Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all had a lovely weekend and that the beginning of your week is off to a good start.
The Caps currently are the meme of Squidward looking out the window wistfully at a cheerful Spongebob for both of the major storylines right now in MLS. For one, they have no part to play in Leagues Cup, which is inching forward as we speak.
Secondly, their transfer window is effectively over, though I believe they could carry out trades with the other two Canadian teams (Mathieu Choiniere anyone?) or sign free agents. Neither of those options seems terribly likely to materialize, however.
And while I ranted on Friday about the Caps being cheapskates once again, some ire should also be directed at the Canadian federation for its handling of the transfer window situation, effectively springing a new way of doing business on the three MLS clubs.
Allegedly this is to cater to the desires of the Canadian Premier League. OK, fair enough. And I guess a compromise to try and meet the needs of both leagues was an attempt at a fair resolution for this season.
But ending the window a week or more early will permanently disadvantage the MLS sides for the foreseeable future, reducing their leverage to make deals earlier in the window because selling sides will know they’ll need to cave in order to avoid being left behind by their peers.
There is no good reason not to have a window that aligns across the U.S. and Canada. MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation can help out by pivoting to make the winter transfer window shorter (already a good idea — transfer windows shouldn’t last for basically the first month of a season) and make the summer one longer. That would ensure that the CPL doesn’t get screwed for their late season start and that all MLS sides are on a level competitive playing field, something that would also be in the best interest of the American sides.
For all of the snafus caused by Soccer Canada, this is a pretty small one. But it is infuriatingly dumb, on both the part of the CSA and MLS. And while I am confident this wouldn’t have changed the Caps’ transfer dealings this summer, the three Canadian MLS teams were the unlucky losers in all of this.
Best of the Rest
The Whitecaps’ women side captured the Inter-Provincial Championship, once again booking their ticket for continental competition.
A website I’ve never heard of is reporting that MLS is trying to launch a women’s professional league after the 2027 World Cup.
RSL winger and Whitecaps killer Andres Gomez is reportedly heading to Rennes on one of the most lucrative transfer deals in MLS history.
A look behind York United’s rise to the top of the CPL table. Meanwhile, Vancouver FC try to grow their fanbase amid their own improvement in league form, including a 1-0 derby win over Pacific FC.
I think the deadline being different is an overreaction. The Whitecaps didn’t miss out on anyone because of the deadline. They signed the only real player they were rumoured with. It’s not uncommon for different countries to have different deadlines and the pressure of the deadline will always be a leverage point for other leagues while negotiating transfers, regardless of when that deadline is. If the concern is “other teams might get better after the Canadian deadline has closed”, maybe the Whitecaps should be more pro-active and stop being so cheap. Get your business done and stop leaving it until the last minute.
The Whitecaps have a number of holes, the front office addressed maybe one of them, and the deadline had nothing to do with it.