Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all had a lovely week and are winding things down before whatever the non-footballer equivalent of the international break is.
Well folks, we’re officially in silly season and we got our first reminder that, shockingly, just because something pops up on the internet doesn’t mean it is true.
Rumors were started and ended in due course that the club was kicking the tires on Davy Klaassen, Inter Milan’s Dutch attacking midfielder, who is out-of-contract in the next year. There was lots of well-earned skepticism on social media almost immediately but there was a little voice in the back of my mind that such a move might be true as the Caps look for a potential upgrade in central midfield.
That upgrade won’t be Klaassen — legitimate reporters dispelled things pretty quickly. But I do think there is a lot of merit to adding another creative presence in the midfield, taking pressure off Ryan Gauld and preventing him from having to drop quite so deep to pick the ball up and move it forward.
Alessandro Schopf hasn’t been that guy. Pedro Vite certainly can be that guy but he hasn’t been consistently. And while I’m bullish on Vite long term, you would be derelict not to look for another piece that could come in and push him for a starting spot.
This probably won’t be a priority. Locking up Richie Laryea is seemingly the first move the Caps will look to make and then, beyond that, I’d think a centerback and forward would be next up on the to do list. All of this probably won’t happen until the calendar flips to December, at least.
So for now, kick back, relax and enjoy the Canadian Men’s National Team (it can’t be any worse than watching the USMNT last night) — it’s probably the most action we’ll get for a little while.
Best of the Rest
How can the two Canadian national teams end their seasons on a high note?
What the Canadian men will need to do to get a leg up on Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League
Meanwhile, Canada’s U-17s struggled in the World Cup, leaving Indonesia after a third straight loss Thursday
Chris Armas is headed to Colorado to be their next manager, a hire I would be thoroughly whelmed by as a Rapids fan
Ponderings:
1. Pedro Vite- sell him if you can make some $$$ on the deal- some progress, but he still drifts in and out of games, especially BIG games
2. Schopf- MLS allows 1 buy-out- at over $800K, it should be him
3. Lareya- maybe at a salary of $500K, but definitely not a $1 mill DP- and i am not convinced he fits into the Caps quick transition play- he slows down the game
4. 4 needs-
– a taller, respectable goalie to take the load off of Takaoka;
– higher quality leader at CB;
– an AMF who can add purpose and quickness going forward and nick some goals and assists;
– pacey wide player to fit in with gauld and white