Ryan Raposo

[RS]

36 minutes ago, costarg said:

Floro was ahead of his time. He was seeing and predicting the future of CANMNT, we just couldn't see and understand it.

Except Floro would put seven centre backs on the field for that 7-2-1, then when Canada's chasing a result he'd pull off the lone striker and sub in another CB.

[masster]

Today's newspaper article on Ryan Raposo and where he might feature with the Whitecaps this season:
https://theprovince.com/sports/ryan-raposo-the-vancouver-whitecaps-sage-old-veteran-of-23

[Bigandy]

How do people rate him? As a 10 or 8, would he compete with kaye or oso for a spot on CMNT?

 

[Obinna]

12 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

How do people rate him? As a 10 or 8, would he compete with kaye or oso for a spot on CMNT?

 

He's naturally an attacker (more of a winger), but he played at wing back last year. The article (which I briefly skimmed) says he'll be tried at FB. Hard to imagine it, but if they see him there and he does well, I am all for it. Players he'd be up against for a national team call would be ZBG, Choniere, and possibly JMR, along with the usual suspects of Laryea and Johnston. If Godinho sorts himself out that may be more competition as well, plus I feel like I am forgetting someone (and it's not Buchanan, who could also play there. In short, he's pretty far away, but not so much so that we shouldn't be talking about him as a possible depth player. Having a stellar year with Vancouver will go a long way in bumping him into contention. Last year he was good, but not stellar. 

[Bigandy]

18 minutes ago, Obinna said:

He's naturally an attacker (more of a winger), but he played at wing back last year. The article (which I briefly skimmed) says he'll be tried at FB. Hard to imagine it, but if they see him there and he does well, I am all for it. Players he'd be up against for a national team call would be ZBG, Choniere, and possibly JMR, along with the usual suspects of Laryea and Johnston. If Godinho sorts himself out that may be more competition as well, plus I feel like I am forgetting someone (and it's not Buchanan, who could also play there. In short, he's pretty far away, but not so much so that we shouldn't be talking about him as a possible depth player. Having a stellar year with Vancouver will go a long way in bumping him into contention. Last year he was good, but not stellar. 

Thanks for the update. I assumed he was a far shout at FB and winger. 

The article mentions hes been tried as a 8 and 10. Is there any decent sample size in this position? I see his chances at 8/10 much higher than at FB/winger just due to the quality and depth of those positions for CMNT 

[Obinna]

3 minutes ago, Bigandy said:

Thanks for the update. I assumed he was a far shout at FB and winger. 

The article mentions hes been tried as a 8 and 10. Is there any decent sample size in this position? I see his chances at 8/10 much higher than at FB/winger just due to the quality and depth of those positions for CMNT 

Have never seen him play either, but knowing what he's good at as a player, I think he could learn to play both and be relatively competent. Skeptical about the 10 position, though. Not a lot of time and space that far up the pitch. Not sure he's good enough at MLS level when that time and space is compressed. The 8 position may be an easier transition. 

[BearcatSA]

...

Edited January 14, 2023 by BearcatSA

[BearcatSA]

On 1/9/2020 at 10:53 PM, BearcatSA said:

Just a spitball here:  is there any chance that they might see this guy as having the chops to become an RB?

Well, it took three years and a different coach (as well as a new technical director in the fold), but it looks like they will be trying him with the four in the back base formation.

He is a hard worker with a good, coachable attitude and as a result has been able to improve quite a bit during his time in Vancouver.  We'll see how it goes.

[BearcatSA]

...

Edited January 14, 2023 by BearcatSA

[GasPed]

His natural position is as a 10 or an 8 - that's what he played growing up and at Syracuse.  He has good ball handling skills and he's good finisher when he gets the chance.  He's ok at wingback because he has a good work rate, but it's not his best position because even though he's quick and reasonably pacy, but he's no burner out there in space.  And as for RB - I suspect he's never played the position, and I think it would go against most of his instincts, but there's no harm in trying I guess.

Someone asked whether he could displace anyone from the CMNT as a 10 or an 8 right now, and I'd say no.  Considering all the guys who can play there (David, Oso, Staq, Junior, Spoon, even Kone and MAK), I just don't see a spot until some of those guys age out, and even then, it will be hard.  I mean he's a good player, but until he locks down a starter job at some position in the MLS, it's all just "what if" talk..

[The Beaver 2.0]

@GasPedand @BearcatSAhave pretty much nailed the assessment. I love Ryan's work rate and attitude, and he shows flashes of quality going forward from time to time, but I am not sure he'll rise beyond the rank of MLS journeyman, to be frank.  I hope he does, for all the obvious reasons, but also because he seems like a legit good human being, and those are some of my favourite.  I must admit I don't really get him as a wingback, but I love to be proved wrong.

[Bigandy]

On 1/13/2023 at 6:02 PM, GasPed said:

Someone asked whether he could displace anyone from the CMNT as a 10 or an 8 right now, and I'd say no.  Considering all the guys who can play there (David, Oso, Staq, Junior, Spoon, even Kone and MAK), I just don't see a spot until some of those guys age out, and even then, it will be hard.  I mean he's a good player, but until he locks down a starter job at some position in the MLS, it's all just "what if" talk..

Thats a bit disappointing but very expected. I know Kaye is basically in his prime, but theres a part of me that is looking to replace him and piette as I think the CMNT has to be above the level they produce.  

What do people think on legitimate potentials to add to CMNT midfield over the next couple of years.

At CDM I hope zouhir has a breakout year and surpasses piette in the long term. Smith is a potential but feels incredibly unknown

Rutty at 8 is very unknown but would love it if he panned out. 
Rea at 10 seems like a possibility? 
Choiniere as an 8?

Do we think okello, nelson, priso will end up on the CMNT and be an upgrade over MAK?
 

[VinceA]

If a guy plays well in MLS I think they're in the pool. It's easy to say we are surpassing the league because we have some prospects in Europe, but that's not really true at all. Also MLS keeps getting better.

Let's not delude ourselves like the US fanbase has in equating MLS to National League North.

[Bigandy]

8 minutes ago, VinceA said:

If a guy plays well in MLS I think they're in the pool. It's easy to say we are surpassing the league because we have some prospects in Europe, but that's not really true at all. Also MLS keeps getting better.

Let's not delude ourselves like the US fanbase has in equating MLS to National League North.

I agree. The sentiment in my post is not about being above MLS, but rather being above MAK and Piette. These guys have done alot for CMNT but I would say they are one step below Oso within MLS. The Oso level should be the lowest in our depth chart IMO. 

[Pottsy3]

1 hour ago, Bigandy said:

Thats a bit disappointing but very expected. I know Kaye is basically in his prime, but theres a part of me that is looking to replace him and piette as I think the CMNT has to be above the level they produce.  

What do people think on legitimate potentials to add to CMNT midfield over the next couple of years.

At CDM I hope zouhir has a breakout year and surpasses piette in the long term. Smith is a potential but feels incredibly unknown

Rutty at 8 is very unknown but would love it if he panned out. 
Rea at 10 seems like a possibility? 
Choiniere as an 8?

Do we think okello, nelson, priso will end up on the CMNT and be an upgrade over MAK?
 

I think that Nelson and Choiniere are the most likely to walk into a role in the midfield. Rea could be involved in the future, but I'd expect it to be as a winger most likely (not exactly a position where we're shallow)

[sebdeserio]

2 hours ago, Bigandy said:

Thats a bit disappointing but very expected. I know Kaye is basically in his prime, but theres a part of me that is looking to replace him and piette as I think the CMNT has to be above the level they produce.  

What do people think on legitimate potentials to add to CMNT midfield over the next couple of years.

At CDM I hope zouhir has a breakout year and surpasses piette in the long term. Smith is a potential but feels incredibly unknown

Rutty at 8 is very unknown but would love it if he panned out. 
Rea at 10 seems like a possibility? 
Choiniere as an 8?

Do we think okello, nelson, priso will end up on the CMNT and be an upgrade over MAK?
 

I'd take current Priso over current Kaye at TFC right now. What a horrible trade. This season will be vital for him to cement his role as an MLS starter but there were a few performances I saw from Priso for Colorado that were very impressive.

[dyslexic nam]

2 hours ago, Bigandy said:

Thats a bit disappointing but very expected. I know Kaye is basically in his prime, but theres a part of me that is looking to replace him and piette as I think the CMNT has to be above the level they produce.  

What do people think on legitimate potentials to add to CMNT midfield over the next couple of years.

At CDM I hope zouhir has a breakout year and surpasses piette in the long term. Smith is a potential but feels incredibly unknown

Rutty at 8 is very unknown but would love it if he panned out. 
Rea at 10 seems like a possibility? 
Choiniere as an 8?

Do we think okello, nelson, priso will end up on the CMNT and be an upgrade over MAK?
 

For me, Priso and Nelson are future Nat players.  Both have shown me enough at a young age to make me think they will play club footy at a higher level and can step up internationally.   I think Rutty may be able to get there if he relocates positionally - I just don’t see the skills from him that are needed for a few tive outside play.  

Okello’s window is closing I think.  He shows flashes but isn’t consistent enough - and for someone with such amazing physical attributes he is neither fast nor dominant on the air.   Throw in the fact that he is 2 years older than Nelson and I am just not sure I have seen enough from a 22 yr old to think he will make sufficient progress in the next few years.  Frustration given the physical tools he had to work with.  

If Smith chooses to play as a CDM I see him in the mix despite his club situation.  Just too much that I liked for the U20s too write him off.  Zouhir is a complete unknown to me in terms of actual skill/capacity.   Similarly, Rea is someone I haven’t seen much at all but I am encouraged by what I have read.

Lucas Dias is another one in the mix if he chooses Canada.  I think we had hoped for more impact as a young prospect but he is (I think) still developing in a really competitive environment.  
 

[Bison44]

Ieeeeeeeeee, no love Kaye in here.  I like Priso but what has he done to leapfrog Kaye??  MAK was playing pretty well I thought with Colorado before traded for him.  And TFC think he is still pretty good, regardless of his troubles fitting in with the current midfield.

Rapaso is a tough one, does anyone think he has the skills to convert into a RB??  Or is somebody just grasping at straws there??  

[Obinna]

1 hour ago, Pottsy3 said:

I think that Nelson and Choiniere are the most likely to walk into a role in the midfield. Rea could be involved in the future, but I'd expect it to be as a winger most likely (not exactly a position where we're shallow)

With Kone and Djordi departed, Choniere should get more looks than before and he was already getting solid playing time, hence he was rewarded with a pre-WC national team call. He didn't get off the bench against Bahrain, but it's only a matter of time before he does.

Choniere and Nelson are next, then everyone else. Obviously that's not set in stone, but all signs point to that. Just getting into camp in November gives both of them a leg up over players like Rea, Zouhir, Priso, Baldisimo, etc.

Any of them could leapfrog Choniere or Nelson with some excellent play, or a big transfer (in the case of Rea), but I don't expect any of these other guys to crack the roster for March or even summer. I don't see us rotating much. Hopefully some fall friendlies to close out the year will give us the chance to integrate all of these guys, including Choniere and Nelson. They are the only 2 midfielders I am expecting in 2023 for some non-friendlies. Maybe Bustos can sneak into the Gold Cup squad with some good play in Sweden, maybe Rea is lights out for Montreal, or moves to Pisa and gets a Gold Cup call as his reward, but these are very much outsidr possibilities.

[dyslexic nam]

6 minutes ago, Obinna said:

With Kone and Djordi departed, Choniere should get more looks than before and he was already getting solid playing time, hence he was rewarded with a pre-WC national team call. He didn't get off the bench against Bahrain, but it's only a matter of time before he does.

Choniere and Nelson are next, then everyone else. Obviously that's not set in stone, but all signs point to that. Just getting into camp in November gives both of them a leg up over players like Rea, Zouhir, Priso, Baldisimo, etc.

Any of them could leapfrog Choniere or Nelson with some excellent play, or a big transfer (in the case of Rea), but I don't expect any of these other guys to crack the roster for March or even summer. I don't see us rotating much. Hopefully some fall friendlies to close out the year will give us the chance to integrate all of these guys, including Choniere and Nelson. They are the only 2 midfielders I am expecting in 2023 for some non-friendlies. Maybe Bustos can sneak into the Gold Cup squad with some good play in Sweden, maybe Rea is lights out for Montreal, or moves to Pisa and gets a Gold Cup call as his reward, but these are very much outsidr possibilities.

Yeah I omitted Choiniere because for me he is pretty much a given.  I focused on the prospects - but he is pretty much there given the way he played for CFM last year.  And I agree - this could be a huge season for him if he can cement a regular starting spot in light of the departures. 

[BearcatSA]

2 hours ago, Bison44 said:

Rapaso is a tough one, does anyone think he has the skills to convert into a RB??  Or is somebody just grasping at straws there??  

As I posted on the Caps thread, I am not sure why they didn't re-up a cheap, young but experienced natural Cancon rightback in Godinho.

[Bison44]

3 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

As I posted on the Caps thread, I am not sure why they didn't re-up a cheap, young but experienced natural Cancon rightback in Godinho.

I guess they have Rapaso on a GA contract and are looking to recycle him into a useful MLS player by switching positions???  

[narduch]

Another fullback conversion 

 

 

[devioustrevor]

Doesn't really move the needle on his CMNT chances.  Laryea, Johnston and ZBG still way ahead of him.

[Shway]

Sigh….a #10, to a winger, to a wingback, to a fullback, to the full bench.

This was suppose to be his breakout year for me. 

Javain Brown, Triston Blackmon, and Jillian Gressell could all play that position.