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Vancouver Whitecaps crack the road code

By hook or by crook the Whitecaps have somehow maneuvered themselves into a position where making the playoffs can officially be classed as “not inconceivable”.

Although the first half of the 2-1 win against Austin only served to remind us all of their shortcomings.

The better team against a poor opposition, they lacked the will and the ability to press home their advantage and went into the break trailing by a goal.

Then Marc Dos Santos broke from tradition and introduced a substitute at half time. And Ryan Gauld made all the difference.

Not so much in his play (although that obviously helped) but more in the overall sense of belief he seemed to inspire in his teammates.

The belief that, if they passed the ball forward quickly they might create more chances than if they passed the ball backwards slowly.

And it worked!

Gauld was involved in both goals and they now come home to BC Place for a Saturday evening game that isn’t just about seeing them in the flesh, but is also one where they have some skin in the game in terms of the postseason.

There’s been a lot of hope built on that return and anybody who has followed this team for more than a few months will know that hope is the most dangerous feeling of all.

But never mind, we should enjoy the moments while we can.

Somewhat ironic of course that they finally figure out how to win on the road in the final game before they embark on a run of home matches. But there we are.

Next stop BC Place!

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings.

Crepeau-5, Brown-4.5, Nerwisnki-5.5*, Veselinovic-5, Rose=5, Teibert-4.5, Bikel-5.5, Owusu-4.5, Dajome-5, Caicedo-4, White-4.5 (Gauld-5.5).

Vancouver Whitecaps: Slow and Steady

Whether you think the Whitecaps 0-0 tie with San Jose on Friday evening was a good result or not depends on your perspective.

If you think the rest of the season is an attempt to get into the playoffs then it’s almost certainly not enough.

If you think the rest of the season is an attempt at keeping Marc Dos Santos in his role for next season then it might just about be fine.

Let’s deal with the playoffs first.

There seems to be an assumption in some quarters that, once the Whitecaps return to BC Place, there will be a change in both their form and their fortunes.

Any maybe there will be some kind of uptick in the results at first, but they will still be who they are no matter where they are located (and isn’t that true of all of us to some extent?) And the game against San Jose was a classic example of who they are.

A limited team led by a coach who plays to the limitations.

The tactic was clear.

Keep the game tight for sixty minutes and then introduce Gauld and Dajome to try to steal it at the end.

And it worked.

Apart from the “stealing it at the end” aspect of the plan, which kind of was the whole plan really.

Not that the players can be blamed. A midfield of Bikel, Owusu and Teibert is never going to unlock a defence. And watching Teibert and Nerwinski attempting to make attacking progress down the left was like watching two Englishman trying to order Sheperd’s Pie in an Oaxacan Cantina.

Commendable effort but no discernable results.

It’s frustrating to think that just a tad more tactical bravery could have turned all these interminable ties into a combination of wins and losses that could have put more points on the board (unbeaten run be damned).

So if the team isn’t set up to make the playoffs for this season, is it set up to keep Dos Santos in the role for next?

Maybe.

He’s a coach who is happier to just fail and justify that failure with excuses (some reasonable, some not) and examples of “what ifs” and “could have beens” than he is to aim for success and and risk his team being fully exposed.

So, if the Whitecaps improve somewhat toward the end of the campaign and fall short of the post-season by a maybe win or two, then no doubt Dos Santos will point to the time spent away in Utah and injuries and the late arrival of Gauld to justify another run at making this team a success.

There’s every reason to think he might be given that chance, but there’s very little reason to think he would succeed.

He is what he is and neither a different time nor a different place will change that.

His essence precedes his existence.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Crepeau-5.5, Nerwinski-5, Brown-5.5, Veselinovic-5.5, Rose-4.5, Teibert-5, Bikel-6*, Owusu-5, Raposo-5, Caicedo-5, White-4.5 (Gauld-5, Dajome-4.5)

Vancouver Whitecaps: Still Breathing

The LA Galaxy’s Dignity Health Stadium sounds as though it is sponsored by a corporation who specialize in ensuring your aged loved ones are ushered from the the realms of the living in a tasteful and thoughtful fashion.

Grandma not quite able to climb the stairs anymore? Let Dignity Health make her final few breaths on this earth as meaningful as the long (but not quite as long as she was hoping for) life she has lived.

But it’s not. Dignity Health are a fine upstanding company who run excellent hospitals and health centres and no doubt have access to some very good lawyers.

It did however seem as though the Vancouver Whitecaps were seeing the lights extinguished from their season during a first half in which they failed to attack, defend or midfield successfully.

This wasn’t helped by the absence of Dajome and Gutierrez, nor the decision to replace them with White and Nerwinski respectively.

Nor was it helped by the performance of Lucas Cavallini who, once again, ambled around the pitch with little interest in contributing other than berating a teammate or two for not working hard enough.

Although he did show commendable courage by, immediately after declaring himself unfit to continue, producing an overhead kick which grazed the post.

In Cavallini’s absence the Whitecaps were much better in the second half.

Whether that was correlation or causation is unclear, but once White was moved to his more accustomed central role the Vancouver forward line pressed the Galaxy into mistake after mistake and probably ended the game with a vague sense of regret that they didn’t take all three points.

Obviously it would be remiss not to comment on the late introduction of the player we have all been waiting to see and, thankfully, he did not disappoint.

Leonard Owusu was immediately involved in the game, wanting the ball and looking to push forward whenever the opportunity arose.

Hopefully that is just a taste of what is to come.

Yet there still remains the sense that the Whitecaps are getting better without ever quite doing enough to win games they should be winning and the likelihood is that they will die the death of a thousand ties in terms of making the playoffs.

Playing well for both halves of a game would also be a good tactic to employ.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Crepeau 5, Brown-5.5, Nerwisnki-5.5, Godoy-5.5, Veselinovic-5.5, Metcalfe-4, Alexandre-2, Bikel-5.5, White-5, Caicedo-5.5*, Cavalini-2 (Raposo-4, Teibert-5.5)

Vancouver Whitecaps: Still not adding up

With the scores tied at half-time in the Saturday evening game between the Whitecaps and Minnesota United Adrian Heath, the Minnesota coach, decided that his team weren’t good enough and made a change.

It worked and Minnesota dominated the second half.

Meanwhile Marc Dos Santos watched all this happen, made one switch that made his team more defensive, and then waited until his team conceded the inevitable goal before changing to a more attacking lineup and discovering that (Spoiler alert!) playing a more attacking lineup means more attacks.

More attacks means more chances for “things” to happen and Cristian Dajome “won” a last gasp penalty to give the Whitecaps a point they didn’t deserve.

And that point might not be enough anyway. They now face three road games in eight days before they (finally) return to BC Place. And, no doubt, we will hear much about how tough that schedule is in the coming days (while perhaps ignoring that Minnesota were on their third game in eight days without that seeming to be a reason for Vancouver to take advantage of their plight).

The jury has been out on whether Dos Santos is an innately conservative coach or simply one who isn’t capable of sending out a team that can take control of the game.

It’s probably a little bit of Column A and a little bit of Column B, but the arrival of Ryan Gauld should settle the matter once and for all.

And while there are those who think that the appearance of a “Number 10” heralds a new era of free flowing football, samba style soccer and the dawning of the new Age of Enlightenment, all signs point to Gauld being mainly a “get out of jail free” card for Dos Santos. Set up the team in a way that shows ultimate respect to the opponent and hope that Gauld can create something from the scraps.

In a way Minnesota offer some hope that this might work.

Nobody would describe Adrian Heath as a tactical mastermind (Maybe Heath himself I suppose?) but the arrival in recent seasons of better players has allowed him to allow the team to be the sum of their parts and that’s been good enough to make them a playoff team.

And that’s what we have to hope for once Gauld begins to play.

That Dos Santos can find a system that allows Gauld to be on the ball and that he selects the right players to make that system work.

To at least make the team he sends out add up to the sum of their parts.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Hasal-, 4, Nerwinski-5, Gutierrez-4.5, Godoy-4.5, Veselinovic-5, Teibert-4.5, Bikel-3.5, Baldisimo-3, Caicedo-4.5, Dajome-5*, White-4 (Metcalfe-4)

Vancouver Whitecaps do not disappoint us

What a strange situation.

The Whitecaps 2-2 tie with LAFC was a game in which the team played to their strengths, worried one of the better teams in the league and offered a blueprint for how they can achieve success going forward (in every sense of the word).

So what went right?

Gutierrez and Caicedo on the left and Brown with Dajome on the right offer both attacking and defensive options.

The two full backs are always keen to get forward and the two wide players are always happy to help out in defence (often from the front).

There was also more directness in attack. The willingness to hit an early cross and try to make something happen actually made things happen. So much more effective than the instinct to stop, pause and play the safe pass that allows the opposition to regroup.

Godoy and Veselinovic have been allowed time to form some kind of partnership. And the latter’s ability on the ball, and confidence to make use of that ability, offers more control than the patented long ball to who knows who.

The whole team had confidence on the ball. Willing to play out of the press rather than avoid it and so open up LAFC to the always dangerous counterattack.

But perhaps it was the midfield that made the real difference?

Alexandre always wants to play the forward pass, Baldisimo is becoming a nice hybrid of a holding player who can create and Bikel was exceptional at breaking up play and getting forward when the opportunity arose.

So that meant a three man midfield where all three offer some kind of attacking threat. Yes, you read that correctly.

A word to for Brian White, who will never be the long term solution, but offered decent hold up abilities and played with an unselfishness that allowed others to get into dangerous positions.

Impressive too was the way the team as a whole responded to the LA equalizer. Not dropping deep and fearful of conceding a third but pushing for (and probably deserving) a winning goal of their own.

Phew!

A whole slew of sentences outlining how good the Whitecaps were. What a world!

None of this means that all problems are solved of course. This is still the same team that were so turgid against Houston just one week ago.

But it does mean that the problems can be solved.

That there’s already enough in this squad to be competitive in MLS if allowed to play in the right way.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Hasal-5.5, Brown-6.5, Gutierrez-7*, Godoy, 6.5, Veselinovic, -6.5, Baldsismo-6, Bikel-7, Alexandre-5.5, Dajome-6.5, Caicedo-6.5, White-5.5

The Vancouver Whitecaps are not brillig

For years we’ve been told that the Whitecaps are disadvantaged by being based in Vancouver because the travel is so arduous.

For years we’ve been told that visiting Salt Lake is so tough because the home team have the advantage of training and playing at high altitude.

If nothing else good comes from this sinkhole of a season can we at least put an end to these kinds of excuses and get out clauses?

If the Whitecaps are not very good it’s because they’re not very good.

Those of us who hoped the win against the Galaxy would kickstart the team (and the coach) into playing with more determination and brio were left to sigh discontentedly as Vancouver approached the game against a very poor Houston team with the air of a side who thought that winning would be nice but not really all that important.

A moderately decent first half gave way to a listless second and any chance to give the season momentum was cast aside in favour of just letting the game drift away as though it were a pre-season friendly.

It’s not that the players didn’t try.

It’s just that they seem to be the equivalent of chess pieces being governed by a player who understands the rules of the game but doesn’t have a concept of how to make moves that disrupt an opponent.

Move the little horsey thing forward, then move the little horsey thing back again.

I don’t believe there’s an atom of meaning in it.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Hassal-5, Nerwinski-4.5, Gutierrez-5.5, Veselinovic-5.5, Rose-5, Teibert-4, Bikel-5.5, Baldisimo-4, Dajome-6*, Caicedo-5, White-3

All that glisters is not Gauld

For the first half of the game against the LA Galaxy the Vancouver Whitecaps were bad.

You know what? Scratch that, it isn’t fair. They were worse than bad, they were awful. Lacklustre in their movement and thought, they somehow managed to to have three holding midfielders on the pitch without actually having a midfield.

They conceded early and, to all intents and purposes, they looked finished. Carved open at every opportunity they were lucky to go into the break still only trailing by a solitary goal.

For the second half of the game against the LA Galaxy the Vancouver Whitecaps were good.

You know what? Scratch that, it isn’t fair. They were better than good, they were impressive. Closing down the Galaxy at every opportunity and breaking with both pace and purpose.

Two goals fashioned from their own devices sealed a victory that was (kind of) deserved.

It was certainly needed.

And now they go into a game against Houston on Tuesday evening with the possibility (whisper it softly lest the gods be offended by our hubris) of putting together back to back wins.

That won’t salvage the season by itself, but it will put the season onto the standby by list for salvageability, hoping that some other team drops out leaving an unexpected late call to report to the ticket counter for a team that has never looked like getting off the ground up to now.

It’s a hope of sorts.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Hassal-5, Brown-5, Guttierez-5, Godoy-5, Veselinovic-5, Teibert-4.5, Bikel-5.5, Baldisimo-3, Caicedo-5.5, Dajome-5.5*, White-5

Vancouver Whitecaps: No Solutions

The problem when a team is badly coached is that the miasma of the badness begins to seep into everything and everyone.

Is Andy Rose a bad player? No.

Should he be starting every game in order to provide “leadership” in the central defence at the expense of a player (or players) who could play that role for years? Only if the team are getting good results.

The team are not getting good results.

Is Russell Teibert a terrible midfielder? No.

Should he be starting every game ahead of Leonard Owusu (or any other midfielder capable of more attacking intent)? Only if the team are getting good results.

The team are not getting good results.

Is Alexandre really incapable of getting into the opposition box at any time during the ninety minutes? Is Deiber Caicedo incapable of finishing a chance? Is Dajome blowing hot and cold because of his own failings?

The problem when a team is badly coached is that eventually we start to doubt the players and, more likely than not, they begin to doubt themselves.

The problem when a team is badly coached is that the whole becomes less than the sum of its parts and the parts become less than what they are as the whole dissolves.

And what we have here is a dissolving whole.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Hassal-3, Brown-4, Gutierrez-4, Rose-3, Godoy-4, Bikel-5, Teibert-3, Alexandre-3.5, Dajome-4, Caicedo-5*, White-2

Whitecaps Tie!

A 2-2 tie on the road is never a terrible result in MLS I suppose.

But, good grief, the game against FC Dallas was a chilling reminder of just how poor Marc Dos Santos is at in game management.

His side recovered from a terrible start to go into the half-time break with a 2-1 lead and they were playing well.

Keeping the ball, making Dallas do the chasing and pressing high up the pitch to keep the pressure off their own defence.

So what did the half-time team talk amount to?

One can only assume it amounted to “Hang on to what we have and make sure we give Dallas plenty of opportunities to get the ball into our penalty area.”

If that wasn’t the team talk then no matter, because that’s what happened anyway. And, with crushing inevitability, the late arrival of Veselinovic (theoretically designed to shore up the defence) resulted in the unlucky Serb heading passed Max Crepeau as the Whitecaps six yard box was crowded with their own players fighting among themselves for the ball.

Last week Dos Santos bemoaned the fact that his team sat too deep in the final stages against Seattle, so it is somewhat baffling that his every change against Dallas seemed specifically designed to encourage just such a mistake once again.

But inconsistency between what he says and what he does is Dos Santos’ super power.

The Whitecaps now move on, with the Gold Cup removing Crepeau (who was excellent) and Cavallini (who scored but was clearly too tired, lazy or important to close down the opposition during the final twenty minutes of his appearance). And we will see if the last two 2-2 ties will be a springboard or quicksand for a team that is clearly mentally fragile at this point.

There are those who describe soccer as a “weakest link” sport.

And, right now, the Whitecaps weakest link might not be on the field.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Crepeau-6.5*, Brown-6, Gutierrez-5.5, Rose-5, Godoy-5.5, Teibert-5, Bikel-6, Alexandre-5.5, Dajome-5, Caicedo-5.5-Cavallini-4

Vancouver Whitecaps: Not terrible!

One step at a time.

The Whitecaps 2-2 tie with the Seattle Sounders on Saturday evening wasn’t a season defining turnaround in fortune, but it was a sign that Vancouver are capable of better than they have been in the season thus far.

Just the simple act of wanting to progress the ball forward at more than half speed makes them a more effective unit and makes use of the pace out wide of Dajome and Caicedo.

And Dajome seems to be the catalyst for the team right now. If he’s playing well then the Whitecaps are playing well. And even though Caicedo frustratingly lacks the final product (both in finishing and in passing) his presence can be enough to disconcert the opposition.

It wouldn’t be the Whitecaps though if there weren’t some things to baffle us.

Why they refuse to defend the edge of their own area from set-pieces remains a mystery for the ages.

Time after time they will successfully clear a corner only to find that an opponent has an unchallenged attempt on goal from twenty yards out.

Maybe there’s some statistical evidence to back up defending in this way? But, if so, the Whitecaps are defying the odds in all the wrong ways.

It’s also perplexing why Marc Dos Santos doesn’t make more use of his whole squad, both before and during games.

Is Leonard Owusu so bad in training that he is a worse option to start in midfield than the dead zone that is Russell Teibert? Are the defence in so much need of organization that playing Andy Rose is a better option than allowing Ranko Veselinovic and Erik Godoy to try to form a a partnership that could last for a few years?

And what’s with the reluctance to make changes during the game?

It was hotter than the sun in Seattle last night, but it took a Sounders equalizer to prompt the introduction of fresh legs (accompanied by the other relevant body parts too of course).

Next week Vancouver play FC Dallas, the only team in the West who have been worse than them this year.

Maybe there will be news by then that the fabled and mystical unicorn of a number ten has appeared in human form in the shape of Ryan Gauld, just as the prophecies have foretold?

But, whatever the case, the Whitecaps need to play with their heads up, both metaphorically and in actuality.

To be at least the sum of their parts, to always look to the horizon and not the ground, to believe in what can be and not be bound by what is, to avoid trite words of inspiration and reach inside themselves to be the team they want to be.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Crepeau-5, Bikel-5.5, Gutierrez-5.5, Rose-5, Godoy-5.5, Baldissimo-5, Teibert-4, Alexandre-5.5, Caicedo-5.5, Dajome-6*, Cavallini-5