Search the Community

Every Friday, I will give my keys to victory for the Montreal Impact, in 3 points! No Piatti, No Party? The Montreal Impact will be without the service of their star Designated Player Nacho Piatti on Saturday versus Chicago. Ignacio could be out several weeks due to a groin injury. Can the Impact create quality goal scoring chances without the Argentinian in the lineup? Can the Impact capitalize on their looks on goal with a depleted lineup? If so, Montreal could come out of Toyota Park with a favorable result. In this case, I would consider a draw on the road a favorable result. If not, a tough afternoon at the office it will be. Shoot to Score The Impact are 17th in MLS for shot attempts. The ratio of attempts vs on target is respectable (26/10). To compensate for the clinical finishing skills of Piatti during his absence, the Impact needs to put the odds in their favor literally and raise the amount of shot attempts, hopefully on target. It will not be easy and with the injury to Patrice Bernier, the service coming from the midfield could struggle, but raising the amount of shot attempts could raise the probability of goal scored. Forget Bastian, Cover Dax! It will be a big day for the Fire, to say the least. Bastian could play, but will doubtfully start. Dax and Juninho are the two key Fire players you need to cover at all times. The revamped midfield for Chicago has already paid dividends this year and with all the new eyes on their product on Saturday, they will want to put on a show! If Montreal can stifle the Combustible Duo like they successfully stifled David Villa two weeks ago, Montreal could pull off the result on the road for a second straight game. You can follow Kevin on twitter @KevLaramee

Close, but no cigar. We saw a better performance by the Montreal Impact tonight, especially in the midfield, but an old foe has come back to sink the Home-Opener's ship; extra time. With already over 3 minutes played after the first 90, the Seattle Sounders and their new veteran acquisition, Will Bruin made Montreal pay for their lack of killer instinct earlier in the game. It all started beautifully though for the Bleu-Blanc-Noir, better possession and passing accuracy in the midfield, early looks on goal, great use of the flanks by Oyongo, Piatti and Oduro. Montreal even took a two goal lead, but it proved insufficient for the 1642ers. A beautiful through ball to Mancosu by Piatti, setup perfectly by the captain Patrice Bernier to open up the 2017 goal tally and a great finish by Piatti for the second. What was really impressive on Piatti's goal was his dismantling of Torres' coverage. Being caught ball watching and not focusing on Piatti's hips, Torres was left flat footed and couldn't cover Piatti's strong foot; 2-nil the Impact. But, has it has been the case far too often over the last few years, the defense could not hold on. A questionable penalty call on a Ciman tackle and a moment of panic in the box late in extra time were enough for the Sounders to leave Montreal in a hurry with a stolen point. Like Mauro Biello mentioned in his post-game press conference, there were several questionable decisions on both sides by the referee Jair Marrufo. Early yellow cards, misplaced free kicks, questionable no-calls and a controversial tying goal scored after the initial 3 minutes of extra time are all issues that should be looked at carefully by PRO (Professional Referee Organization) and its general manager, Peter Walton. On the positive side for Montreal, big improvements were made when we compare to last week's performance in Northern California. The passing accuracy went from a mediocre below 70% last week, to a very respectable 79.3% tonight and especially accurate in the defensive midfield (Bernier 84.6% Donadel 91.1% Bernardello 93.6%) . The confusion in the midfield has been addressed, Bernier-Bernardello-Donadel knew exactly where to be and how to execute the game plan this time around. The captain had a great home opener, 2 assists and a multitude of chances created by using the flank players to move up on the pitch. Oyongo and Oduro were instrumental in Montreal's attack, being able to use the space left open in front of them to generate space and time for Piatti to be effective offensively. According to Evan Bush, the fitness aspect of the game, especially late in the game was the difference between a win and a draw. On top of the fitness, the substitution of Patrice Bernier for a debuting Adrian Arregui at the 59 minute mark spelled the end of domination for Montreal and especially the end of ball possession on the night. Coincidence? I think not. Overall, 2 goal scored, a good performance by the core and star players and a more stable and reliable midfield are good improvements from game 1. Some doubts concerning the backline still remains, unfortunately, and more discipline is needed by the Montreal defense if they want to have success in 2017. Until next time, have a great soccer! You can follow Kevin Laramee on Twitter @KevLaramee You can listen to all of Kevin's thoughts on the game, player interviews and coaches post-game comments on the latest Off the Woodworkx every Sunday morning!

Every Friday, I will give my keys to victory for the Montreal Impact, in 3 points! Point 1 The Cohesion in the Midfield Montreal had all sorts of trouble in the midfield last week. Congestion, led to confusion that led to loss of possession, this really was noticeable when Montreal was trying to transition the ball forward. Smaller, higher pourcentages passes are key for the Impact to generate quality opportunity to feed their best attacking options, Piatti and Mancosu, which were left on an island last week. Point 2 Oyongo and Piatti The combination of Ambroise Oyongo and Nacho Piatti on the left side of the field for the Bleu-Blanc-Noir can be deadly. When Oyongo is able to use the space in front of him with the ball at his feet, he creates time and space for Piatti to be an offensive threat or even a goal scoring chance for himself. This is imperative for Montreal to get by the defending MLS Cup Champions. Point 3 Beware of Clint Dempsey Clint is back, healthy and HUNGRY! Even though they lost their season opener, Clint has found the back of the net already this season and in his favorite fashion, poacher style. For the Montreal Impact to emerge victorious Saturday night at the Stade Olympique, they will have to be mindful of Dempsey's presence close to goal AT ALL TIMES AND FOR 90 MINUTES! You can follow Kevin Laramee on twitter @KevLaramee Off the Woodworkx, a podcast about the Montreal Impact available here https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/off-woodworkx-sports-podcasting/id1067439813?mt=2

Scores, Game Reports, Analysis, Interviews and especially FUN!! Hosted by Kevin Laramee @KevLaramee STUDIO LINE 1-802-731-0131 LISTEN LIVE HERE EVERY SUNDAY AT 1AM E / 10PM P DURING THE MLS SEASON https://sportspodcastingnetwork.com/mlspostgameshow/ Send in your thoughts on your favorite MLS Team and/or your game reports, feedback to mlspostgameshow@gmail.com https://sportpodcastingnetwork.com https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/sports-podcasting-network/id1018126433?mt=2 https://patreon.com/sportspodcastingnetwork https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/spn-soccer-feed-sports-podcasting-network/id1079055075?mt=2

The world of football with a soccer perspective, this is Soccer Today! with Duane Rollins and Kevin Laramee @SoccerTodaySPN @KevLaramee @24thminute SOCCER TODAY! https://sportspodcastingnetwork.com/ http://patreon.com/sportspodcastingnetwork

There's a lot of chat to be had, so have a listen! You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services: iTunes. iPhone App Google Play Podbean. Stitcher Radio Network. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

Montreal's Maxim Tissot saw his first minutes of the year, coming on as a first half time sub, just 20 minutes in, during the Impact's loss to TFC. Russell Teibert made a massive two minute appearance for Vancouver, but that was "bettered" by Toronto's Mo Babouli who managed one whole minute! The weekend's full contributions by Canadians reads as follows. Orlando's two goals in their 3-2 loss in New York both came courtesy of Canadian players. One from each team! Cyle Larin opened the scoring just three minutes in, before the Red Bulls hit back with three unanswered goals. Karl Ouimette brought the game back to within one again when he turned the ball into his own net with six minutes remaining. You can watch both below. Will Johnson got his second assist of the season on Sebastian Giovinco's second goal for TFC in Montreal. In the updated season so far standings, Vancouver's Fraser Aird continues to lead the way in appearances and overall minutes played, making his seventh start and eighth appearance of the year in the 'Caps 3-0 win against Dallas and taking his minutes for the season to 668. Cyle Larin leads Canadians in MLS with four goals so far this season, while Dallas' Tesho Akindele and Toronto's Will Johnson lead the way with two assists each. Larin also leads the Canadian players in both shots (16) and shots on goal (9). Here's the full 'Canadians In MLS' totals after week eight.

There's a lot of chat to be had, so have a listen! You can download and/or listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on the following services: iTunes. iPhone App Google Play Podbean. Stitcher Radio Network. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

REPORT (by Steve Pandher): The Whitecaps ended their three game winless and 372 minute goalless streaks with a 3-0 victory over league leading FC Dallas. After a Maynor Figueroa own goal gave Vancouver the lead in the first half, the 'Caps got goals from Jordan Harvey and Kekuta Manneh, the latter being their first that a Whitecaps players has scored from open play this season. However it was a different story to start the match, with the visitors controlling the majority of play and chances, either missing them by the slightest of margins or being robbed by the outstanding play of David Ousted who earned the cleansheet with another 'man of the match' performance. Five minutes after Ousted's first big save of the night, a stunning acrobatic tip over of a looping Maxi Urruti effort, the Whitecaps got on the board when Manneh sent in the ball from the left side of the box which Chris Seitz punched out. (Un)fortunately it was sent right into the path of a retreating Figueroa who had the ball come off his chest into the net giving the 'Caps the lead into the half. Minutes after the restart, Dallas came close to drawing even but Ousted came up huge with a reflex save from a shot by Michael Barrios from just inside the six yard area. After another big stop by Ousted after the hour mark, the home side doubled their lead in the 63rd minute when Jordan Harvey collected the ball from a corner and fired it past defenders and the keeper to get his second of the season. Vancouver would put the match to bed 15 minutes later when Manneh would be sent in alone by second half sub Blas Perez's first touch of the match. The winger beat the charging Seitz to the ball and slipped it past him for his first of the season. The Whitecaps will have little time to savour the victory as they return to B.C Place on Wednesday to face Sporting Kansas City, but it will do wonders for their confidence and self belief moving forward in a stretch of four home matches in a five game spell. FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 - 0 FC Dallas ATT: 22,120 (sell out) VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Fraser Aird, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Andrew Jacobson, Cristian Techera (Christian Bolanos 80), Nicolas Mezquida (Russell Teibert 88), Kekuta Manneh; Octavio Rivero (Blas Perez 77) [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Sam Adekugbe, Pa-Modou Kah, Masato Kudo] DALLAS: Chris Seitz; Atiba Harris, Zach Loyd, Walker Zimmerman, Maynor Figueroa; Michael Barrios (Kellyn Acosta 74), Victor Ulloa (Mauro Díaz 71), Carlos Gruezo, Fabian Castillo; Maximiliano Urruti, Tesho Akindele [subs Not Used: Jesse Gonzalez, Ryan Hollingshead, Juan Esteban Ortiz, Carlos Lizarazo, Mauro Rosales] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON On tonight’s match: “We scored one goal from open play today, so I’m delighted. We win a game of football. I say this and don’t make a big thing of it. It’s about winning games and I know that, I understand that. We won the game today with a little bit of luck, which we haven’t had in one or two weeks. A good set piece goal and then a fantastic Blas Perez touch and Kekuta Manneh on the run. It’s nice, we’ll take it, but we’ll move on. It’s three points, we’ll move on, we’ve got a big game on Wednesday.” On the team’s improvement: “It doesn’t help and make it easier, when you’re not scoring as many goals as you’d like, but you go through ruts, as a group of players, as a club. Sometimes it goes against you and doesn’t go your way, but you focus on performance. We did that last week. We were well below our standard at DC United and I was the first to admit that and take responsibility for that. Last week, we were a lot better. I think we should have gotten something out of the game and we didn’t. Again, no excuses. Today, we rode our luck a little bit, but they’re a good team. They’ve got good players, but today we showed that we are.” On David Ousted’s crucial performance: “You know, I think his job is to keep the ball out of the net. So, he did what he’s paid for. He did his job very well today. As did Kendall [Waston] and Tim [Parker], and the two fullbacks. We’re playing against three or four top players in the league today. But, the one save is phenomenal. I’ll let him talk about it because I’m sure he’ll be up here or whatever. So, excellent save, but he did his job, which is good.” On the difference for Kekuta Manneh and Cristian Techera tonight: “A little bit of confidence, I think we’re getting up to the levels that we know we can play. They both probably should have scored at certain times. Kekuta gets his goal. Cristian, if the dink goes in, the little lob, then everyone is raving about it. You know, we haven’t scored as many goals as we’d like and I keep getting reminded of that. We’ve got to just keep going, the wide players, the forward players, they’ve just got to keep going and the goals will come.” On whether he was happy that it was Kekuta Manneh who got the goal at the end: “To be fair, I don’t really care who scores from open play. Individually, I think they all want to score, which is good. I think the two or three times that we made the wrong decisions at the wrong time, it was because they want the goal. For him, I think his confidence will grow from that in an important week for us. The other guys should be proud of their work rate as well. Cristian Techera, obviously Octavio Rivero and Nicolas Mezquida as well. I thought he put in a very, very strong performance.” Thoughts on Matias Laba’s performance: “Matias is a top player, we know that. I think sometimes, when he doesn’t play to the level that we used to see in him, everyone sort of jumps on the bandwagon with him. Players don’t go out there to play poorly, they go out there to give their effort and try their very best. And sometimes it’s your day, other times it isn’t. I’m happy with the group of players I have in there on a daily basis.” On whether we saw glimpses of last season in tonight’s performance: “Yeah, maybe. I’ll have to see it again. I’m pleased from today because Dallas are a good team. They come into our place, they’ve scored a lot of goals. I kept getting reminded of that this week that they are the highest scoring team and deservedly so. I’m pleased that we kept a clean sheet and that’s why I said I’ll take one goal and a clean sheet. Houston came into town a couple of weeks ago, when we were missing a couple players and we kept them quiet as well. So we can do it, we just got to do it more consistently than we have in the first seven or eight games.” On whether we should expect to see Pedro Morales soon: “I think there’s a good chance, yeah. Pedro wanted to play today. I thought the guys who played in Salt Lake played very, very well, without any luck. So there is a chance, yeah. Obviously, there will be some new faces on the team on Wednesday. We have a busy week ahead of us. It’ll give us confidence, the three points, but we’ll just chalk it down and move on to the next one. Hopefully, you, we, me will get to see him on Wednesday.” KEKUTA MANNEH On the importance of tonight’s win: “We had a few bad results in the running and we got together and met, and we decided that we need to change things around if we want to have a good season. That happens to teams, they go through bad runs but then they turn things around. We felt like this was our chance, FC Dallas is a good team but they’re going to let us play and if we get chances, we’ll take them. I thought we did that today and this is very exciting, we needed that win.” On the attack breaking through tonight: “For us, we just kept believing. We were creating chances, and if we were not creating chances, we’d be worried but we created a lot, it felt like. The week before that, we knew that it was just going to be a matter of time before we start putting them away. It finally happened today, I’m really excited, and hopefully we can continue that with the game on Wednesday.” DAVID OUSTED On his performance tonight: “I thought I played well today. There were times today that I had to step up and make that save. I’m happy with my performance today.” On how the team responded: “I’ve said in the past few weeks that we were just going through a rough patch and that’s when the leaders of this team step up. It’s when the veterans of this team take responsibility and I think they have. You see a lot of guys step on the pitch tonight wanting to take responsibility and take the ball. The young guys wanted the ball as well, and that’s what it takes. MLS is such a long season that you’ll go through some rough patches, and that’s when the leadership steps up. We got a great locker room. We got everything we need in there to be a successful team but once in a while, it takes the leaders of this team to step up a little bit more.” On his health status after taking a fall in the second half: “I took a little bit of a knock but I didn’t think it was that bad. I’ll visit with the medical staff in the next couple of days but I know I should be fine.” FC DALLAS OSCAR PAREJA: On tonight’s match: “Disappointed. It was one of those nights where we have what we wanted, we created chances. I thought the team looked good, but we were not fine in the last third. We didn’t finalize it in the first half. One of our mistakes and they took it – I would say that in that play that was an accident when the ball hit and it went in. But that’s the game, we have to accept it – it has happened to us before when we don’t create as many options and we’re sharp and effective. Tonight, Vancouver was very effective and I have to recognize that. Especially in the last 15 minutes of the first half when they scored and in the last 15 minutes of the second half when there was the space and they just started taking advantage of that.” On not playing Mauro Rosales in his return to Vancouver: “I considered all those emotional parts of the game, but at the time of the game we have to see just what the unit is that is needed and Mauro is a very important player that we have used and we will use for sure. I think tonight I decided just to keep him there.” On putting Mauro Diaz in after missing four games: “I’m glad to see him finally in the game. Still, we get shortened days of training for him so unfortunately we couldn’t play him the whole time and I wanted to keep our plan with him and have him at 100 per cent. But Mauro came and he looked very good so I’m happy to have him back on the team in full form. We look forward to seeing him in the next month.” On missing Matt Hedges in a game like this: “I mean it would be easy to say that after the disappointment like that defensively. It is normal in the game, when you lose that way that you start to see the pieces that are missing. But we trust in the guys that we want and unfortunately today we were not sharp, especially in the last 20 minutes.” On what they need to work on for the next two road games: “This group has been recognized and I have and people have seen it, that this is a group that has a lot of character. We have a group of players that will bounce back, we have proven that. So when we’re looking forward for the next games, it’s just to get points. It’s not an easy journey in this league. You see how competitive it is in this league, and especially in the conference games. We obviously want to win all the games that we compete in. But today we are going with empty pockets and next week we prepare for New York to get points there.” WALKER ZIMMERMAN On tonight’s match: “I think our locker room is a little disappointed right now. I thought, especially in the first half, we had many chances that if we put away, the game is a little bit different. I don’t think we’re happy about the way the goals went in – a little soft and another set piece goal that we’ve conceded. Overall, pretty disappointed.” On their defensive performance: “They got a few chances, but at the same time I think we definitely put our mark on the game with our chances. I think if one of them went in, like I said, it makes it a little different. Not thrilled with the goals we gave up. I feel like we kind of beat ourselves, but that’s the game sometimes.” On not maximizing on chances: “Credit to Ousted, he had a good night, saved some point blank shots. We had some that just narrowly missed. So we’ll get back to the drawing board. I mean we’re not too concerned – we feel pretty good about the performance we put in.” VICTOR ULLOA On tonight’s match: “We’re leaving with a sour taste. We feel like especially in the first half we created a lot of chances and we just need to be able to tuck them away.” On not finding the back of the net: “I think their keeper made some great saves. We were just unlucky tonight not to be able to put a few away. One miss happened on defence and it cost us a goal – the own goal.” On their defence: “I think in the first half that goal was just unlucky. In the second half, we lost a bit of the organization in the back and in the midfield and it cost us two more mistakes and two more goals.”

There's a lot of chat to be had, so have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

There's a lot of chat to be had, so have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

To get started, head over to the MLS Fantasy Football site, pick your squad, you team name and join the overall fun. Once that's done, or if you have already set your team up, you can join one or both of AFTN's private leagues. Click LEAGUES on the menu then CREATE AND JOIN NEW LEAGUE then JOIN AN EXISTING LEAGUE / JOIN A LEAGUE then JOIN PRIVATE LEAGUE then enter our appropriate league code below. To enter our Classic League, the code you need is 10200-2431 (Autojoin Link - http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/?autojoin-code=10200-2431). And to enter our Head to Head League, the code you need is 10200-2433 (Autojoin Link - http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/?autojoin-code=10200-2433). So join today, spread the word and share it with your friends, and let the battle begin. We'll give you some regular updates over the course of the season. Good luck everyone! And in the meantime, here's some resources to help you on your way to hopefully a successful fantasy season: Fantasy Soccer 101 Fantasy MLS on Reddit MLS Fantasy Boss MLS Fantasy Insider podcast MLS Fantasy Viz

You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

And catch up with our choices from previous years: 2011 awards / 2012 awards / 2013 awards / 2014 awards ********** AFTN WHITECAPS PLAYER OF THE SEASON : WINNER: DAVID OUSTED - The Dane was basically the reason that the ‘Caps finished where they did, with a string of crucial point winning and point saving stops throughout the year. With 15 clean sheets during the year (13 for the second successive regular season, one in the playoffs and one in the Canadian Championship) his importance is clear. He knows it. The ‘Caps know it. He’ll be back for next season but no deal has been done yet for a contract extension. Whatever he’s looking for, they need to pay it. Runner-up: Cristian Techera Our outfield Player of the Year for sure. After coming to Vancouver in April, Techera showed exceptional qualities during the second half of the season. Finished the year with 7 goals and 5 assists, second on the team in each category. He’s just finding his feet in MLS and we have high hopes of what next season will bring from The Bug. 2014 winner: Pedro Morales 2013 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo 2012 winner: Joe Cannon 2011 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo ********** AFTN WHITECAPS YOUNG PLAYER OF THE SEASON : WINNER: TIM PARKER - When pretty much the whole first team, USL side and Residency qualify for this award, it’s a tough one! We could have given it to Techera. He’s only 23 after all. But since he’s an old man in the squad, we went with a player a year younger. Parker excelled in his rookie season. The best performing first year draftee the ‘Caps have taken. Dislodging a wily veteran and a player brought in from South America as a first choice centre back along the way, Parker finished the season as the ‘Caps starter alongside Kendall Waston and the position is his to lose moving forward. He didn’t look out of place or a rookie in his 17 MLS appearances, all but one of them a start. Also grabbed the ‘Caps first ever CONCACAF Champions League goal. Composed and confident, the best is yet to come from the New Yorker. 2014 winner: Matias Laba 2013 winner: Kekuta Manneh 2012 and 2011 winner: Caleb Clarke ********** WHITECAPS GOAL OF THE SEASON : WINNER: GERSHON KOFFIE v RSL (30/5/15 - 2-1 home win) There were a number of cracking goals this year, a lot of them from defenders, but this has pretty much been the unanimous winner overall. What a strike. We just need him to do these things a lot more often. If he’s still here next year that is, which we don't expect him to be! 2014 winner: Erik Hurtado v Seattle (24/5/14) 2013 winner: Camilo Sanvezzo v Portland (6/10/13) 2012 winner: Darren Mattocks v Toronto (11/7/12) 2011 winner: Eric Hassli v Seattle (11/6/11) ********** WHITECAPS GAME OF THE SEASON : WINNER: 2-0 HOME WIN v LA (04/04/15) There wasn’t really a clear cut winner like previous years. We could have gone, of course, for the win over Montreal that clinched the Voyageurs Cup, just for what it meant. But that wasn’t actually that great a match and it was an understrength Impact side that headed west. The 2-1 win in New York in June was exciting, with two Ousted penalty saves, but the ‘Caps basically struggled against a ten man Red Bulls. In the end, we went for the dominant 2-0 win against LA. It felt like a coming of age win for Carl Robinson’s young side against the defending MLS champs. It was also one that sent the ‘Caps to the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings for the first time, setting up a season where winning it wasn’t a far-fetched thought, but a real possibility. 2014 winner: v Seattle (10/10/14 – 1-0 Cascadia Cup clinching away win) 2013 winner: v Seattle (9/10/13 - 4-1 away thrashing of Sounders) 2012 winner: v San Jose Earthquakes (5/5/12 - 2-1 win at BC Place) 2011 winner: v Kansas City (2/4/11 - 3-3 draw at Empire Field) ********** SAVE OF THE YEAR : WINNER: DAVID OUSTED v PHILADELPHIA (09/05/15 - 3-0 home win) - So many great saves from the Dane this season, including three penalties, but this one just shades it. Did he know too much about it? Of course he did, he'll tell you! 2014 winner: David Ousted v New England (22/3/14 – 0-0 away draw, MLS) 2013 winner: Marco Carducci double save v Victoria Highlanders (28/6/13 - Thunderbird Stadium, PDL) No award in 2011 or 2012. New award last year ********** WHITECAPS TO WATCH IN 2016: WINNER: MARCO BUSTOS - The first two-time winner in this category. This could very well have been his first team breakthrough year but an early season injury derailed Marco’s progress. When he did return, to USL action, he showed what he is capable of with 7 goals, 2 assists and a string of strong performances. Expect more MLS minutes for Bustos next season and that breakthrough year we’re all hoping for. No pressure! Runner-up: Ben McKendry - Another player hindered by injury this season. After signing his first pro contract in January with MLS homegrown deal, McKendry started the USL season a little slow before finding his feet and really hitting his stride. Was expected to get minutes in the Canadian Championship and Champions League games before a season ending injury and an operation has left him waiting another year for his MLS debut. Robinson is a big fan of the BC native, telling us that within two years he expects McKendry to be the box to box midfielder the team will be needing. 3rd: Victor Blasco - Carl Robinson likes what the Spaniard could bring to the MLS squad but just needs to see it on a more consistent basis. Blasco looked good in the early going but once he got his first professional goal, he took his game up to another level, finishing the season with 4 goals and 6 assists. We expect him to get a look in the preseason camp before the 'Caps monitor his progress during another season in the USL. 2014 winner: Marco Bustos 2013 winner: Sam Adekugbe 2012 winner: Ben Fisk 2011 winner: Caleb Clarke ********** HERO OF THE YEAR : WINNER: PA MODOU KAH - We hated him at Portland, we love him in Vancouver. That’s football! We were big fans of what Andy O’Brien brought to the Whitecaps, both in the centre of the defence and in the locker room, but Kah has taken that up a level. A big calming and mentoring influence on Kekuta Manneh’s the pinnacle of Kah’s team spirit came when he bought the entire squad rings to celebrate the club’s first ever Canadian Championship win. Riding around and picking up a medal on a hover board also adds to his awesomeness! 2014 winner: Carl Robinson 2013 winner: Carl Robinson 2012 winner: Young-Pyo Lee 2011 winner: Joe Cannon ********** VILLAIN OF THE YEAR : WINNER: RICARDO SALAZAR- Refereeing in MLS felt worse than it was last year and that's saying something. There were some terrible decisions throughout the league and a lot affecting the 'Caps. Carl Robinson's breaking point seemed to be reached with his epic rant after the loss in KC, but referee Ricardo Salazar's inept performance in the late, late loss to NYC took the biscuit. He was lucky to get out of BC Place in one piece after awarding Frank Lampard as non a penalty as you could imagine. As the bottles rained down on his head postgame, he bizarrely was not disciplined by MLS or PRO. 2014 winner: Mark Geiger 2013 winner: Will Johnson 2012 winner: David Ferreira 2011 winner: Tommy Soehn ********** TACKLE OF THE YEAR: WINNER: MATIAS LABA (at MONTREAL 12/08/15) - Another back to back winner! It was one of those that you just couldn't help sitting at home and screaming "what a tackle" out loud as soon as it happened. It was just such an involuntary reaction and coming with the scores all tied and approaching half time in the Canadian Championship final, a vitally important tackle to boot. Can he grab a hat-trick of wins on 2016? Let's hope we have a few to pick from. You can watch it HERE. 2014 winner: Matias Laba (Home v Dallas 4/10/14) 2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker (at San Jose) {new award that year} ********** MISS OF THE YEAR AWARD: WINNER: KEKUTA MANNEH at SAN JOSE (03/10/15) - No matter how many times you watch this, you still find yourself asking "how did he, or someone, not score that". You're in to stoppage time, you're tied at 1-1. you need the three points to keep your Supporters Shield hopes alive, there's second left and then a quick breakaway with the ball at the feet of Manneh on a 2 on 1 surge. What could possibly go wrong? A lot as it turned out. Thankfully not as costly as we feared at the time, but lucky it wasn't. This one will likely still give Kekuta the sweats every time he thinks about it! (Watch below from the 3:20 mark) Runner-up: Octavio Rivero (home v Toronto 07/03/2015) - Now we're also going to include a runner-up here as it was very close to call between these two. Rivero's First Kick miss made us wonder just what kind of player Carl Robinson had brought to the club. Mind you, one season on, we're still wondering a little! This was a horror miss. Blame the turf! (watch below from 0:22 mark) 2014 winner: Darren Mattocks (Lifetime Achievement award) 2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker (v Columbus) {new award} ********** BEST AWAYDAY : WINNER: SEATTLE (3-0 win on 01/08/15) - Maybe we should just retire this award now. A Seattle awayday has won it for the third straight year. There's just something about taking the absolute piss out of the Sounders in front of their own fans that will just never, ever get old. This 3-0 trouncing was magical though thanks to two fantastic goals from Pa Modou Kah and one hell of a free-kick from Pedro Morales. Sadly it was all downhill against our Cascadian rivals after these three points. 2014 winner Seattle (Cascadia Cup clinching 1-0 win - 10/10/14) 2013 winner: Seattle (Cascadia Cup clinching 4-1 win - 09/10/14) 2012 winner: Orlando (preseason Mickey Mouse Cup win!) 2011 winner: Portland (in general) ********** MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT : WINNER: PLAYOFF BLANKS - The 'Caps worked so hard to get to the playoffs and to get that previously elusive home playoff game, which is why it was sad and disappointing to see them end the year with a whimper rather than a bang. No goals over two playoff legs against Portland. In the first they were facing a tired team that had just been through 120 plus minutes of football less than 72 hours ago. In the second they had nothing to offer after Manneh went down injured. Embarrassing? You could argue they came up against a tough Timbers side or that it's harsh to call it that after what had been before, but to go out in such a weak way was poor and if the players weren't embarrassed by the lack of fight they put up, then they should have been. 2014 winner: The Camilo Saga 2013 winner: Jun Marques Davidson's headbutt against Philadelphia 2012 winner: Failure to beat TFC in three games 2011 winner: The Empire grass pitch debacle ********** DISGRACE OF THE YEAR : WINNER: MLS SCHEDULING - Just who comes up with the MLS schedule and who thought it was a good idea to schedule two crunch Vancouver clashes with Dallas during an international fixture window? The two top teams in the West, battling for Supporters' Shield honours and missing top players to international duty. While we're at it, with 20 teams in the league there is no reason whatsoever for teams to get bye weeks and then force teams to cram in less attended midweek matches. The 'Caps end of season schedule was baffling. In a 22 day stretch between August 30th and September 19th, Vancouver played two MLS matches. Way to help a team's rhythm. And they ended the regular season with two out of three midweek matches. WTF is up with all that? Someone needs to give their heads a serious shake. 2014 winner: Late "fans" 2013 winner: Losing the Voyageurs Cup by not having a man on the post 2012 winner: Sekeres and Price for reaction to "**** You Dallas" chant 2011 winner: Sportsnet ********** THINGS WE'D LOVE MLS TO CHANGE : WINNER: THE STANDARD OF REFEREEING - Maybe this should be the other award we should retire, since this has won it four of the five years we've done these awards now. But man, it just never seems to get any better. In fact if anything the standard has regressed. Whether it's awarding penalties that aren't, ruling off goals, missing the point and foul completely, this year felt that the PRO refs had got even worse. Something need to be done to save Carl Robinson from blowing a gasket and having to fork over so much of his money to the fine fund. Runner-up: Stop playing MLS games on international dates - (See above). It's not hard. Fans want to see the best players turn out for their clubs. It devalues the league to have crunch games like Dallas v Vancouver played with so many players away on international duty. There are so many other alternative dates. It's beyond ridiculous now and if frankly embarrassing. 3rd: Reward academy players who show promise - I'd love to see MLS fall into line with leagues and clubs around the world when it comes to rewarding academy talent. I'm not talking about financially here, but in terms of rewarding effort and performance down the ranks. If a youth player has had a stand out week or two in the Residency or USL, then Robbo should be allowed to reward that by putting him on the bench to see how he fares with the first team. A standard practice the world over. 2014 winner: The standard of refereeing (back from the dead!) 2013 winner: Transparency of rules 2012 and 2011 winner: The standard of refereeing ********** THE WILLIE JOHNSTON "DID THAT JUST REALLY HAPPEN?" AWARD : WINNER: PA MODOU KAH RIDING A HOVERBOARD AFTER CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP WIN - Nothing else needs said. Epic. Legend. And the fact he collected his medal by riding up on it is even better. 2014 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker's wanking gesture on national TV 2013 winner: Three goals in 140 seconds in Caps v Portland match 2012 winner: Darren Mattocks aerial goal in Toronto 2011 winner: Eric Hassli's double jersey sending off celebration ********** THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY AWARD: WINNER: DARIO ZANATTA - Former Residency goalkeeper Callum Irving came a close second here, after the 'Caps have lost his homegrown rights and he'll be heading into the draft, but instead we're giving it to another Residency player they've lost out on. Dario Zanatta was looking like a top prospect. He'd banged the goals in at U16 level, he was doing it at U18 level and with the USL team here, that looked like the natural next step. Except the Whitecaps came in with a lowball offer to the striker and he felt he had no option but to continue his footballing career in pastures new. After a few trials in the UK and Europe, he settled in at Hearts in Scotland this summer. He's excelled with the Jambo's U20s and has now made three appearances for the first team, the most recent of which came on December 27th in the 2-2 home draw with Celtic and in yesterday's 3-2 win over Dundee United. Zanatta's future looks very bright, but sadly for the 'Caps, this was a major mess up from the front office in letting him get away. 2014 winner: The missing link - a new striker (sound familiar?!!) 2013 winner: Alain Rochat 2012 winner: John Carew 2011 winner: Robbie Savage ********** QUOTE OF THE YEAR : WINNER: RUSSELL TEIBERT - "Every team in this league has stars, we do too. It'll be a match up with 11 men, all humans." (05/03/15) - With a lot of the focus on TFC's expensive players coming to Vancouver for First Kick, Rusty is keeping his feet firmly on Earth. 2014 winner: Andy O'Brien - "They keep chanting my name for some reason. I don't know why it is!" 2013 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker's comments on Dallas' divers 2012 winner: none awarded 2011 winner: Tommy Soehn - "It doesn't take much to turn a team around" ********** THE "PLEASE JUST SHUT UP" AWARD: WINNER: POINTLESS JOURNALISM AND CLICKBAIT SITES - If there's one thing that seems to piss me off more year upon year is the seeming non-stop rise of pointless journalism. "How can you say that when yesterday you ran a piece on funny football related TV shows?" I hear you cry, well, let me continue. Now it could be argued that most journalism is pointless (!) but there's a number of sites out there, and you know who they are and they know who they are, that seem to feel the need to write an article on every little announcement as if they seem to think that that is actually quality journalism. If the 'Caps put out a press release for example or something is said on twitter and you put that article out as a "news story" verbatim, without any comment or analysis, what point are you actually serving the football community and football media in general? You're a cut and paster, not a journalist or blogger. It's fine once in a while but all the time? Same with humour. We run a lot of nonsense, but at least it's original nonsense that some thought and time has gone in to! Sites need to decide - what are you? A breaking news site or a blog/site that wants to actually analyse what goes on behind the initial story? If you want breaking news on the 'Caps, surely their own site is the place most people go. It's like the string of people on matchdays that tweet out things like "1-0 Caps. Rivero". Yeah, like I haven't already seen that a couple of dozen times in my feed. Also a two or three hundred word "story" is not quality journalism. It's a facebook post. Are you really proud to have your name to that or something that is just a virtual word for word paste of a press release? I'll admit, in these changing times of technology and low attention spans (you still reading this far?!) and everybody wanting to be first to report something or to make sure that no-one else has some content that you don't, the days of the long form article may be numbered, although we still get an excellent number of visitors every month for such things. For me, it should always be quality over quantity. Don't run five or seven articles a week because you feel you have to or your managing editor it telling you that's the standard. That's why all our writers are told write what you want, when you want. That way you get the stuff people actually want to take time to write. When quality football publications like "Plastic Pitch" may go out of business but websites that chase the clicks and ad revenue continue to thrive, it's a sad world. Ok, rant over. Happy New Year! 2014 winner: People wanting the 'Caps to open the upper tier 2013 winner: Media who can't grasp concept of football decisions being made above the manager 2012 winner: Old media fuddy duddies who just don't get football crowds 2011 joint winners: Craig MacEwen and Martin Nash ********** HAIRCUT OF THE YEAR : WINNER: CHRISTIAN DEAN'S BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN STREAK- Like my own hair, 2015 was a thin year for 'Caps haircuts. So we're going for the bizarre blonde flash that Dean favoured early in the season. Felt like a cross between the Bride of Frankenstein and some superhero that had been given superfast speed powers. Interestingly, Dean's best performances came once he got rid of that look! 2014 winner: Russell Teibert's Playoff special 2013 winner: Tommy Heinemann's Werewolf look 2012 winner: Greg Klazura's Shaven Locks 2011 winner: Eric Hassli's Mohawk ********** THE MUSTAPHA JARJU "WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY" AWARD : WINNER: THE 'CAPS ILL THOUGHT OUT CASCADIA CUP SCARVES - Flashpoints between the 'Caps Front Office and the Supporters' groups have reduced in recent years. Publically at least. But the club gave themselves a PR nightmare when they tried to produce a Cascadia Cup scarf at the start of the season, going against the supporters' trademark rights to the image of the trophy. There was uproar online and in the end profits were donated to charity as a tense agreement was reached late in the day. But it all left some bad tastes in the fans' mouths along the way. 2014 winner: Nigel Reo-Coker 2013 winner: Darren Mattocks 2012 winner: Kenny Miller 2011 winner: The Empire grass pitch ********** THE PAUL BARBER "TALKING OUT OF YOUR ASS" AWARD : WINNER: THOSE WANTING THE UPPER BOWL OPENED - Every year it's the same old chatter. A lot of it coming from the vapid non-football talking heads on the radio. "The 'Caps need to open the upper bowl to cash in on their growing attendances". It's absolute nonsense. The market is not there yet to justify it. "But Seattle do it", "they're stunting growth" and "it'll add to the atmosphere" are all thrown out. Well, We're not Seattle and adding a bunch of non regulars and, often, newbies, isn't going to create a cacophony of noise as some expect. Others argue it will make the 'Caps more money to spend on players, forgetting that money has to be spend on increased security, policing, concessions, cleaning etc. Plus opening up a small section of the upper bowl would look terrible, as the Women's World Cup demonstrated. I'm all for opening up the entire lower bowl. The Portland playoff game was a success in that regards. But the demand is not there for every game and I think people fail to realise just how tough it has been for the 'Caps to sell out all the games they have. It's a long, hard slog. Even the crucial regular season finale against Houston took a while to sell out. The demand is not there yet and may never be. Opening up the upper bowl for a one-off does little for the 'Caps sustained long term growth. 2014 winner: Omar Salgado and his string of apologies for his attitude 2013 winner: Darren Mattocks' Jamaican TV interview 2012 winner: Media pundits disrespecting Caps achievement in reaching playoffs 2011 winner: Paul Barber ********** And that's the end of our 2015 awards. Share your thoughts on the award winners below. Who knows what next year will bring? Hopefully even more success!

MONDAY 19.00 - 19.30: THE MUPPETS - Documentary series following Seattle's Emerald City Supporters group. 19.30 - 20.00: TWO BROKE GIRLS - The continuing comedic adventures of Toronto fans Max and Caroline. After selling their cupcakes on the street to cover their TFC betting losses, they now have to sell their bodies after being convinced that with all the money spent, 2015 would finally be Toronto FC's year. Will they ever learn? And can they raise more than ten bucks a time if they're wearing their TFC strips? 20.00 - 21.00: EMPIRE - Bobby Lenarduzzi and Carl Valentine join the AFTN crew for more chat about the 'Caps NASL days at Empire Stadium. This week, those crazy shootouts and other weird and wacky rule changes. 21.00 - 22.00: NCIS LOS ANGELES - The NCIS team face their toughest task yet. Can they find where Steven Gerrard's talent has gone? Has it sunk without trace? Having looked all at sea in MLS, they're going to have to dive deep to try and recover it, unaware that it's lost forever. 22.00 - 00.00: MONDAY MOVIES - THE NOTEBOOK - No romance here in this dramatic re-enactment of real life events from the US Open Cup. Starring a spoiled little brat Charlie Sheen as Clint Dempsey and Stevie Wonder as referee Daniel Radford. Expect tears, tantrums and origami as the Deuce lets rip. TUESDAY 19.00 - 20.00: HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER - Educational series for MLS clubs analysing LA Galaxy's magical workings of the league's salary cap. 20.00 - 21.00: LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - Ongoing documentary series chronicling Vancouver Whitecaps' Residency program. 21.00 - 22.00: KARMA AND GREG - Comedy in which a bumbling Toronto football manager gets his just desserts as once again it's shown that spending a shitload of money doesn't guarantee success in Major League Soccer. Tonight's episode - "It really is a ***** Greg". 22.00 - 23.00: CHICAGO FIRED - Comedy-drama about an out of touch, no longer with the times manager called Frank who finally gets found out in the Windy City and heads down to where many other elderly Canadians go out to graze, Arizona. 23.00 - 00.00: THE HEX FILES - Mulder and Scully are called when unexplained phenomena are reported in Vancouver, where not only is a Canadian men's national team match being played in the city, but Canada also beat Honduras in World Cup qualifying in the said match. Paranormal or alien activities are surely at play. With hopes raised, surely horror is around the corner. WEDNESDAY 19.00 - 20.00: HOUSE OF CURDS - Depressed by his Seattle soccer team's futile existence, an overweight football manager puts on his elasticated pants and runs away to Canada on a personal journey to find himself and eat as much poutine as possible. A cheesy comedy. 20.00 - 21.00: SUITS - Mockumentary series about Major League Soccer's executive. In tonight's episode there's panic when there's no clean napkins left and a new player acquisition rule needs to be written. 21.00 - 22.00: THE MYSTERIES OF MAURO - Tonight, just how does Mauro Rosales get his hair so soft and shiny? 22.00 - 00.00: MIDWEEK MOVIE - DEEP IMPACT - An African footballer's desire to move back to London leaves a hole in his Montreal team the size of a comet hitting the Earth. A PR disaster movie. THURSDAY 19.00 - 19.30: KOFFIE OR T? - In our new gameshow, Vancouver Whitecaps players are given five random facts and have to guess whether each one is about Gershon Koffie or Russell Teibert. Hilarity ensues, but who will win this week's much sought after golden milk carton? 19.30 - 20.00: THE LEFTOVERS - Fly on the wall documentary series telling the sad tales of what happens to the MLS players not selected in the annual Waiver Draft. Tonight's episode - "Why yes, I would like fries with that". 20.00 - 21.00: ELEMENTARY - Criminal drama set in New York City. Sherlock and Dr Kendall Waston investigate how the city's new expansion team can spend a fortune on star players yet fail to make the MLS playoffs and finish the year with the worst defensive record in the league. Spoiler - after taking one look at their defence, the answer proved elementary. 21.00 - 22.00: ASH VILE - Shocking reality. After his previous derogatory remarks made about MLS, washed up has-been Ashley Cole shows how shameless he and the Galaxy both are, as rumours swirl around his potential move to LA. 22.00 - 23.00: SAVING HOPE - Non stop drama in the life of a female goalkeeper. Can anyone help her? 23.00 - 00.00: THE WELSH LATE LATE SHOW - Robert Earnshaw's talk show. Tonight, the former Welsh international dissects his knack for coming on in the dying minutes and scoring goals. Featuring footage of his late, late winner for Vancouver against Portland throughout the program. FRIDAY 19.00 - 19.30: THE WEAKEST LINK - Our TFI Friday gameshow hour kicks off with a blast from the past. Tonight, Mo Johnston, John Carver, Chris Cummins, Preki, Nick Dasovic, Aron Winter, Paul Mariner, Ryan Nelsen and Greg Vanney battle it out to see who will be crowned the biggest managerial clusterfuck in Toronto FC history. This one is too close to call and is sure to go down to the wire. 19.30 - 20.00: BARGAIN HUNT - The Whitecaps FO sends Carl Robinson and his blue team to central America with $500 to see what bargains they can find. Remarkably they come back in the allotted one hour with a striker, a midfielder and a bag of balls to swap for Darren Mattocks. 20.00 - 21.00: LAST MAN STANDING - Documentary chronicling the mass exodus of LA Galaxy players this MLS offseason. Will there be anyone left to turn out the lights? 21.00 - 22.00: LENNY DREADFUL - The Steven Lenhart story. 22.00 - 00.00: FRIDAY FILM NIGHT - INGLORIOUS BASTARDS - Biopic set in the world of PRO Referees.

You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

We chat about all of this and more. Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

If you want to catch up on our previous "Keep, Trade or Release" picks, here are the links - 2014 - GOALKEEPERS AND DEFENDERS / MIDFIELDERS AND FORWARDS 2013 - GOALKEEPERS / DEFENDERS / MIDFIELDERS / FORWARDS ********** MIDFIELDERS: MARCO BUSTOS AARON - (Keep) Back up to Morales next season would be the best for him and his development. Let's hope he is injury free next season. JAY - (Keep) Marco Bustos didn't get much time due to an unfortunate injury, but still provided plenty of prowess at the USL level and even contributed when he played with the senior team. A rare talent in Canadian soccer, Bustos has the creativity and skill that the MLS team could have used in the tail end of the year. MICHAEL - (Keep) Damn that training pitch injury. Derailed Bustos' development slightly but what he showed in USL was exciting for the future. Looked good in preseason. Doesn't look like he'll be out of place in MLS. Onwards and upwards! Needs to work on being less selfish on the ball and get out of the arm waving he sometimes falls in to STEVE - (Keep) Started the season with injury issues but when he came back he had some bright moments with WFC2 and should see some playing time next year. DEYBI FLORES AARON - (Decline to sign) Way too inconsistent for MLS. The game is too technical and physical for him. JAY - (Decline to sign) Other than his first appearance for the Whitecaps, Flores has failed to really show that he's close enough to keep around, while Kianz Froese, a Canadian Residency player, has shown he's closer to being the completed player. MICHAEL - (Decline to sign) I personally wouldn't bring him back. He looked good in his first appearance, then felt he got worse with every MLS game. Didn't impress but Robbo seems to feel he has potential to grow and is still young. I expect him to be back, as the 'Caps pick up his signing option. STEVE - (Decline to sign) As a loanee he didn’t overly impress and would take up an international spot if he returned. KIANZ FROESE AARON - (Keep) Had a good season but would love to see him get more first team minutes. Needs to make most of the minutes he does get. JAY - (Keep) Froese has never looked out of place when he played in the first eleven. The only hope is that Kianz can find more minutes with the big club to show his ability at any of the many positions he's capable of contributing in. MICHAEL - (Keep) A further strong season of development. Now has his first pro goal. Nowhere near his ceiling yet and we should see a lot more of him, and even more production from him, next season. STEVE - (Keep) Had a number of bright moments and should see even more playing time next season. GERSHON KOFFIE AARON - (Trade) Is worth less this season than he was last season. Get maximum return now before he lowers he stock again. JAY - (Trade/Sell) I've always been one of Koffie's biggest fans, but despite being given plenty of opportunity to make the next step, he remains just a decent MLS level midfielder in an already congested position. May want to take a shot at one of the lesser European leagues, and the Whitecaps can afford to trade or sell Koffie to get some value back. MICHAEL - (Trade) He still frustrates me as a player. Still hasn't taken the leap of advancement he's been needing to take the last two seasons. His stock is high with some around the league and there have been enquiries before as to his availability. Maybe last chance to get decent return for him. Other DM options out there interesting Carl Robinson. STEVE (Keep but open to Trade) - Another player who had a solid season but is on a high ticket. The 'Caps may look to move him on in order open up cap space. MATIAS LABA (ALREADY RE-SIGNED) AARON - (Keep) Thank you TFC. JAY - (Keep) An obvious choice to re-sign Laba. The only other defensive midfielder I'd consider a straight swap for in MLS is Dax McCarty. His value may be even greater if the Whitecaps move to a single DM setup. MICHAEL - (Keep) A fantastic season for Laba personally and rewarded with a new multi-year contract. So key for the 'Caps snuffing out attacks in that DM role but has to work on cutting out the reckless and occasionally lax tackles that have proved costly. STEVE - (Keep) Just signed to an extension and will definitely return unless a team comes with an offer that the Whitecaps can’t refuse. KEKUTA MANNEH AARON - (Keep) Great season and the sky is the limit for Manneh. JAY - (Keep) While he can be frustrating when he goes missing for long periods, he's clearly the most explosive player on the Whitecaps, and after he went down in the second leg of the playoff versus Portland, the Whitecaps had almost no creative output. MICHAEL - (Keep) Manneh made big strides this season. A lot more maturity both on and off the pitch. Great defensive awareness added. Has to keep it going now, and I have no doubts that he will. Still a lot of work to do with his finishing and decision making. STEVE - (Keep) Really came on as the season went on and was a dangerous weapon going forward while improving defensively. BEN MCKENDRY AARON - (Keep) USL Player of the Year for ThunderCaps. I am very high on this player and would love to see him get minutes if the team gets rid of Teibert, Koffie and Flores. Could be a back up to Laba on the first team. JAY - (Keep) Another player with first team potential in the midfield, Ben showed enough in USL to earn himself a shot with the senior team. MICHAEL - (Keep) Robbo rates him very highly and had plans for him in the summer before injury thwarted those. He started a little tentatively in USL but soon burst out and was playing really well. He'll make his MLS debut next year, then he needs to grab the brass ring when he does, as he has a lot of competition at his position and he's not getting any younger. STEVE - (Keep) Was voted as WFC2 player of the year and was improving before an injury ended his season. NICOLAS MEZQUIDA AARON - (Keep) Injuries ruined his season. Was the best player on this team for a good 5 to 6 week run when Morales was injured. JAY - (Keep) Another revelation was the play of Mezquida who really was the key cog when the Whitecaps were at their best. While he's not quite at a Mauro Diaz level of creativity as an attacker, his overall attacking emphasis was really missed after his injuries late in the year. MICHAEL - (Keep) Felt that this was a make or break one for Mezquida in Vancouver. He certainly made it! Shame that an injury ended his season early as he seems the key to unlocking Rivero. The link up between those pair and Techera is a joy to watch. Hopefully more to come. STEVE - (Keep) Had a tough time dealing with injuries late into the season but when he played as a number 10 for Morales, the Caps didn’t lose too much. PEDRO MORALES (ALREADY RE-SIGNED) AARON - (Keep) Let's hope he keeps healthy. JAY - (Release) I know it's already a forgone conclusion, but I'd be okay with Morales being cut loose and a more dynamic midfielder brought in. The hope is that Robinson can find a tactical approach which allows for Morales' fantastic distribution ability to be included while allowing for his defensive shortcomings and his lack of emphasis inside the 18. MICHAEL - (Keep) He says he's not worried about his injuries. Robbo says that as well. Wish I felt the same way. Felt a disappointing season for Pedro after his spectacular first year in MLS. Can still spray a ball better than nearly everyone in the league. Need to see that back to the max in 2016. STEVE - (Keep) After signing an extension there is no way Morales is not coming back, but as their most talented player he needs to avoid getting run down as the season went on. MAURO ROSALES AARON - (Trade) Not enough offensive return for his high salary. Yes, experience and leadership is good to have, but this is a salary cap league, like it or not. JAY - (Release) Rosales is a true professional whose heart is never questioned, but some injury issues and questions around how much gas is left in the tank mean he's a high risk at his value. MICHAEL - (Release but want to Keep!) Tough one for me, as listeners to the podcast know how highly I rate Rosales for what he brings both on and off the pitch. As he told us in our latest podcast (Ep 134), he wants to stay. Took a paycut from $400,000 to $265,000 guaranteed for this season. Would need to take about $100,000 off that for me to keep him around. I'd like them to come to a deal as he definitely has value to the team. Just sense they won't be able to. STEVE - (Release) The elder statesman is on a very high salary and unless he takes a big paycut, I can’t see him returning next season. CRISTIAN TECHERA AARON - (Keep) Had a great season and will only be better getting a preseason camp in with this team. JAY - (Keep) Without Techera, the Whitecaps very likely would have missed out on the playoffs. The only question is if the inventive winger can continue his rather significant contributions and if the Whitecaps can execute the option to buy without breaking the bank. MICHAEL - (Keep) One of, if not the, player of the second half of the season. Hopefully 'Caps have a set transfer fee for him as I think he's going to be even better in MLS next year. STEVE - (Keep) Unless there is a large transfer fee needed to bring him back there is doubt Techera should return next season. RUSSELL TEIBERT AARON - (Trade) If he isn't good enough to be a consistent MLS starter and earn quality MLS minutes, might be time to move on from Teibert. JAY - (Keep) Jack of all trades, master of none. Teibert again showed value for the Whitecaps this year as he contributed well in a defensive midfielder roll, but he still has failed to either show he's a tough enough tackler as a true DM or get forward enough to contribute as an attacking midfielder. I'd keep Teibert as he's such an excellent squad player. MICHAEL - (Trade) I'd release him but 'Caps would want to get something for him is he was to move on. For me, he's not MLS starting quality right now and he won't get there if he doesn't play. He needs to move on, best outside of North America, to be a starter somewhere for his own development. Far better options in 'Caps squad for the positions he can play. He's reached a fork in the road. STEVE - (Keep) I was surprised he didn’t get as much playing time down the stretch but the Caps still hope his long term future is with Vancouver. FORWARDS: CALEB CLARKE AARON - (Trade/Sell) I would say Keep but he would at best be a USL only player. Don't think he will settle for that. JAY - (Release) It was kind of a shocker that Clarke even came back after a falling out with the Whitecaps in seasons past. Either way, Clarke didn't show enough to earn a spot with the big team, so it's time to let Caleb go find somewhere he has a chance. MICHAEL - (Release) This was the make or break season for Clarke. He looked okay at USL level but not MLS quality right now. We don't know for sure as he never saw a single minute there. I feel he's gone as far as he can with the 'Caps right now. STEVE - (Release) He played this season with WFC2, had moments, and may be looking to return to Germany next year. ROBERT EARNSHAW AARON - (Keep) Was way under used this season. Would be that experience factor if they let Rosales go. JAY - (Keep) The only question for me is why Earnshaw wasn't played more this season. If the Whitecaps do move to a two striker set-up, there would be more minutes to go around for the forwards and Earnshaw still has value if he was played for more than 5 minutes every few games. Not to mention his desire to get into coaching, and it makes sense to keep Earnshaw around if he was used properly. MICHAEL - (Release but happy to keep around) You wonder just how he, and the 'Caps, would have done if he'd played more. Was strange how Robbo used him this year, but to be fair, when he did play (in Champions League), he looked a step off. But give him a chance and he's the Whitecap striker I'd back most to score. Cheap value at $100,000 so I wouldn't be too averse to him hanging around for his experience if he performs, but likely to head back to lower league club in UK and to work on his coaching qualifications. STEVE - (Release) As with Mattocks below, the striker position needs to improve and Earnshaw is on his last legs. ERIK HURTADO AARON - (Keep) Give him a training camp to see what he learned when he got sent to Norway on loan. If he struggles, release him. JAY - (Release) Hurtado has been given plenty of chances to show he has more than just physical ability and he's failed to do so. Even if Hurtado were to return, he'd only be taking away opportunities from players like Froese, so it's time to finally move Erik along. MICHAEL - (Trade) Dreadful season for Hurtado, who seems to have gone backwards. Loaned to Norway but ended up riding the pine as his team got relegated. The plan is for him to come back to preseason camp but his time in Vancouver must surely be running out. I genuinely believe that his performances, and goals, in that hot streak he was on in 2014 will see interest from others in MLS for some kind of trade, even if just for allocation or a draft pick. STEVE - (Release) Another player who needs to move on in order clear both a roster spot and some, limited, cap space. ANDRE LEWIS AARON - (Release) Too injury prone. Not strong enough for the MLS. JAY - (Release) Another player who just hasn't shown he's good enough for the MLS level, and he's taking up development minutes from Residency players. MICHAEL - (Release) He has speed, he has skills, but he's not going to be a MLS player for the 'Caps so no point continuing with him. STEVE - (Release) See Hurtado. Plus he takes up an international spot. DARREN MATTOCKS AARON - (Trade) Maybe he could just play for Jamaica year round. Seems to only score for his national team. JAY - (Trade/Release) He's being paid to contribute way more than he does, and his personality just doesn't seem to suit the club. Mattocks has still failed to find any form with club despite successes with his country. It's time for the club to move on with Darren, and that would be best for both parties. MICHAEL - (Trade) I've had him leaving for three years now I think! His highest trade value was going to be in the summer after the Gold Cup. Stock has fallen again but many teams still rate him highly. He'll probably now excel elsewhere. Caleb Porter still loves him, so let's keep those Mattocks for Will Johnson trade rumours rumbling, or to Houston for Bruin. STEVE - (Trade) The Whitecaps need to find a way to move Mattocks on to improve the back-up striker position, even if the return isn’t at full value. OCTAVIO RIVERO AARON - (Keep) Hit a wall and struggled for a long part of the season. Will be more comfortable next season and hopefully he has help up top. JAY - (Keep) Despite misplacing his shooting boots at the end of the season, Rivero still showed he has a real deep skill set. Octavio looked much better when he had a strike partner, and it seems like Robinson will be considering bringing in either a partner or competition for Octavio up top. It wouldn't surprise me to see Rivero have a real breakout year if he has better support around him. MICHAEL - (Keep) Rivero's not going anywhere. He was very self critical after season and promises better production. Highest workrate on the team and left on an island up front at times, but he needs to be pushed. Robbo's going to bring in at least one more striker. I expect two or three. If the formation doesn't change it could be to replace Rivero as the starter. Then does he want to hang around and fight? STEVE - (Keep) Rivero needs another season to see if he can become a consistent scorer especially with a potential payoff down the road. Needs competition at the spot. ********* So there’s our thoughts on the Whitecaps midfielders and forwards from the season past. Do you agree or are we talking nonsense? Let us know below!