KANSAS CITY, KS – Almost a year ago to the day, Vancouver Whitecaps FC were officially eliminated from playoff contention by Seattle Sounders FC. David Ousted laid on the pitch, face down, in disbelief. Jordan Harvey could only shake his head.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this.
After a year in which Whitecaps FC set new club records for wins and points and hosted their first-ever playoff game, the ‘Caps were hoping for bigger and better things in 2016. It didn’t work out that way, which left some questions and uncertainties surrounding the club.
One year later, it’s safe to say those questions have been answered.
Whitecaps FC secured their spot in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs on Saturday night, and increased their lead atop the Western Conference standing to four points, with a 1-0 away victory over Sporting Kansas City.
So how did the ‘Caps get here? For starters, they didn’t hit the panic button.
Instead, just three days after the end of last year’s regular season, Whitecaps FC announced that the club had extended the contracts of head coach Carl Robinson and assistants Gordon Forrest and Martyn Pert to multi-year deals – a little later, they also added experienced goalkeeper coach Stewart Kerr.
It was a bold move, considering what had just unfolded, but as Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi said at the time: “We have complete faith in Carl’s continued vision in acquiring the necessary players to build a team that will compete with the best in MLS.”
Those words have proved prophetic.
As Robinson always says, “it’s about the players.” And he’s brought in some good ones.
His key signings for 2017 were Colombian striker Fredy Montero, who has a team-leading 13 goals to go along with six assists, and Peruvian attacking midfielder Yordy Reyna, who has been an absolute revelation over the last two months after recovering from a broken foot suffered in the preseason. Consider this: Reyna already has five game-winning goals, which is second-best in MLS, and three assists.
Robinson also made significant acquisitions via intra-league trade, bringing in experienced MLSers Tony Tchani, Brek Shea, and Sheanon Williams (Tchani and Shea have eight goals and three assists between them), found a gem in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft in the form of Jake Nerwinski, and added depth across the roster with the likes of Aly Ghazal, Bernie Ibini, Aaron Maund, Stefan Marinovic, and Nosa Igiebor, who we haven’t even seen yet.
And we can’t forget the acquisition of Mauro Rosales, who not only instigated Montero’s move to Vancouver, but also – by all accounts – has played an important role in the locker room.
All in all, these moves have made Vancouver one of the deepest teams in MLS.
Saturday night was a perfect example. Robinson made eight changes to his starting lineup after a midweek defeat in Seattle, opting to rest the likes of Montero, Reyna, and David Ousted, and the 'Caps still managed to earn the three points and end Sporting Kansas City's 24-match home unbeaten run in the process.
“If players don’t enjoy competition, that means they’re mentally weak,” Robinson said last month. “You’ve got to be able to deal with it and it brings out the best in players. When we get down to pressure-cooker situations, you need your big players to step up.”
They’ve certainly done that so far.
In addition to contributions from the newcomers, centre backs Kendall Waston, Tim Parker and winger Cristian Techera have enjoyed bounce-back seasons for the Blue and White. Techera, for his part, has recorded six goals and six assists (and has hit the woodwork five times to boot), while Waston and Parker have recorded more clearances than any other centre back duo in MLS.
And it’s not even close.
Waston has also silenced any doubts about his discipline. Last year, he had three red cards. This year, he hasn’t had any. Whether or not that has anything to do with the added responsibility of being captain, the big Costa Rican certainly appears to have turned a new leaf.
And the ‘Caps certainly appear to have rediscovered their identity.
At times in 2016, it seemed like they didn’t quite know who they were. This year, as Robinson eloquently put it in a recent interview with ExtraTime Radio, the ‘Caps are a team that is organized defensively, hard to play against, and explosive on the counter.
“You’ve got to know who you are,” he said. “We’re not going to be top of the possession stakes and we’re OK with that because we know how to defend, we know how to be organized, and what we’ve brought in this year is young, dynamic, exciting attacking players that are able to create transitions at certain moments and score goals, which is something I think we lacked last year.”
The ‘Caps are back – and so too are the MLS Cup Playoffs in Vancouver.
