For me the most frustrating part is the fact that we are close to having a winning team.. with all our ties we have been in almost every game, and with slight adjustments should be able to turn the team into a winning team. I think the general feeling is that the Whitecaps have the resources to make the changes or add a couple players that will make the difference required to turn the season around... so why wait? Play Teibert and Salinas on the wings, move Chiumento behind Hassli and hope the Demerit never gets called up to the USA national team again and we have a good starting 11, that should hopefully get more offence, which has been lacking since Atiba went down with an injury. Hassli and Camilo are not connecting out there. Sure it is easy to give the team a pass because they are an expansion team, and I dont think you'll find many fans on this forum that wont be back next year if they continue to lose. However I don't think we need to give them this pass, I think they already have a good enough team, and as fans we should push them to be better.
Here we go once again, comparing another team in another league playing another sport to the Whitecaps situation. The leagues are no in no way similar, the situations completely different. The Grizzlies started out signing a fat guy as their number one guy just because they thought in Vancouver he'd be the "great white hope". He was a failure. Their GM was a failure. Ignorant American basketball players made it known they wouldn't come to Vancouver to play because they couldn't find it on a map. Hell one player after leaving town made the comment that Vancouver was weird because there were no supermarkets in the city (I suppose we still all hunt for our food). The NBA is the top basketball league in the world, there are powerhouse teams and not much parity. You need top players, top money and players that want to play in your city in order to do well in the NBA. As in the other top leagues in North America new teams shouldn't and don't do well. MLS is not a top league, the quality isn't that much higher than where we were playing before (aside from a few quality players on each team) and there are players who'd love to come here and play, not being as ignorant as basketball players about the rest of the world. As has been PROVEN in the past, expansion teams can (and do) do well in MLS. We aren't talking NBA, NHL, or NFL here, so lets stop with the comparisons and talk about MLS only.
Building an expansion team in any professional sport is almost always a challenge in their first year; and this spreads among all kinds of leagues. You make good choices and many bad choices along the way. That is why I think a season of grace is required to get through those trials and errors and find the right players to put your team on top long term. You are welcome to continue to dislike the season; I will enjoy this first season in MLS and look forward to better results in the second half of the season and a really good 2nd season. We can go on this forever if we want; so we might as well not. If I am the only person on this board or any other board that thinks an expansion team deserves grace in season one, I am happy with that too. And, if I am the only person who think salary-capped leagues share some similar parameters (i have never said they are the same) in their team building model, I am happy with that as well.
a good comment to end the discussion-- only time will tell who is right-- but at least all of us have a passion for the game and the Caps
The Caps do certainly have players good enough to win at MLS. Yes, the GK situation is questionable, but for me the biggest tactical questions are the CM. Why is Davide playing wide right or wide left. Teibert is clearly the best option wide left. I had noted in another thread the CM should be Dunfield, Koffie, Chiumento. Play one up front with Chiumento supporting. You can then change the MF as necessary while bringing on Salgado or Sanvezzo. Brovsky has no business starting ahead of pretty much anyone in MF - certainly, in my opinion, not ahead of Morfaw, let alone Chiumento. Where is Phil Davies? For me though, the #1 priority has to be a proper CB to partner DM and a quality, athletic, attacking right back. Leathers and Knight don't cut it. Once that is done take a look at CM and decide if Dunfield and Koffie will cut it. Both are sufficient in my opinion but both could be upgraded certainly. Without Chiumento central those two simply aren't creative enough despite all of Dunfield's work rate and the few he has scored.
i have to disagree that the Caps have the right players to win in MLS-- not enough techincal quality and professional experience at a higher level a coaching change will help, but not enough IMO if the Caps take the approach of just changing the coach, it will truly be a lost season-- its better for the new coach to have additional players and start the 'new' team now... its not too late
Let me add - Caps have enough good players to win more now, but over the long term is what I was meaning. Koffie maybe isn't technical enough - yet - but he is 19 and will improve certainly. Teibert is technical, Chiumento, and Dunfield does his role well - limit his offensive input and he'll shine. Hassli, Salgado, Sanvezzo, all good enough. Demerit, Rochat, Akloul all technical enough. The major major holes in the team are RB and maybe a more advanced player to help bring along Koffie (who I'd be happy with as a regularly used sub - ie, 30-40 minutes every game and the odd start).