So, your DP left and you need to replace him on short notice? Do not fear; Sensible Whitecaps Transfers is here! This edition focuses on a replacement for Stuart Armstrong. What we are looking for is somebody who provides a mixture of ball progression and shot creation from central areas. Here is the long list (consult the “Strikers” edition if you want to know how … Continue reading Sensible Whitecaps Transfers: Midfield Playmakers

The Vancouver Whitecaps are potentially looking to add American winger Emmanuel Sabbi (27) from Ligue 1 side Le Havre. But is he any good? It’s a bit hard to say! Let’s go on a retrospective of his very weird career.  Part 1: A Bold Step: 1997-2022 Sabbi was born in Italy to Ghanaian parents. The family emigrated to the United States shortly after he was … Continue reading Deep Dive: Emmanuel Sabbi

The Vancouver Whitecaps suddenly have a ton of roster flexibility. The way I see it they currently have three big needs. A Striker: Probably purely a backup for Brian White…unless… W/FW: This not quite a winger not quite a striker used to be the Whitecaps’ specialty. It felt like from 2012-2016 they would sign about six players every window who “could play anywhere across the … Continue reading Sensible Whitecaps Transfers: Strikers

The Vancouver Whitecaps have just re-repatriated Canadian international Jayden Nelson. Nelson, 22,  has bounced around in Europe for a few seasons after getting his start with Toronto F.C. But is Nelson actually good? Allow me to answer that question with a question: good at what? The thing is, Nelson undeniably does some useful stuff. In his one full MLS season, back in 2022, his dribbling … Continue reading Deep Dive: Jayden Nelson

Every year we get to about this time and you start to see comments to the effect of “training camp is X number of days away and the team hasn’t made any significant signings!” The fact that this is the case literally every single year doesn’t seem to deter the discourse. So, I thought I would throw together a quick analysis of when signings usually … Continue reading When Signings Actually Happen

The most obvious need for the Whitecaps’ roster, as it stands, is players who can play in a front three. They also have filled all of their DP slots, all of their U-22 initiative slots (at least until Caicedo is sold), and all of their international slots (although they could trade for more of those or open up a slot by moving someone). So an … Continue reading Sensible Whitecaps Transfers: Domestic Attacking Players

The MLS Draft came and went. The Whitecaps not only drafted two guys but also got a roster player out of it. Let’s take a look at what they got. Tate Johnson/LB/19 First of all, big thanks to Paul Harvey who’s NCAA dashboard is drawn on heavily in this article. Without this information it would be hard for me to say much of anything about … Continue reading Deep Dive: Draft Picks

Well it’s another off-season and that means it’s time for another overview of what I think the Whitecaps’ priorities should be. This is a particularly big off-season because, based on the age profile of the squad, I would say 2025 is Vancouver’s last chance to win something with this core group of players. When I say this, it makes it sound like I think a … Continue reading 2025: The Last Dance

When Damir Kreilach was signed ahead of the 2024 season I wrote an article that I would describe as tepidly positive. Setting Expectations for Damir Kreilach Kreilach was clearly not able to be the centre-peice of a team anymore but my argument was that in the era of 5 subs, there could be a greater role for finishers or players that were specifically for the … Continue reading Thinking About Roster Spots and Damir Kreilach