Vancouver Whitecaps - 2023 Season Thread

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[Watchmen]

10 hours ago, youllneverwalkalone said:

It does look like VFC is having some impact on attendance. BC Place might be an ok World Cup venue if full, with grass, but it doesn't really work for MLS. 

I'll maintain, I really don't think so. There's definitely former Whitecaps fans out cheering for VFC, but a lot of them left pre-pandemic for a variety of reasons (the FO scandal and the poor on field performance for years).

[Watchmen]

Well, that was a hell of a lot of fun tonight. White with the brace, Becher with one 30 seconds after coming on. Fully deserving of all 3 points, though sloppy defending could have cost them this one.

Hasn't really been discussed, but boy are they bad at taking corners. I realize White scored off of one but it went off his...."thigh" and most of them weren't in the least dangerous. Has been like that a lot recently.

[BearcatSA]

One thing with which the Caps excel (and where Cubas is front and centre) is creating midfield turnovers through the help of partial or heavier front pressing.  Opponents trying to play their way out from the back need to have strong technical players in order to do so or they put themelves in bad spots with giveaways.  (The irony here is that Cubas himself was badly caught out by a press and subsequent LAFC goal in CCL play at BC Place).  We saw two more turnovers leading to goals this past evening.  

[saladroit]

doyle is fully on the caps hypetrain https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/earthquakes-earn-landmark-win-watch-out-for-the-whitecaps-more-from-matchday-11

 

Quote

The Whitecaps have been – and I’m not remotely kidding here – maybe the best team in the entire league over the past month. They have been brilliant at gumming up passing lanes and forcing turnovers in key spots, and they are relentless at getting out on the run in order to get onto the end of chances created by the likes of Julian Gressel, Pedro Vite and Ryan Gauld.

The ‘Caps then took their foot off the gas and nearly paid for it (you can still pass the ball forward when you have a multi-goal lead, boys), but the preponderance of evidence says that, yeah, they’re actually very good.

 

Edited May 8, 2023 by saladroit

[masster]

On 5/6/2023 at 11:33 AM, nolando said:

We keep making excuses, but the community isn't excited about this club anymore and the fault mostly lies at the feet of VWFC. 

I'm surrounded by soccer players, fanatics, and coaches, young and old, seven days a week. Hardly a person I know can name a single Whitecaps player.

Thinking back to the launch that first season at Empire, it almost makes me sad thinking of how much potential has been wasted, in almost every component of the organization, from front office, to facilities, to youth development, etc.

I agree with all of the above.

In addition, I think the declining local sports media has had a role as well. The coverage in the papers has dropped off significantly since Weber was on the beat in the early years. A handful of my non soccer obsessed but avid sport fan friends were 24 hour TSN 1040 listeners. The occasional coverage on that station (while not great) meant that they had a general knowledge of what was going on with the team. Now they don't have a clue.

[BearcatSA]

Mediocrity = no media vibe

However, maybe this year, to quote @The Beaver, the Caps have finally indeed "turned the corner" and will be a high level conference player. And with that, plus the departure of the former Lions QB to Jacksonville, the summer sports media ticket becomes more focused on the club (unless, of course, the 'Nucks win the Bedard lottery today).

[Watchmen]

47 minutes ago, masster said:

I agree with all of the above.

In addition, I think the declining local sports media has had a role as well. The coverage in the papers has dropped off significantly since Weber was on the beat in the early years. A handful of my non soccer obsessed but avid sport fan friends were 24 hour TSN 1040 listeners. The occasional coverage on that station (while not great) meant that they had a general knowledge of what was going on with the team. Now they don't have a clue.

650am is the only all sports station now. The Whitecaps are on 730am, so there's no incentive for 650 to really "promote" them the way there was with 1040/1400. As I mentioned somewhere here, the morning show on 650 will discuss Whitecaps/soccer sporadically (and get emailed to stop talking soccer), but it's a bit more dependent on how things are going.

[masster]

Announced attendance was 14,047 for a team on a 7 game unbeaten run. As @nolando mentioned, a perfect example of how far this team has fallen in the local market.

[saladroit]

caps have had players in team of the matchday almost every week this year

[Watchmen]

18 minutes ago, masster said:

Announced attendance was 14,047 for a team on a 7 game unbeaten run. As @nolando mentioned, a perfect example of how far this team has fallen in the local market.

Yup. This is what happens when you announced attendance of 19k for your home opener (in a snow storm!) and proceed to fall flat on your face in the 2nd half. The offseason goodwill is gone and you're immediately an after thought again.

[BearcatSA]

Bedard is now Chicago bound and not in Vancouver, so that might hype the Caps more in the local sports media spotlight if the team continues to improve and rise in the standings. 

[Watchmen]

1 hour ago, BearcatSA said:

Bedard is now Chicago bound and not in Vancouver, so that might hype the Caps more in the local sports media spotlight if the team continues to improve and rise in the standings. 

Well, there's going to be a week of angst first.

[The Beaver 2.0]

The fans will start coming back. They are waiting for a reason. How do I know (anecdotally)?  Me and my brothers usually catch 2 or 3 games a year, and we've yet to see one yet in 2023. But we are looking at tickets for upcoming games. We won't be the only ones. When a team has underperformed for so long, one cannot expect the fans to be out in full force. (Unless you are the Leafs, of course.)

 

[BearcatSA]

4 hours ago, The Beaver 2.0 said:

The fans will start coming back. They are waiting for a reason. How do I know (anecdotally)?  Me and my brothers usually catch 2 or 3 games a year, and we've yet to see one yet in 2023. But we are looking at tickets for upcoming games. We won't be the only ones. When a team has underperformed for so long, one cannot expect the fans to be out in full force. (Unless you are the Leafs, of course.)

 

Everybody loves a winner.  The bandwagon should have a sponsorship deal with Bilstein shock absorbers.

[Rocket Robin]

All the audio from the post game press conference 51 minutes! of the Canadian Championship QF between York United FC  and Vancouver Whitecaps played May 10/23. Austin Ricci and Martin Nash and Vanni Sartini and Simon Becher. http://www.rocketrobinsoccerintoronto.com/reports23/23york061.htm

[Goal_Kick]

Every once in a while, every now and then, you know what I would like to see?  I would like to see a Vancouver Whitecap with  possession of the ball charge straight at the opponent's goal and try to score from in front of the net.

Every time the Caps get a ball and get within twenty or thirty yards of the box they invariably pass the ball to the wing and the wing moves down and tries a cross and, also invariably, the cross either goes too far past the goal or else there's no one in the middle to strike the ball.

Charging at the net at least gives the possibility of a foul.  Or maybe even a goal.

[BearcatSA]

47 minutes ago, Goal_Kick said:

Every time the Caps get a ball and get within twenty or thirty yards of the box they invariably pass the ball to the wing and the wing moves down and tries a cross and, also invariably, the cross either goes too far past the goal or else there's no one in the middle to strike the ball.

Against this particular opponent, long diagonal crosses are very low percentage yields.  

 

[Watchmen]

1 hour ago, Goal_Kick said:

Every once in a while, every now and then, you know what I would like to see?  I would like to see a Vancouver Whitecap with  possession of the ball charge straight at the opponent's goal and try to score from in front of the net.

Every time the Caps get a ball and get within twenty or thirty yards of the box they invariably pass the ball to the wing and the wing moves down and tries a cross and, also invariably, the cross either goes too far past the goal or else there's no one in the middle to strike the ball.

Charging at the net at least gives the possibility of a foul.  Or maybe even a goal.

Last week against Minnesota, Gressel went on a long run straight towards the net.  All the Minnesota players moved away and gave him an absolutely clear shot at the net.  He passed to the wing.  It resulted in nothing.  So yeah, I'm in agreement.

[Watchmen]

Whitecaps first touch was absolutely dreadful tonight.  Blew a number of chances because the first touch put the ball either too far forward or it dragged themselves out of position to do anything with it.  Gault is looking off so far this year.  Took him about half the season last year to get going as well, but it's frustrating watching him right misplay the ball so much.

Post-game show on 730am, Vanni said (or heavily implied) that Cordova would remain in Vancouver this week and wouldn't travel for the Dallas game and that White should be back.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[costarg]

On 5/14/2023 at 3:06 AM, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

 

Off topic, but gawd I love the Timbers stadium.  Totally unsymmetrical, looks like a child's lego project that was worked on intermittently over a year using different kits and size bricks, and it just comes together soo well.  Just too bad about the turf.

[Unnamed Trialist]

2 hours ago, costarg said:

Off topic, but gawd I love the Timbers stadium.  Totally unsymmetrical, looks like a child's lego project that was worked on intermittently over a year using different kits and size bricks, and it just comes together soo well.  Just too bad about the turf.

You've been then? Another good feature is that the stands are quite vertical, the fans are close to the field. Then you're in the downtown. 

[BearcatSA]

From the FWIW category:  I usually get to one Caps game a year and after watching the Colorado match a few weeks ago, I received an email offer of 25% off tickets for any other remaining home games this sesson.  I didn't get a similar promotion after watching a match last season or in 2021.

[Watchmen]

41 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

From the FWIW category:  I usually get to one Caps game a year and after watching the Colorado match a few weeks ago, I received an email offer of 25% off tickets for any other remaining home games this sesson.  I didn't get a similar promotion after watching a match last season or in 2021.

That could be an apology for having to watch the Colorado match.