All the CBs we are signing? Last year the team had four CBs (Waston, Aja, Henry, Maund). This year the club currently has one fewer, though likely the same number when the Argentine loan becomes official. Also, I thought I read somewhere in an MDS interview that he sees his team more as a 4-3-3 base. Who knows? Maybe he's going with a five man midfield but that leaves a lot of fullbacks (two on each side, not including PC) competing with Venuto and Lass for the flank positions. I see that the Iranian striker they wanted has signed with Zenit. Bair, regardless of his potential, is the only true striker up top right now, not including Reyna as a second striker, so I'm sure a couple of new forwards will be signed. If we end up seeing late in preseason Garber bucks being exchanged for another MLS striker deemed surplus to his club's requirements, that might mean we won't see a bigger time addition until the summer. Totally agree that we'll definitely see some growing pains in Van City
Marcel de Jong and the Caps have parted ways. There goes my prediction of Marcel at DM At 32 he is a bit old but we just signed a 32 year old RB. Who do we have aside from Levis at LB? Is Sam coming back? If we play 3-5-2 we would need wing players more than RB/LB. Hmmm. Strange and sad, I've always liked Marcel.
I guess PC is seen as the back up LB or they are bringing in someone else new. I think De Jong was losing his defensive wheels and didn't show enough in the very early preseason player assessments.
2 strikers, 1 with MLS experience. possibly Fredy Montero?! "I always said we wanted to add two more strikers...." "one of them is going to have MLS experience, and the other one is going to be a new face" https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...turn-whitecaps-dos-santos-admits-its-possible I'd love to have Montero back in MLS and playing for the Caps.
new and experienced CB- Erik Godoy-- looks like a terrific signing https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/erik-godoy/profil/spieler/225479 and if its fredy, i agree with bringing him back - just the fact that he survived under robo's tactics and scored 12 goals speaks volumes (poor rivero was destroyed) somewhere i read that the other striker is dom dwyer- he is tenacious, but not sure he will be MDS' locker-room type of player MDS is a very believable coach- no spin-doctoring, just straight, well-thought out planning and words that are true
Interesting with Godoy. Colon has just purchased him back in July for $1.7M and signed him to contract through June 2021. Now they are selling him? Either Caps are paying a big transfer fee or Colon wasn't thrilled with him. Maybe a little of both as he hasn't played since Nov 4th. Dom Dwyer reminds me a bit of Hurtado but with more ability to score. Hard working, pain in the butt to the defense. He scored 13 goals last year with Orlando, so not bad. Not sure what to think with Montero. He has the ability, but everything needs to be clicking to get the best out of him.
I'd like to see Montero back. He does so many things so well it is kind of spooky. He gets a dozen goals a year plus some assists and is excellent at holding the ball and freezing defenders with his fake passes. Dwyer I would pass on.
If you sign Dwyer you are also dealing with his partner who I won't name, who seems to be a magnet for dramatic situations. I am not sure he is the best for a cohesive professional locker room that MDS is building. I would pass on him as well.
Godoy's situation (great research by ChrisSSBB!) makes me think this signing comes with a yellow flag attached. I actually felt Montero was developing some good chemistry with Reyna but then he was gone at season's end, so I wouldn't mind seeing him back in the fold. That said, along with the Dwyer and Bryan Ruiz rumours, I get the feeling that they are dropping down their "who's available that we can actually get" check list so that they can fill out the strikers on their roster. The key striker signings might be coming in the summer. So the way I see it, the situation is good for Theo Bair for the first half of the season at least. He might get a decent shot at minutes.
Freddy got what, a dozen goals, under Carls awful 4-2-3-1 and was not looking very happy as a lone striker. He could probably do a lot better under what we think MDS will be running; so I would be fine with this signing.
She was when Mrs Dwyer was facing all the questions about her US/Canada choices around the World Cup in 2015.
I'm really curious to see how this team looks as an attacking side compared to what I saw under Robbo, which seemed based solely last year on individual ingenuity and world class explosive pace off the counter (both with Davies) or crosses into Kamara. So Fredy coming back and working with Reyna under MDS might take the chemistry they were building in 2017 to a new level.
with all of our first string strikers being on the smaller side, we can expect less cross balls and hopeful lofts from the defence- its going to be on the ground and quick passes and linking... a hell of a lot more pleasing to watch and a lot more potential to score inside the box keeping ball control and getting the ball back from the opponent is what MDS' style of play will be about it will fit montero's style should he be signed; not sure who the other striker will be, but i wouldnt be surprised if he comes in july and has some cachet to take us- hopefully- into the playoffs i wonder who will be the team captain ??
2 more signings today- CB, AMF-- i am getting addicted - apparently possibly 2 more, one of them hopefully being montero, the other being ruiz this is like the Soccer Xmas with MDS being Santa
Yep. I hear ya and I'm looking forward to this squad. A 19 year old striker (6'1") and a 25 year old CB. Both internationals. https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2019/02/08/whitecaps-fc-add-uruguayan-striker-ardaiz and https://www.whitecapsfc.com/post/2019/02/08/whitecaps-fc-add-argentine-centre-back-rik-godoy
i have only seen 1 whitecap coach almost completely overhaul a team with hard-work, vision and success the great Cap coach, tony waiters, 1977-1979, culminating in the Soccer Bowl championship in the NASL in 1979
i would imagine that hundreds, maybe even thousands-- like myself and my son- were giving up our STs and now are returning as ST holders... and damn excited but i must expect some growing pains, but i am in full support with what is happening and i think it started with owner, jeff mallett, last august who began to up his committment and is now the face, voice and visionary of the ownership group
It's MLS, where good coaching can make a team greater than the sum of its individual parts, so anything can happen. But I have a feeling that the reality will be growing pains, with some new faces underachieving and then being ditched after only one season, while others over deliver. Rest assured, if the team does go through a rough spell, the TSN asshat experts will be playing the "never should have ditched Robbo and blown the team up" card, especially Jack.
Christian Jack is Carl's version of Kellyanne Conway. Just a pure cheerleader no matter what. But you know, he will play the "oh well, Carl never had that much funds". Which is true on the surface. But if you compare the players covered by the MLS salary cap and allocation monies (which Carl had in similar numbers, so Apples to Apples), MDS looks to have obliterated Carl in that department. But, the Carl supporters will moan about it anyways. Carl also was not a very good coach (average at best); MDS is a VERY GOOD and obsessively studied coach. We will see that difference shown over a full season.
I remember that and oldfan probably does as well. Let's hope it ends the same with us lifting the cup Tony was epic for both the Caps and Canada's MNT.
At this point, the biggest advantage MDS has over Carl is his much more substantial coaching c.v., both in terms of building success as well as working in different environments and league tiers. Granted, I could see potential problems with his personality down the road if the team gets stuck in neutral and doesn't build success quickly or consistently enough: comments that fans find refreshing, blunt, and honest at the moment suddenly come across as arrogant and lacking in accountability if things aren't going well (i.e. besides counting the substantial remaining money in his contract, what's Jose Mourinho doing right now?). My cautionary note: avoid coming across as the smartest guy in the room, even if you think/know you are. I think this team, once all the parts get in sync, will have a good tactical base from which to challenge for a post season place and make life difficult for others in their conference. Anything can happen, right?
GlassCity has reported that the Caps have signed MONTERO-- and as we all know GC has been 100% accurate-- as we all know, he has a mole in the FO and whomever it is, its sure been a fun ride during the off-season, thx to GC and The Mole
To be honest I think the "leaks" are an intentional marketing move by the Caps. They need to create some buzz since Davies left. This is a stealthy way to do it. They may even tell GC a false one just to make it appear like a genuine human leak. That said I'd be delighted to see Freddy back.
Props to Glass City for giving it to Jack on Twitter over this. Sadly, I get the feeling that the TSN panel will have an ax to grind against the Caps all season long unless the rebuilt team is an immediate success. You'll get drunk pretty quickly this season if you play a drinking game where you take a shot each time Jack says words to the effect of "(the Caps) didn't have to blow it up" or "Robinson did a great job with the budget he had," combined with Caldwell's (ridiculous over-)use of the word "quality." Any rumours if Robbo will be joining that the TSN panel for this season? Or does he have another coaching gig set up?