The MLS Next Pro season is well underway so I thought it was a good time to bring back my Stock Up/Stock Down series. This looks at the players who helped their chances of one day making it to the first team the most in recent weeks (and the ones who hurt their chances). It’s not necessarily a measure of who the best players are … Continue reading WFC2: Stock Up/Stock Down
The Vancouver Whitecaps emerged victorious in a slightly nervy affair again Minnesota United. It was a bit of a narrative buster, as the talk all week was about how Vancouver’s defence was much improved but they just couldn’t score. But in this match, Vancouver carved Minnesota open and then struggled to close out the game. These defensive struggles are certainly concerning but Vancouver was due … Continue reading Post Match: Regressing to the Mean (But in a Fun Way)
When we bloggers are analyzing signings (or re-signings) we are at a serious disadvantage. This is because, in most cases, we won’t know until later how much a player is making. When you have a salary cap to deal with, whether or not a player is good is only part of the equation. You also have to consider if signing that player is going to … Continue reading Cristian Dájome: A Cautionary Tale
Yohei Takaoka: 9 This is exactly the sort of game that sub-par goalkeeping would have lost for Vancouver last season. Takaoka did not have to make any extremely difficult saves but he was competent and confident throughout. Javain Brown: 8 Brown had another strong performance at right-back. He was active defensively and, crucially, showed a certain level of danger going forward. Not necessarily a huge … Continue reading Report Card: Whitecaps Draw on the Road
Brian White has only scored two league goals this season. This has generated a lot of commentaries that are, in my estimation, misguided and wrong. So let’s talk about Brian White, his season so far, and why there really is no need to worry (at least not in the short term; there is a lot of reason to worry in the long term). Who is … Continue reading Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Brian White (At Least Not For This Season)
A little while back I tweeted this: Fun fact: American Soccer Analysis' G+ model rates Kekuta Manneh as the best outfield Whitecaps player of the MLS era. Mainly due to how impactful his dribbling was. #vwfc https://t.co/bOVUxlWWBE — Caleb Wilkins (@wilkins_caleb24) April 4, 2023 This prompted a lot of responses to the effect of “What? That can’t possibly be true.” Since I use the G+ … Continue reading The Best and Worst Whitecaps Players (According to a Computer)
The Vancouver Whitecaps will look to continue their positive (league) form as they welcome the Portland Timbers to BC Place. The ‘Caps are coming off a very high high and a low low. They spanked CF Montreal 5-0 and then were on the end of a spanking of their own against LAFC. The past week has been a continuation of a season full of sudden … Continue reading Pre Match: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Portland Timbers
The Vancouver Whitecaps gave CF Montreal a damned good thrashing in one of the most enjoyable ‘Caps games to watch in years (at least from our perspective). Let’s look at how the individual players got on. Yohei Takaoka: 8 (Sure, why not?) Takaoka did not face a single shot on target the entire match. But he did everything else competently. Javain Brown: 8.0 Vancouver’s narrow … Continue reading Report Card: Dusted
