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Vancouver Whitecaps 2020 Season


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17 hours ago, Ian Kennett said:

Any sense in Nicolas Benezet and/or Junior Hoillet for VWFC or is those two players too similar? What do you folks think of Benezet as a winger for Cavallini? Cheers!

Hoilett has another year on his contract with Cardiff and I don’t see the Caps having any interest in Benezet. They’re currently in talks with António Xavier who plays for Tondela in Portugal’s Liga Nos. If they can either get Xavier on a free or at a minimal fee, I’d expect him to play left wing and Reyna to play the right.

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7 minutes ago, GlassCity said:

Hoilett has another year on his contract with Cardiff and I don’t see the Caps having any interest in Benezet. They’re currently in talks with António Xavier who plays for Tondela in Portugal’s Liga Nos. If they can either get Xavier on a free or at a minimal fee, I’d expect him to play left wing and Reyna to play the right.

Glass you think Reyna wants back? He showcased himself very well in that Brazil friendly. I think there is a demand for him and the Caps could fetch a decent transfer fee.

Edited by SpursFlu
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Just now, SpursFlu said:

Glass you think Reyna wants back? He showcased himself very well in that Brazil friendly. I think there is a demand for him and the Caps could fetch a decent transfer fee.

Reyna extended his contract here less than a year ago and by all accounts he’s quite happy playing for the Whitecaps. MDS has also repeatedly praised him, so unless he flops next season, I don’t see him being moved on.

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22 minutes ago, GlassCity said:

Reyna extended his contract here less than a year ago and by all accounts he’s quite happy playing for the Whitecaps. MDS has also repeatedly praised him, so unless he flops next season, I don’t see him being moved on.

Yah i love him. I just thought he had more ambition but I'm more than happy have him stay

Anything to the Elias thing or just a social media follow at the moment? Very well respected player in Brazilian football, getting up there though

Edited by SpursFlu
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16 minutes ago, SpursFlu said:

Yah i love him. I just thought he had more ambition but I'm more than happy have him stay

Anything to the Elias thing or just a social media follow at the moment? Very well respected player in Brazilian football, getting up there though

It looks like he might be interested in MLS in general, as the Caps weren’t the only club he followed yesterday. 

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49 minutes ago, GlassCity said:

Hoilett has another year on his contract with Cardiff and I don’t see the Caps having any interest in Benezet. They’re currently in talks with António Xavier who plays for Tondela in Portugal’s Liga Nos. If they can either get Xavier on a free or at a minimal fee, I’d expect him to play left wing and Reyna to play the right.

Reyna on the right wing of a 4-3-3 has been a mixed bag.  He's been better in a central role up top or as a second forward in a two, so I'm curious to see how this plays out by the halfway point of the season

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1 hour ago, toontownman said:

Hopefully they can move on and sort the on pitch talent now. Big moves off the pitch, increased pressure on MDS. Definitely see the chance of him getting the boot increased. I think he has until the summer window. 

Nah, that's not how I read it. I think everyone sees the quality in MDS, including Axel, the new CEO and Mallett.  I am not too worried about MDS, presuming he shows he's got the stuff. We're still a couple (very good) players short of a proper squad, but it sounds as though they are working hard to solve this. But I like all the moves the Caps have been making. They are building for long term, sustained success, and that means putting the right asses in the right seats. They need to solve the on field product, and quickly enough, but all the signs point in the right direction.  Think TO when they first hired Lewieke.  It'll take a couple years to see the real benefits, but you won't get anywhere, and you won't stick around, if you don't make all the moves they've made to the FO.  

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Good points and I agree with the direction. It looks positive. I think MDS will be given every chance but with the added links/connections these new hires bring into the club I don't think they will mess around. Change was needed at the top of the club not with MDS in my opinion. They have done that to their credit and are showing they mean business. They have to do the same backing MDS with proper talent acquisitions now. As you rightly say an addition of a couple, I will say a conservative handful of quality players :)  could quickly turn this team around. 

It is a tough spot for MDS though. For a second season in a row he practically has to rebuild the squad. His first attempt (although I think with one hand tied behind his back) was a huge flop. I want nothing but success for MDS but while he had lots against him and not the full support I think he deserved, he also made some stinking mistakes too. It was a hard learning year but he progressive, honest and seems the type to learn and not rest on his laurels. 

 He wont get a third year if they don't make playoffs though. Provided they are showing improvement and looking like they are heading in the right direction I am sure he will get time. As you say, he is well thought of but even without this years upper management shuffle this season was always going to be make or break for him. He is in a tough spot yet again with an influx of new players and getting them to gel quickly to keep fans onside. That is a tall order but also a must, especially given the growing amount of apathy and disappearing attendance. 

 

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2 hours ago, Big_M said:

dos santos has to get it right in the first half of the season otherwise should be gone at the latest at midseason

Pretty sure they are thinking longer term with MDS. They know they need to get him the (right) horses before they can say they truly gave him a real chance to succeed.

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1 hour ago, SpursFlu said:

Here's one for all you old time Canadian soccer fans. Glass City saying as part of the MLS 25 yr retro collection the Whitecaps will be releasing Vancouver 86ers jerseys. Not sure if they ll actually wear in a game but pretty cool nonetheless 

An 86ers-inspired, yellow-with-blue-trim away shirt would be pretty cool. White 'hoop' shirt at home, yellow/blue/blue away...nice!

 

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27 minutes ago, N1ckbr0wn said:

Whitecaps reportedly signed Colombian winger Cristian Dájome to a “pre contract”. Owned by Nacional but currently on loan at Independiente del Valle in Ecuador

And.. apparently he would rather sign with Corinthians and is flying to Vancouver to nullify the deal. Good times

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On 1/7/2020 at 6:54 PM, The Beaver 2.0 said:

Nah, that's not how I read it. I think everyone sees the quality in MDS, including Axel, the new CEO and Mallett.  I am not too worried about MDS, presuming he shows he's got the stuff. We're still a couple (very good) players short of a proper squad, but it sounds as though they are working hard to solve this. But I like all the moves the Caps have been making. They are building for long term, sustained success, and that means putting the right asses in the right seats. They need to solve the on field product, and quickly enough, but all the signs point in the right direction.  Think TO when they first hired Lewieke.  It'll take a couple years to see the real benefits, but you won't get anywhere, and you won't stick around, if you don't make all the moves they've made to the FO.  

One of the biggest problems the Caps have had in their MLS history involved playing  moneyball effectively with their player signings.  I think Schuster and Pannes will be entrusted to get overall much better bang for buck with their cap hit (better talent, smarter contracts) than the previous leadership here.  I expect their upcoming signings to reflect that and be reminiscent of that Rolling Stones song:  you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you must might find, you get what you need.  And, in this case, the need being guys who can do the job, not necessarily higher profile or "sexy" signings.  

Pannes' CV includes lots of marketing and branding stuff, but he probably would tell you that the best marketing tool for any club is being a consistent winner on the field.

As for MDS, it will be hard to read the tea leaves regarding his long term future.  He certainly will be more on the clock than before with the previous hierarchy in place.  He didn't lose the dressing room even when things weren't going well in the summer as the team's playoff chances faded away.  But another slide this year?  I'm not so sure.  Pannes didn't hire him and he might have someone else in mind.

Edited by BearcatSA
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