the answer for us defensively at left back when it comes to marking Mexicans. Just watching the highlights and I lost track of the number of goals he seemed to be culpable for

[Stanley]

Caps are an embarrassment to the retro 1980s kit they are wearing.

[SoccMan]

1 hour ago, Gian-Luca said:

On the bright side, at least Herdman should be able to conclude that Levis is not the answer for us defensively at left back when it comes to marking Mexicans. Just watching the highlights and I lost track of the number of goals he seemed to be culpable for

Well Henry played the whole 90 minutes in that 6-1 shellacking, Jakovic  went 90 for LAFC.

[Gian-Luca]

6 hours ago, SoccMan said:

Well Henry played the whole 90 minutes in that 6-1 shellacking, Jakovic  went 90 for LAFC.

I didn't see the game so I don't know how they played outside of the highlights, but Jakovic probably could have done better on the Vancouver goal to at least run some obstruction on Reyna. Didn't think Henry or Crepeau were particularly blameworthy on many of the 6 goals, but about 4 of the LAFC goals it looked to be like Levis was the main goat on the play,, unfortunately. It seems he works best as an attacking left sided winger because he is suspect defensive, but for his national team prospects, that is our deepest position & just getting deeper with the emergence of Shaffelburg (who is just 19 - Levis is 26 even though it feels like he's an up and coming player).

[Unnamed Trialist]

Considering this is the first bad loss since the early weeks of the season, I don't think much should be made of it. 

The real problem is the incapacity to win at least a few of those many draws they seem to play for. 

[BearcatSA]

We you need to start PC in your central midfield threesome to provide more forward push, you know how weak your team is.

[The Beaver 2.0]

Caps look very poor these last few games, especially the games versus LAFC and SKC.  They look disconnected, if that makes sense.  The problem, from what I can tell, is that they do not seem to be able to play cohesive football, and the problem seems to be in the midfield. Despite early efforts to play out of the back, they now seem to rely mostly on hitting a long ball for Reyna to (tirelessly) chase down, or an outlet pass to Adnan so he can run at the opposition (but fail to pass the bloody ball effectively most of the time.)

Maybe the better word is disjointed.  

I know this is a three-year rebuild, but I am not seeing a whole lot lately that suggests MDS is truly laying the foundation for success.  To do so, you must have a significant core of players with whom to share your footballing philosophy, and I am not convinced many of the current squad are good enough for MLS.  Inbeom will likely get there, but he has really struggled. Erice is fine, but his impact is limited. Not sure Venutto is any better than Techera.  Not sure Montero is any better than Kai.  I like Godoy.  PC is not MLS caliber.  I like Rusty, but increasingly I question if he is MLS caliber. Henry has mostly been very good.  Reyna is a beast; if only he had midfielders to support him. Bair is not ready. Ardaiz seems like a headcase. Felipe is poor. 

At the moment I simply do not enjoy watching this team.  I am not sure, at this point, if this team is any better than the Caps were under Robinson. I know this is a process, but I would have expected to see some sign of a core group developing, and I am not sure I see it.  Oh, and Bangoura! Kid has wheels and real skill, but can he learn to play both sides of the ball? It is his soccer IQ, and his focus, that worry me.

I still believe in MDS, but for the first time since he took the helm, I am starting to question his vision and ability.  I trust he has a real plan, one that involves bringing in the right players at the right time, but at the moment he simply does not have the horses to field a competitive MLS side.

 

[BearcatSA]

He needs many upgrades from the guys he's brought in this season but one would be to get a big time box to box "8" in his midfield to complement the strengths of In Beom and Erice, with the other guys providing depth.  Then maybe, just maybe, they can generate some more service up top for Reyna and (insert other striker name here).  I doubt that will happen in this window.

Situations like these are where you find out how good your coaching really is.  It has more to do with man-management and keeping guys "on board" then x's and o's.  You have to keep your squad from tuning out the message.   

 

[Big_M]

No way inbeom should be a dp..mistake there..teibert not good enough to be a starter for a playoff team in mls but that was known long ago..and as said a large number of changes and the replacements are not much better..venuto pc...theres just been too much talk..we wanna play like this do that..after 20 games show something, dont lose 0-3 at home

[BearcatSA]

There must have been a special promotion tonight vs San Jose where fans were encouraged to dress up as their favourite empty seats because there were plenty with the tv crowd shots.

The free fall continues with Calgary coming to town on Wednesday.

[SkuseisLoose]

I don’t blame fans for not showing up at this point. I watch every game on tv and it’s painful to watch. Watching a canpl play better than us was demoralizing to say the least. Somethings got to change, we have to spend money to bring in quality players so we can give fans a reason to go too games. Vancouver has the fanbase to fill the lower bowl (or close to) every match but they won’t if there continues to be a shit product on the field.

[Stanley]

1 hour ago, BearcatSA said:

There must have been a special promotion tonight vs San Jose where fans were encouraged to dress up as their favourite empty seats because there were plenty with the tv crowd shots.

The free fall continues with Calgary coming to town on Wednesday.

I just watched the highlights.  Haven't seen a crowd that small at BC Place for the Whitecaps since 1984.

[Watchmen]

I actually don't want them to spend money right now.  No confidence the FO would get it right.  The FO needs to go first, before any money is spent.

[Unnamed Trialist]

4 hours ago, Watchmen said:

I actually don't want them to spend money right now.  No confidence the FO would get it right.  The FO needs to go first, before any money is spent.

I agree. The FO could fire Lenarduzzi, then remake on that end, with a mandate to turn things around asap. 

Or they could do the honest thing and sell the club to another group actually aspiring to win, the FO mentality is appalling, it is an insult to the history of soccer in Vancouver--in the year we are wearing the phoney hoop shirt from 1979.

I personally would prefer not to cut MDS, but I see very serious coaching errors there and similar garbage we saw with Robinson in charge: players arguing with each other on the field; players being frustrated and arguing with refs, rivals; no leadership from the bench; serious problems in defensive shape, which actually shock me they are so glaring. Why do we defend scared and so deep instead of challenging rivals? Why do mids and attackers defend with such little committment? Why do we do dumb reverse chips into nowhere, instead of looking for each other on the field, even receiving simple throw ins we squander them, like an amateur team would do.

We are not being coached properly in the most basic principles.

[Unnamed Trialist]

15 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

There must have been a special promotion tonight vs San Jose where fans were encouraged to dress up as their favourite empty seats because there were plenty with the tv crowd shots.

The free fall continues with Calgary coming to town on Wednesday.

I considered going with my mom, and I saw seats near CLUB, normally over 70 or 80, that were going for under 30 on various resell sites. Some of the lowest prices I have seen in years for high-end seats. 

[Stanley]

7 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

It is an insult to the history of soccer in Vancouver--in the year we are wearing the phoney hoop shirt from 1979.

Well they even got that wrong.  They could have been wearing the retro shirt from 1979, however they decided to go with uglier shirt from 1980 with the hard to see red numbers and names (and the full wrap around hoop).

[The Beaver 2.0]

I am not confident in Lenarduzzi, no. 

I still feel that MDS can deliver the goods, in time.  He's had success wherever he goes, and he learns fast. But he needs the horses.

The TSN Turning Point (maybe): Reports indicate the Caps have now hired their scouting team (yes, a team of scouts), and will announce the new scouting team and strategy asap.  Scouting is something that MDS pointed to before he took the job with the Caps, and finally they've something in place. It sounds like a smart scouting mandate, but we'll see.  Can this be a game-changer? Well, if the scouts and their system is smart and disciplined, then yes, this could make a massive difference. Keep in mind that MDS has refused to bring on players--during the transfer windows--just for the sake of bringing on players. There is a vision in mind, and a strategy, and for this reason (and because I refuse to believe MDS is a dud) I still choose to believe this team will turn things around--next year.  

But the last few games have been miserable to watch. I see signs of positive play, but this group is not supporting each other on the field. We have two modes: 1) Limp, passive defending (for 55% - 60% of the game) 2) Panicked, must-sprint-forward attacking (where we lose the ball after one or two passes).

If it was always the plan to make our big player moves AFTER the scouting team was in place, then why did we ditch Kai and Techera? Could MDS have convinced Waston to stay? (Probably not. He loves our FO as much as we do.) But Kai would have stayed, and he's currently a better option than Montero and Ardaiz, I believe.

[youllneverwalkalone]

MDS could be a dud. So cocky. I remember him saying Teitur couldn't do anything to surprise him tactically. More recently he said he learned "nothing" from Bob Bradley. Even if true, can't you lie and say something to take the high road?

Reminds me of Martin Rennie, his good bud. Lower league success doesn't always translate to the next and, in this case, top level.

[Stanley]

1 hour ago, The Beaver 2.0 said:

Could MDS have convinced Waston to stay? (Probably not. He loves our FO as much as we do.)

I wouldn't stay after being accused by the Southsiders of being homophobic.

[BearcatSA]

The scouting system announcement is nothing more than carnival barker fare.  Just another reactive attempt to con the rubes, like pushing ahead the '79 Celebration to the end of May to rodeo clown attention away from the academy coaching/women's team controversies

We are  at a point in the season where other MLS teams have seen enough video of the Caps to know how to game plan against this particular group of players and you've clearly seen the products of the opposition's preparation.  The midfield is getting overrun.  San Jose are having a strong rebound season with most of the same players who underachieved badly last season, so they aren't Barcelona or Klopp's Liverpool by any stretch of the imagination, but their game plan execution completely schooled the Caps after they went down a goal.  

I've said from the beginning of this thread that they need a strong box to box type to bolster this midfield but since that's not going to happen, I think we'll see a lot of bus parking with Reyna as a one man gang up top, and that's to get results against the mid table and lesser MLS sides.  So with that, they might get some ties or the odd win or two.  Or, they'll just nosedive.  The jury's out.