Every Friday, Sportsnet.ca will chat with Sportsnet soccer commentator Paul Dolan—a former Canadian national team goalkeeper—about the big stories and issues in Major League Soccer.
What are your thoughts on Montreal Impact owner Joey Saputo relieving Nick De Santis of his duties as club GM this week? Also, what did you think of the decision to give temporary control to coach Frank Klopas?
It sounds like the club wants—and I think needs—a complete restructuring in this area and based on results this season the move is not at all surprising. Most MLS coaches have significant input into moulding their team so I’m not surprised Frank Klopas will take over for now, but the question remains who will have that role next season. I think they need someone with autonomy to make good long-term decisions at the club but there will always be pressure to win immediately in Montreal.
Troy Perkins started the first 17 games for Montreal in goal, but Klopas has changed things up by handing the starting role to Evan Bush in the last three matches. Is Klopas right to bench Perkins in favour of Bush? Do you think Bush is ready to be the club’s long-term No. 1 goalkeeper?
I’ve had a chance to watch Evan Bush both in the NASL as the starter for the Impact before they joined MLS and in several Amway Canadian Championship games, and I have always been impressed by him. He’s brave, steady and he has a good work ethic that has finally given him the chance to start in MLS, and I think he’s ready to take the number one spot. It may be harsh on Troy Perkins, but the door has been opened by several mistakes at the back, some of which he was mixed up in, and I’m sure Klopas is trying to find something that will change the fortunes of the team with just under half the season still to play.
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What should be the priority for the Vancouver Whitecaps: Signing a clinical striker or another centre back?
In a perfect world, both would be addressed but in a salary cap world if only one can be prioritized, I have to say the centre back position is more important to sort out. That became clear last weekend when Carlyle Mitchell gifted Dallas their second goal. He and Johnny Leveron are too big of a drop-off from Andy O’Brien (who continues to struggle with injuries) and Jay Demerit (who just retired). I still get the feeling the Whitecaps can score through their committee of strikers, especially since they get good offensive contributions from midfield and Pedro Morales in particular, who was absolutely sensational in creating chances for himself and for others in the 2-2 draw with Dallas.
Gilberto has played well for Toronto FC this season, but he only has two goals in 14 league appearances—a rather paltry total for a forward signed to a DP contract. Are the little things that the Brazilian does off the ball make up for his lack of goals? Can he become a proven goal-scorer in MLS?
Great question and one I don’t think can truly be measured this early into the season. Yes, Gilberto had been slow to score but he has two very good goals in the last four or fives games he’s played and I do like a lot of what he does to create chances for other players. I get the feeling he will break out at some point based on his work rate and attitude which seem to be very good. But ultimately he will be judged on goals at the end of the year because of his DP status.
Michael Bradley recently said if MLS wants to improve then the officiating needs to get better. What do you think of the standard of officiating in the league? Is it really any worse than officiating in the top European leagues?
You’re asking someone who was pretty critical of officiating when I was playing as well, but now I try to put myself in the position the officials are in who are having to make important decisions in a split second. If we’re totally impartial looking at the weekend’s TFC-Kansas City game, reaction to the key talking points was almost split down the middle, so what does that say? It says that it’s very difficult, particularly for someone officiating in just their eighth MLS game. In contrast, veteran official Kevin Stott called a virtual error-free game, in my opinion, in the Dallas-Vancouver game. Perhaps that’s where we are at with MLS; still much to improve on but probably not as big a difference from other leagues as many people think.
