VANCOUVER – With every new season comes questions, and there are plenty for the Vancouver Whitecaps ahead of the 2014 Major League Soccer campaign.
How will the club move on after losing Camilo and his league-leading 22 goals? Which, if any, of the side’s promising youngsters will have a breakthrough year? Perhaps most importantly, how will Carl Robinson fare in his first season as an MLS head coach?
Let’s start with that first one. Camilo was Vancouver’s best player over its first three years in MLS. Capable of scoring and setting others up, he was both prolific and dazzling. Not only did the Brazilian put up big numbers, his goals were often of the highlight-reel variety.
For Vancouver, it’s not quite as simple as going out and getting another elite scorer. Those players don’t earn $247,000, the figure Camilo earned in 2013. So, the Whitecaps could have gone out and purchased a designated player—something that still might happen—or find a way to score by committee.
2014 MLS season preview: Sportsnet is proud to present its comprehensive preview package of the 2014 Major League Soccer regular season, featuring an array of blogs, videos, podcasts and in-depth analysis pieces. To check it out, CLICK HERE.
That second option seems to be the route favoured by the club. With young talents Darren Mattocks, Omar Salgado and Kekuta Manneh on the books, there’s a decent chance that one emerges as a consistent scoring threat this season.
Designated player Kenny Miller is back (at least until his contract expires in June), and could play a big role if he stays healthy. When he played in 2013, the Whitecaps were 10-6-3—this in comparison to their overall record of 13-12-9.
Newly-signed sign Chilean midfielder and designated player Pedro Morales will make the job easier for the attacking group with his vision, and his ability to contribute goals himself, especially from free kicks. His quality from corners could also see this club finally become dangerous in those situations.
As for Robinson and his first season as coach, the early signs are good. His team has played a possession-first, attractive style of soccer throughout pre-season, and despite the tumultuous off-season, he has largely remained immune from the criticism.
The club’s biggest black eyes since the end of 2013 campaign in the eyes of critics were the lengthy coaching search and the Camilo sale—neither of which fans have labelled as Robinson issues. Beyond perception though, the Welshman has gone about quietly building a solid squad.
The acquisition of Steven Beitashour from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for allocation money is already looking a savvy move. While many dreaded the departure of Lee Young-Pyo, in Beitashour the club has actually upgraded at right fullback over the 2013 version of Lee, in which the eternal youngster finally showed his age.
The move last week to bring in Matias Laba from Toronto FC in exchange for future considerations also looks an inspired one. The Argentine is just 22, so there’s plenty of room for the player to grow with Vancouver if he settles well. With the club looking to play a 4-2-3-1 formation, Laba could form a punishing holding midfield partnership alongside Englishman Nigel Reo-Coker.
Further up the pitch, it looks as if Morales play as the central player behind a lone striker, the “No. 10” role.
At right midfield, Sebastian Fernandez will be the favourite to start. The 24-year-old Uruguayan is technically sound but how he adapts to the physicality of league play will be the biggest question mark.
On the left, Niagara Falls native Russell Teibert could be the man. He played most of pre-season as a holding midfielder alongside Reo-Coker, but Laba’s arrival has displaced him.
Teibert can be effective from wide positions as a set-up man, with his strength in possession, and the ability to provide pinpoint service with his sweet left peg. But he is limited in some ways by his lack of pace—something less important in central roles, where positioning and vision, both strengths of the 21 year old, reign supreme.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.
Up top, expect Miller and Mattocks to compete for minutes in the centre forward role. Both players have looked sharp in pre-season, and there is a possibility both could play if Robinson deploys Miller as a more withdrawn forward or even as a wide attacker.
At the other end of the pitch, David Ousted is the incumbent at goalkeeper. He’s never really looked worth the $189,000 he earned in 2013 but this will be his first full season in Vancouver. The argument was that a pre-season would set him up well to start the 2014 campaign strongly, but a quad injury has robbed him of the ability to do much training.
Backup Paolo Tornaghi, a recent signing, has looked solid in pre-season. There’s no controversy at the goalkeeping position right now, but if Ousted struggles for consistency, watch this space.
The backline is really the area of the pitch with the biggest carryover from 2013. Veterans Jay DeMerit and Andy O’Brien are back in the heart of defence, with Jordan Harvey returning for a fourth season at left fullback. Beitashour is the only new addition, slotting in at the right.
Some have suggested that group lacks speed—possibly, although positioning and intelligence can limit the advantages of raw athletes who lack speed upstairs. Additionally, having Laba and Reo-Coker shield the back four will provide plenty of support when opponents attack on the counter.
Bottom line, the Whitecaps can compete for a playoff spot despite the strength of the Western Conference, and the late acquisition of Laba, and the seemingly imminent arrival of Morales, will go a long way to changing the tune from both fans and media before the season opener against the New York Red Bulls at BC Place on Saturday.
Martin MacMahon is a Vancouver-based writer. Follow him on Twitter.
