GAME VS PORTLAND- opening game, April 18- - 1-0 win- what did we learn: 1. even without 5 potential starting players (Visa and injury issues), the Caps mustered up a line-up that worked their socks off, had some ball possession skills and played well as a unit 2. Cava looks hungry for goals and enthused- could have a BIG year- he battles for everything- GOTTA LOVE HIS PASSION AND COMMITTMENT 3. andy rose continues to be a player that always is dependable and smart- a tremendous role player 4. crepeau made some good reaction saves- looks like it could be a repeat of 2019 5. the entire team has competition for starting jobs- a lot more depth- thx Axel !! 6. Caicado will take time to adjust in order to see how good can he be and if can he team-up with cava and dajome 7. say what you will, but jake always gives you 100% but i always shudder when i see the ball being lofted to his back post position 8. Gutti will be a regular starter, thus allowing adnan to be cashed out on or moved to an AMF role 9. BIG QUESTION- is baldisimo capable of being a reliable starter ? i like some of his game, but there just seems to be an overall quality missing 10. Rio Tinto Stadium looks like a very good decision to be our home... probably for a long time TFC LOOKS DISORGANIZED and tired- a good time to play them- Jozy is injured again
It is easier for us as TFC fans simply to report when Altidore isn't injured. TFC looked bad against Montreal after the press and emotion of the CCL. I suspect we'll see a different team when we play you. Also literally somewhat of a different team as at least a few of our missing players will be back.
is it time for TFC to put feelers out for altidore's possible trade or sale ? see who bites it appears his body has given up and will be out more than in - with akinola seemingly the new young/talented guy waiting in the wings, it seems like the right time TFC appears to me to a tired group and possibly getting long in the tooth with the DP veterans - not sure if jozy is a problem
Unfortunately for us, that time was about a year ago. I can't see anyone taking him for his salary, age, and injury history. Unless maybe there's some team out in Saudi Arabia or something as they seem less averse to taking older players. With respect for his service, I'd prefer to see him replaced with a DP striker who is actually healthy enough to play.
jozy's contract ends dec 31, 2022- he will be 32 and has missed more games than played since 2019- Transfermarkt have him listed at $2.5 mill USD and his salary is GULP... $5 mill/season USD rumor has it that he wants out of TFC- Report: Jozy Altidore wants move away from Toronto FC; TFC striker vaguely refutes report - Waking The Red it would be the best for both TFC and Jozy
Could care less about Altidore...it just reminds me that the Caps could have drafted the possible new Altidore in Daryl Dike but chose Raposo instead, so this year Schuster is trying to see if Egbo could emerge as another Dike.
GAME VS TFC- APRIL 24-- 2-2- fwiw: 1. MOTM (men of the match)- both gutti and dajome stood out today 2. Questions- would adnan make much of a difference at LB? i dont think so- gutti is going to be a regular Cap and Canadian team member - why is that dajome can do all kinds of wonderful things with his dribbling and pace, and yet is just a lousy shooter ?? same goes with caicado - why is that the coaching staff cant get our far right post covered properly on set pieces- its got to be the worst kept secret in MLS (PSST... its not always jake's fault) 3. Will they ?? can alexandre, gaspar and a new #10 player elevate this team which is really coming together as a UNIT 4. A nightmare- watching crepeau do quick kicks on a rolling ball - YIKES!!! 5. Do you see it ? I dont- is there enough to say that baldisimo is going to be a quality MF 6. He has to be one of the best in MLS- andy rose as a role player 7. Who would you pick ?- cornelius or vesalonovic at CB?- i would take derek alongside godoy 8. Sleep, sleep, sleep- do you see the Caps being the sleeper team in MLS ? i think its possible they could be the surprise team in MLS... and i mean that in a positive way 9. SHIT LUCK-- TFC getting the tying goal in a bizarre series of bounces 10. Give then some L-O-V-E -- the Caps and staff deserve recognition for being a team ready to put in full shifts, regardless of travel and climate
GAME VS COLORADO- May 2- 0-1 loss- thoughts: 1. MOTM- Max Crepeau- our goalie is shaping himself back to pre-injury 2020- lots of courage, quick reflexes, few rebounds and better distribution on kicks- score could have been 3-0 without his saves 2. Pissed-off- Derek Cornelius- head coach MDS has a blind spot and choses NOT to make him a starter- baffling and if i were Derek, i would be looking for new horizons because i dont see it getting much better 3. Mr. Whitecap, Mr. Passback- Russell Teibert- a very disappointing performance- i am sure he made more negative yards going backwards with the ball than going forwards 4. Underperformers- Caio and Alexandre- hopefully they settle in by the summer or they will both turn out to be mediocre signings 5. The Barn Door- Dajome- does everything well until he has a shot possibility and then seems to freeze like a deer caught in the headlites- i would make every practice a shooting gallery for him and a few others 6. And I thought I was underserviced- Lucas C- such a work-horse and his talents for scoring are just not coming-- where is that #10 player that could unlock Cava ? 7. Fresh Air- Theo Bair and Ryan Raposo- time to move them onto the USL or CPL 8. Still not convinced- MDS- not sure he will make the grade to being a good MLS coach- he has the passion and committment, but not sure he can make the adjustment... and this is Year 3 9. Mr Axel- figure it out- MDS as head coach and the #10 or we will be scrapping around the playoff line for 2021 10. Run of Play GOALS = ZERO-- and that says a lot !!
add a significant #10 and the team results and performances can change dramatically- the team needs a LEADER on the field who can set the tone and make demands on the players
If you are consistently starting Teibert and Nerwinski, you will always consistently remain a lower echelon team in this conference fighting for a playoff spot on the last day. Many thanks for their great effort and service to the club but neither should be starting anymore. Gaspar gets his first crack at a run of starts next week vs Montreal but getting the captain moved to the bench as a back up might be a much harder proposition, considering that the highest levels of the front office like him a lot. By June, Cornelius and his agent should know if they should be putting in a transfer request for the summer window and try to get out of Dodge.
GAME VS MONTREAL- MAY 8-- 2-0-- COMMENTS: 1. MenOTM- you just have to say dajome with the brace and SURPRISE< SURPRISE<SURPRISE, he headed the ball down to score his 2nd; BUT goalie, max crepeau, was once again terrific with some great anticipation saves, sure hands and distribution kicks 2. AN AWFUL DAY at the office- jake nerwinski - if you watched the game, you will know why-- Gaspar has to be a starter soon 3. ANNOYING- not starting derek cornelius and then subbing him in with 2 minutes to go was just plain EMBARRASSING - MDS just doesnt like his play- no other way to say it 4. HAVENT SEEN IT YET- waiting for caio alexandre to show us some moves to reflect his transfer and salary fees 5. NO #10 DP, NO GOAL NUMBERS FOR CAVA-- its the worst kept secret for the Caps success for 2021- our season spins on this 6. WHAT IS HAPPENING ??? where is ali adnan ?? 7. HAS HE LEARNED ???- has head coach, MDS, impressed you with his style of play, line-up choices and game tactics ? 8. DID YOU LIKE IT ???- the game announcer, Blake Price ?? 9. ARE YOU SEEING AND FEELING IT ??? - a 2-1-1- record - a sign of progress ?? is this team better than 2020 ?? Yes, YES
GAME VS MINNESOTA- MAY 12--- 0-1-- THOUGHTS: 1. The chances are there- cava just has to start scoring- the service gave him 3-4 good opportunities 2. It was a laugh and then tears- watching cava on the break-away was a reminder as to why he is called THE TANK 3. Pulled the nerwinski shuffle- derek was ball watching as the ball soared over his head to give Minnie the goal 4. Saw some good stuff- caio alexandre is always looking for forward empty spaces to create attacks - impressive 5. MOTM- dajome was once again the best Cap player- immense energy, committment and drive towards the opposition net- he makes things happen 6. Impressive game... for him- teibert made some good attacking runs and crosses into the box - why cant he do that more often ?? 7. Solid is as solid does- goalie max crepeau was solid and i think he is an under-rated MLS goalie 8. Will he, wont he- will ali adnan be back in a Cap shirt this year or ever ?? 9. A Rose by any other name- once again, CB andy rose put in a solid performance - i might choose him and godoy as the starting CBs A TOUGH LOSS AND WORTHY OF A DRAW AND I DONT WANT TO TALK ABOUT NO RUN-OF-PLAY GOALS IN 5 GAMES
GAME VS HOUSTON- 1-2 - 1 comment: A team devoid of any imagination and purpose to their play--- and i put that on the head coach- EXAMPLE- letting a rookie- raposo- take free kicks into the houston penalty area says it all - when a team is devoid of ideas, its on the coach and i supported his hiring, but after 2.3 years, he should be replaced during the break
but i will never question MDS and his staffs' committment, work ethic, integrity or passion they all gave 100%, but sometimes it just doesnt work out its Axel Schuster's team now- lets see what he has been doing behind the scenes over the past 3 weeks- and who he hires
GAME VS RSL- 1-3-- i said i wouldnt do it, but here i am: 1. MOTM- without question, Michael Baldisimo was the best player on the field- his forward-thinking passing, defensive tackling and vision on the field made me- BELATEDLY- a believer in his ability 2. Dumbest, Confusing and Amateurish Performance- head coach, Marc Dos Santos: - its on the coach if he cant get the team to come out and play with energy and belief- they looked defeated from the get-go- his words are becoming HOLLOW and REPETITIVE- no first half goals in 2021 says it all - how do you sub-off your most effective striker when he just scored a goal and then barely missed a repeat within 2 minutes- Brian White had the RSL defenders on their back-heels inside the box- then MDS subs him off and replaces him with a slow-footed Cavallini who is asked- foolishly again- to play as a link player- Cava is ONLY effective inside the 12 yards in- i would have subbed off deicado and see what white-cava can do together- WHY NOT ???? - MDS subs in a defensive player- Teibert- when the team is loosing 2-1 SURELY, even axel schuster has to question the coaching staff - this cant go on for the rest of 2021- CAN IT ??????
The Gutierrez injury facilitated the Teibert sub and his as well as Cornelius's inclusions occurred shortly before the the go ahead goals. Cornelius and Baldisimo between them allowed the flick on from the long throw on the winner while Teibert was way out of position to close down the cross for the third. No place for Bair as a fourth, attacking sub when the went two down in the ample stoppage time? Cavallini, Crepeau, and (if healthy) Gutierrez will be the only Caps going to the Gold Cup.
I see your points hot potato. Ultimately, I think we can figure MDS has not been sacked due to an owner unwiling to pay out his contract while paying the new coach. He shouldn't have come back for this season, sad to say. Axel wants to show stability to the fans, so a mid season sacking even if the owner will pay for it, seems unlikely. Although, there is a line of thinking they will want to get some positive buzz leading up to having fans at BC Place so maybe a firing would be worth that price. Over the last decade we have seen coaches changed, players changed, and even some of the FO changed. The results still end up in the same general area. There is one constant throughout all that and that is the mystery contestant who owns the team. It all starts at the top and everything below that is lip service unless he changes.
^To make a 4-3-3 click offensively, a key is to get the wingers to be good one on one threats who can generate stuff on their own, but the personnel used during MDS's time haven't been good or consistent: Venuto, Bangoura, Milinkovic, Dajome, draft pick Raposo, and now Caicedo. Heck, this team even had a "defensive winger" in Teibert, which was ridiculously touted by some fan bloggers as a tactical innovation on the same level as a "false 9." The only guy the opposition would clearly gameplan for was LB Adnan and that's it. No one else scares you in this line up. Everyone seems fixated on getting the Holy Grail "10" in a CAM role but clicking on a really good wing threat (think Blanco in Portland, Russell at SKC or Piatti formerly with Montreal), you might get better attacking results.
Attending with my son to pull for Whitecaps and against LAG. I have a question about this “Country Roads” song played over the speaker system. Are the words “freaky mama” part of it?
Not the version I grew up with decades ago. But things change with the times. Think of "Sweet Caroline" and "Living Next Door to Alice," both songs having popular inclusions to their lyrics when sung by the audience.