Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are having a good holiday week. If you don’t celebrate Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, here’s hoping you still enjoyed some peace and rest.
There weren’t many presents under the Caps’ tree this week to unwrap. Instead, the only real transfer rumor we have to chew over is an outgoing one. Reports out of Colombia indicate Deiber Caicedo is nearing a permanent transfer to Junior FC, where he has been on loan.
Despite some hopes (from me and others) that Caicedo could have an impact in the Fafa Picault role down the stretch, that never materialized and it was painfully obvious that Vanni Sartini, for whatever reason, just doesn’t trust Don Dei.
The Caps’ move to pick up Caicedo’s loan, a somewhat puzzling move at the time, now is clearly seen for what it was: giving Vancouver the ability to extract a transfer fee for Caicedo. Still, it seems like Vancouver will have to eat a loss, a tough reality for the Caps after Caicedo initially seemed to be a promising prospect and piece of the team’s future.
Instead, his transfer is mainly to clear his international roster spot and U-22 initiative slot off the books. Without doing those two things, the Caps were going to really be up against it this offseason.
In the end, Caicedo leaves with 6 goals and 10 assists in the league, nearly all of which came in his maiden 2021 season. He wound up being a victim of both the turnover in managers and the tinkering with formations and playing styles. I still think Caicedo could have worked in where Vanni Sartini landed tactics-wise but he clearly disagreed and he didn’t do himself any favors by failing to really seize the appearances he had in 2024.
Overall, this was an expected and necessary move but one tinged with regret — Caicedo was always a model professional and I hope he continues his strong run of form in Colombia.
Shameless Self Promotion
The Caps are still in an international spot crunch and Caleb Wilkins has some ideas on which attacking pieces might make sense who happen to be domestic.
Best of the Rest
One domestic option kicked around for Vancouver was striker Jeremy Ebobisse. No more — he has signed with LAFC.
Ronny Deila is headed to Atlanta as their next head coach, not Jim Curtin as many had assumed.
MLS NEXT Pro has become increasingly attractive to investors and new ownership groups.
Another CPL player is headed to Europe, this time to Sweden.
Fafa Picault off to Inter Miam!.. discarded by a coachless Whitecaps who don’t own their stadium …..and more and more look likely to move to U.S. in 2026 Yes stay positive fans but getting really challenging for sure…..We are now 3 weeks from pre season!
Fafa wanted to be closer to his mother (who lives in Florida) and Haiti (which is critical when, like him, you play games with the national team). He had already tried to leave in the summer. His contract was over there was no way to keep him without breaking the bank on a 34 year old player who was a standout, but had already wanted to leave, and, as we know, past performance is no guarantee of future returns. This is not on the Whitecaps. How the use the cap space his departure opens is…
just speculating that it will be jim curtin- unless he doesnt want a canadian city, or he wants a sabbatical from soccer, outside the shit-show at TFC and NYCFC going euro, this is the next best job available – curtin fits the profile to a TTTTTTTTTTTT
Raposo is still a quality sub and can play multiple positions without being a drag on the Team
Even if the team re-signs Raposo to a deal with a modest pay increase reflecting his utlity knife, back up role status, how is the team going to give “serious minutes” to the two academy grads you want to have featured in the squad?
I could see him getting re-signed but for a modest increase, maybe $260K tops. But I would rather see a no cap hit Academy grad get a look.
we have to do better than Caicedo or we will remain the same level- the second string players need to be almost as good as the first string players- Caicedo, alongwith a number of others- are incapable of being that
i would keep 4 subs/second-string players from 2024- Vite, Raposo, Boehmer, Ocampo and Halbouni- add 2 academy players who will get some serious minutes, and then add some quality, including 2 quality starters at forward and defence/CB
Badwal is a Surrey bro p.r. roster selection. He won’t be getting serious minutes. No other NextPro Academy grad will be getting minutes. The first round draft pick will get a good look as Adekugbe’s back up. Ngando and Priso will get back up minutes. We won’t be playing with wingbacks so with the competition at fullback, I don’t see a place for Raposo. He might be a better fit for a back three/wingback team, like Montreal or elsewhere in MLS. I don’t think Schuster will re-sign him, certainly not for a wage significant increase.
Caicedo- same old, same old- speedy but lacks dribbling skills and soccer intelligence to raise his ceiling
on another topic, i picked jim curtin 10 days ago, simply because the Atlanta opening had been filled, nobody in their right mind would want TFC, especially since the 2 Italians are still on the roster and NYCFC would hire from Europe- more than happy with Curtin as the Caps next head coach as he will be our FIRST head coach with proven experience and results in MLS – he had a disasterous start to his career, but he has learned and adapted, 2 essentials for success (and something Sartini couldnt/didnt do)- he has never reached his ceiling as he pushes higher- and for the first time, we will have a head coach who WILL give a promising academy player serious chances to make the first Team and then become a starter
now onto finding new investors who will invest and keep the Caps in Vancouver/MLS- just hoping the major investor is a Vancouver/Canadian person and is willing to be the local face of the franchise
Everybody seems to want Curtin, and for good reason- They paid him peanuts, he consistenly put a bottom-of-the-table team for payroll at or near the top of the table, year in, year out, and then failed a single season to make the playoffs and got thrown under the bus for it. Seems like a rare opportunity for a bargain coach, and a no-brainer of a call.
Perhaps the team is waiting for the new owner to make the purchase?
> more than happy with Curtin as the Caps next head coach as he will be our FIRST head coach with proven experience and results in MLS
What? Is Curtin confirmed as coach???
I thought Caicedo was brilliantly quick with the ball, but always seemed to make bad decisions. I liked him, and I’m sad to see him go.