Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all had a lovely weekend and that the week ahead treats you well.
Unlike the Vancouver Whitecaps I will not be traveling to sunny southern Spain this week so there is a cap to how good my week will be.
We finally have some idea of who will be leading the Caps next year, with Glass City reporting that it is Danish manager Jesper Sorensen. That is, readers will note, neither David Wagner nor Gio Savarese, reportedly the two other finalists, meaning the Caps went with door number three.
Sorensen does not have MLS experience but I think there is reason to believe he is a solid choice at manager. I’ve seen a lot of criticism of Sorensen as some sort of cheapskate hire, which I find a bit odd.
During his time at Bronby in 2023-24, the club finished second and would have won the title but for a loss on the last day. The season before that they finished fifth, the same position they are in currently. Sorensen isn’t the only x factor there but that is a good sign.
Everywhere he has managed, either in the Danish league or for the Danish U-21 side Sorensen has had a winning record. Transfermarkt indicates he favors a 3-4-2-1 formation, which would seem to fit decently well with the personnel the Caps have, with Ryan Gauld and Stuart Armstrong potentially as 10s or with Armstrong playing a bit deeper and a new attacking signing playing further up the pitch.
The Danish league is of a comparable level to MLS. And Sorensen’s experience with the Danish national youth team makes me think he will be a bit of a step forward in terms of bringing young players through, something that seemingly was a goal with this hire.
Is Sorensen THE BEST name the Caps could have possibly brought in? No, probably not. David Wagner brought a higher pedigree and Savarese brought MLS proven experience. But both of those names had some risk as well (Savarese in particular could have been seen as somewhat of a lateral move). This manager, assuming it is made official (Sorensen’s Wikipedia page already lists him as the Caps’ manager for what it is worth) seems to make a lot of sense. I look forward to diving a bit deeper into his playing style and learning a bit more about what a Sorensen era of Whitecaps soccer might look like.
Best of the Rest
Deiber Caicedo’s return to Colombia has been finalized, with the Caps getting an undisclosed transfer fee.
MLS is facing a new level of scrutiny as SoccerWarz with NASL heads to the court room.
Bayern Munich are doing what they can to keep Alphonso Davies around (and keep the Caps’ sell on fee alive).
The other Dos Santos (Phillip) will be back in the Canadian Premier League in 2025.
Why success on the pitch hasn’t translated to profit for Canada Soccer.
Another one:
https://3point.dk/nyheder/analyse-jesper-sorensen-og-brondby-er-tiden-inde-til-et-traenerskifte
Uh oh:
> Sørensen has consistently stuck to the 3-4-3 formation, but this formation has left the defense vulnerable to opponents exploiting the spaces on the wings. In addition, the midfield box structure has often been overpowered, resulting in a lack of balance and creating problems both offensively and defensively.
Found this link: https://3point.dk/nyheder/analyse-kontrol-og-forsigtighed-kostede-i-sidste-ende-jesper-sorensen-jobbet (google translates it well)
From the conclusion:
> Jesper Sørensen managed to bring about clear improvements in Brøndby’s defence and build a style of play based on control. But the cautious approach came at a price. Although the team became more effective in front of goal, they never managed to fully realise their offensive potential in combination with a tightly closed defence.
re: Jesper Sorensen- definitely an upgrade as he has had a p/g of 1.75 in a good league- Vanni had 1.5 and savarese had a 1.52- how Jesper left and why he left for Vancouver/MLS Brondby FC is a curiosity, so will wait to find out
on paper, this looks like a definite upgrade for the Caps, so a tentative thumbs-up from me –
wagner has a a 1.35 p/g average and multiple teams in his career which were both red flags; and Savarese seemed more like an orange for an orange move, albeit, he did take the Timbers to a MLS Cup
next will be some player news before the season starts– looking for at least 1 speedy, tricky attacker to compliment Gauld and White, and another on defence or again, on offence