Good Monday morning Caps fans — hope you all had a good weekend and are set to have a nice workweek.

The Caps have announced their preseason plans, returning to Marbella Spain tomorrow for three weeks, including three friendlies along the way. Given that we are basically a month out from CONCACAF Champions Cup (!) it is that time of year, which feels surreal given that we haven’t had all that much of an offseason to speak of.

Preseason for the Caps feels more important for other teams given the quantity of new tactical ideas Vanni Sartini is constantly generating. Given that he wants to inject a third attacker (never mind that the club needs to buy said attacker) into the mix, this suggests a return back to the 4-3-2-1 or some derivative of that formation.

In the meantime, however, Brian White will be part of a different camp — the U.S Men’s National Team January camp, a richly deserved honor. There was much grumbling about the roster makeup of the camp, which didn’t feature a ton of the young players that will be relied upon during the Olympics later this year. But there is no doubt that White is the exact type of player who should be getting a serious look in the MLS heavy January period.

At this stage in his career, White doesn’t seem likely to become the guy at striker for the USMNT. But he is well positioned to continue being the guy for the Caps and should be considered as a depth piece for his country moving forward. So congrats to Batman (or is it Robin?) and we’ll be looking forward to tracking the progress of everyone else in Marbella.

One guy unlikely to show up in Spain anytime soon appears to be Richie Laryea, who the Province’s JJ Adams reports is unlikely to return to Vancouver, though the Caps appear to still be talking with Nottingham Forest. Personally, I’m OK with this and it seems that the initial optimism of bringing Laryea back permanently seems to have faded, with the Caps linked to other wingback options in recent months.

I like Laryea and think he offered a lot but he didn’t have to impact commensurate with the fee Forest are presumably demanding, as evidenced by the fact that Vanni Sartini took him off at a key juncture in the playoffs, something you wouldn’t expect for a potential DP-level guy. I think the fanbase has been pretty split on this one from the beginning, with some believing it worth bringing back Laryea at any cost, while others preferring to stick to a TAM-level deal. Put me firmly in the latter camp. If that means moving onto another option at the position, so be it, even if he isn’t a Canadian national teamer.

Shameless Self Promotion

If you need a rundown of where everything stands at this point in the offseason, Sam Rowan gives you all you need to know

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