Reply With QuoteI like what they are doing. The young guys like Davies and what not look like they can be MLS level players.
Whitecaps building for 2011
Thursday, August 5, 2010
2011 dreamin' in Van City
The bloodletting continues in Vancouver in the lead up to MLS 2011. Today veteran striker Marlon James was released to make room for a much younger forward, Jonathon McDonald.
McDonald is Costa Rican, having played his career domestically up to now. Most recently he was with Herediano where he scored an impressive eight goals in 10 appearances. In the press release, the Whitecaps oversold the quality of Herediano -- they are a long way from their glory years -- but nearly a goal a game is good no matter where you are playing.
It's hard to imagine a first place team making as many moves as the Whitecaps, but it's clear that everything they are doing is with an eye to next year. Moving out a career D2 player in James to make room for a younger Latin player (young Latin talent is what makes MLS go round) is hard to argue with.
Not all of the 'Caps late season signings are going to stick next year, but it seems like Vancouver views the ability to bring guys in as a much bigger deal than Seattle did. They are essentially giving half season trials to a bunch of guys. Vancouver Province writer Marc Weber told It's Called Football that he expected the 'Caps to bring as many as 10 players up (he also suggested that the 'Caps have a pretty good idea of what the rules are going to be for stocking the roster even if they aren't saying yet).
That might end up being a conservative guess.
http://www.24thminute.com/2010/08/20...-van-city.html
*****
Thursday, August 5, 2010
How to build a football team
As I alluded to in the post below, the Vancouver Whitecaps seem to be looking to build the MLS roster from pieces that were acquired while in D2. No one has ever come out and said it directly, but it fits with the overall philosophy of the club. This is an organization that started an academy before starting an academy was on the radar of most clubs in North America.
It’s a club that has looked to sell players developed as a legitimate revenue stream (how they will do that under MLS rules remains to be seen).
And it’s a club that, in spite of being in first place and in line for another D2 championship this year, is dumping older players to bring in kids.
It is quite the contrast to the ‘Caps expansion cousins from Portland. The Timbers seem to be going about things as business as usual. If you go to the fan boards there they are talking about drafts, both expansion and super, and dreaming of fading European DP stars.
Look at the two rosters. Vancouver has 11 players born after 1988. Portland has three. Despite that, Vancouver is running away with the NASL division and sits in third overall ahead of the Timbers
Obviously, the ‘Caps are going to need to bring in some veteran MLS players along with a couple impact guys if they are going to compete to win a championship. However, if they can find eight, nine, ten squad players from the D2 team that can compete and are familiar with each other...well, that does make the ‘Caps an interesting looking MLS expansion team.
There is a reason that the Whitecaps have been around in one form or another since the NASL years. Not many MLS fans are paying that much attention to the ‘Caps right now, but they might better start. The more I look at what’s going on out there the more I’m convinced that they will be competitive out of the gate (and competitive in a different way than Seattle was).
Portland, meanwhile, is going to be an expansion team.
http://www.24thminute.com/2010/08/ho...ball-team.html
I like what they are doing. The young guys like Davies and what not look like they can be MLS level players.
i hope another future canadian mls franchise is paying close attention to this and taking notes.
Certainly hope so. Because right now it is not looking good !Originally Posted by Seb of Mtl
Hats off to the Whitecaps organisation though, they are doing a great job so far. Securing a shirt sponsor 1 year before the season, while the Rapids don't even have one yet, haha.
Last edited by Jeremy; 08-09-2010 at 05:42 PM.
To be fair the Caps have a few years head start plus a reputation amongst the players of sending players to Europe for trials etc. Once Montreal and TFC get their academies helping kids live their dreams the playing field will level. TFC will be in the best position because they will have the greatest number of local players to draw from.
This year has been interesting for us Caps fans and we are looking forward to this fall and next year. A lot of very young players are getting great experience at the D2 level especially at forward.
Not only did they get a shirt sponsor but they said it was the highest paying sponsor in MLS so that will cover a DP or two
^ Yup, about $4 million a year if I remember correctly.
It looks like they will be signing 2 more Canadians in their lead up to MLS as well: Terry Dunfield and Kyle Porter.
http://twitter.com/ProvinceWeber
Good to hear, those two canadians have found a club and that it is The Caps
"I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bull****. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are." - Bill Hicks
Who was Kyle Porter with previously?
Dunfield is making the jump from League 2 to MLS? Interesting. I've pegged the MLS at about League 1 status so it'll be interesting to see how he fits in.
Re Porter: On loan to Energie Cottbus U23's last season.
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