OT: 2023 Soccer and Vancouver Whitecaps Thread

[crobro]

Caps at least looking decent this season

Only Six losses so far this season which puts them 5th overall for fewest losses

Looking at the final standings last few years seems that the teams that qualify for MLS playoffs usually most or all have the fewest losses overall.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

It's getting pretty sad. Averaging 16k per game. My estimate is 10-12k fans per game based on what I seen at BC Place. Many of the free tickets handed out by companies do not get claimed.

Probably another year with no playoffs or being ousted in the first round. Not sure how long it can last in this city though...

 

[Petey O]

It's getting pretty sad. Averaging 16k per game. My estimate is 10-12k fans per game based on what I seen at BC Place. Many of the free tickets handed out by companies do not get claimed.

Probably another year with no playoffs or being ousted in the first round. Not sure how long it can last in this city though...

I really am not one to just advocate buying a 'big name' for the sake of it, but that's the only thing that could rekindle soccer interest in Vancouver, in my opinion. This is the kind of market where you'd need one for your casual soccer fan to be interested in the team in any capacity.

Problem is the FO is interested in moneyball mode and wants to be Ajax North America.

 

[Lindgren]

Vancouver beats Austin at home, 2-1. That's an important three points.

 

[MS]

I really am not one to just advocate buying a 'big name' for the sake of it, but that's the only thing that could rekindle soccer interest in Vancouver, in my opinion. This is the kind of market where you'd need one for your casual soccer fan to be interested in the team in any capacity.

Problem is the FO is interested in moneyball mode and wants to be Ajax North America.

The stadium situation is the bigger issue. People simply do not want to sit inside in summer, much less in that awful atmosphereless dome.

If they had a 30k outdoor stadium they'd be at close to capacity.

 

[Petey O]

The stadium situation is the bigger issue. People simply do not want to sit inside in summer, much less in that awful atmosphereless dome.

If they had a 30k outdoor stadium they'd be at close to capacity.

Good point. I miss empire field a lot.. as rag tag and thrown together as it was.

Having a grass pitch would attract bigger fish as well. Apparently Messi refuses to play on turf, among many other world superstars.

 

[VanJack]

I know the City said from the beginning that Empire Fields was only a temporary measure for the Lions home games, while B.C. Place was being renovated.

But attending a couple of CFL games in an outdoor stadium was a cool experience again. And Empire Field was a slick arrangement. The stands fit together like a Lego set and although the concessions and restrooms were in trailers, there were certainly enough to accommodate the crowds.

Capacity at Empire Fields was 27,000, but always seemed to me that seating capacity could have been expanded with a little more engineering and a bit more money.

Empire Field is long gone......but just goes to show, you don't have to spending half a billion dollars on a serviceable stadium.

 

[Red]

Whitecaps up 3-0 against LA Galaxy before the half.

They're actually consistently decent this year. I hope they can finally start to build some success/excitement. Gauld is a really excellent player.

 

[Javaman]

Wild and crazy and fun to watch. But this is not a team that will do damage in the playoffs.

They got outscored _after_ they were up a player ffs.

 

[logan5]

Was at the game last night, and it was entertaining, but it's nights like last night where the Caps need to be in an open air,soccer specific stadium.

The city of Burnaby recently announced that they are going to do a major reno on Swangard stadium. They are going put in as much as 170 million dollars. I would suggest the Whitecaps partner with Burnaby and build a world class soccer stadium.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

The stadium situation is the bigger issue. People simply do not want to sit inside in summer, much less in that awful atmosphereless dome.

If they had a 30k outdoor stadium they'd be at close to capacity.

BC Place stinks. I am still dumbfounded as to why the BC Government spent half a billion dollars into that dump.

That said, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC has been a total joke of a franchise for 13 years and counting. First due to a group that was reluctant to spend and now due to the same group who is recklessly allocating funds to junk players (Cordova). This shift was due to the commissioner calling out this moronic ownership group for trying to pocket the Davies money.

It's not hard to do well in the MLS. You can literally buy the right players and build a championship calibre team. A winning team will bring bigger crowds. 2015's success really showed this.

 

[Jyrki21]

 

[VanJack]

Really? The Caps trading one of their best players while still clinging to a playoff spot in the Western Conference?

They better be getting somebody back who can contribute in the 'here and now". Otherwise I feel sorry for Caps fans.

If Gressel wants out of Vancouver, isn't this the kind of deal you do in the off-season rather than disrupting team chemistry this late in the season?

 

[CRDragon]

Really? The Caps trading one of their best players while still clinging to a playoff spot in the Western Conference?

They better be getting somebody back who can contribute in the 'here and now". Otherwise I feel sorry for Caps fans.

If Gressel wants out of Vancouver, isn't this the kind of deal you do in the off-season rather than disrupting team chemistry this late in the season?

Gressel wanted to be in the East with his family. He would be a free agent by off season, so the Caps are trying to get something for him instead of nothing. This could be a costly move regardless.

 

[Lindgren]

It's scoreless between Canada and Nigeria at the half.

For those frustrated about access to Canadian soccer, this one's on CTV.

 

[Lindgren]

Canada and Nigeria played to a scoreless draw. Sinclair had her first-half penalty saved, and that was basically it. Canada did lots of things well, but not much creativity in close.

 

[Petey O]

Losing Gressel is a really big blow. Hopefully they do something with the GAM they receive from him. It's really hard to replace a player of Gressel's calibre in MLS, but it would be nice if they could bolster the defense.

 

[Jyrki21]

Losing Gressel is a really big blow. Hopefully they do something with the GAM they receive from him. It's really hard to replace a player of Gressel's calibre in MLS, but it would be nice if they could bolster the defense.

GlassCity, for what it’s worth, thinks they’re trying to bring Adekugbe back.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

There's literally not much you can do about these sort of things. We aren't a market that's desirable in the lens of football, and you get more exposure in the East. It's a reason why I suspect Gauld will probably be departing soon. I would really hope we continue to find gems like Ahmed and Gauld going forward and stay away from signings like Vite, Cubas and Cava.

On an unrelated, or related note...

Inter Miami has added Messi, Busquets, Jordi Alba, Iniesta, Farias, and will probably sign Luis Suarez in December. Messi, Busquets and Farias are fantastic signings.

The Iniesta and Suarez moves are hilarious because they are probably going to look awful in the MLS. I suspect many outsiders really underestimate the pace needed to play in North America, since it's less of a possession game and more of a high-tempo back-and-forth style of game which is not suited for the older players in the footballing world. Guys like Pirlo, Gerrard and Bale looked so bad in the league.

 

[StreetHawk]

Neither the Lions or whitecaps ever needed a stadium to hold 50k. Max was low 30’s with expansion for grey cup, rugby 7’s, World Cup to 40k max. No idea why the powers that be wanted to keep bc place as it was. Times changed and anything above low 30’s capacity was overkill.

Issue with grass is having the field chewed up by the cfl and getting it ready for the caps. If each club has their own grass field how do you maintain it when it gets removed and how do you get the seams to seal back up to ensure it remains in place so that the players don’t get hurt with the field giving way at the seams.

Todays fan also doesn’t want to be in the rain for a sporting event either. So that’s the issue with open air stadium in October and November as well as March/April for mls.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

That was quite the PK shootout.

Our goalkeeper was pretty mid at reading many shots though.

 

[Petey O]

Subbing in Teibert was the difference in that match. A missed mark on Leon's 2nd goal that wouldn't have happened with any other player.

Also, passing it back when you're trying to go for the winning goal at the death is so freaking stupid.

This guy is an MLS 1.0 era player being put in way over his head against Liga MX competition (and MLS competition for that matter). It seems like whenever this guy gets subbed on, the team concedes, usually as a direct result of him being out of position.

I am not going to blame the guy, but Vanni should be learning his lesson. This guy cannot see the pitch past this season if the Caps ever want to be more than mediocre as an organization.

 

[SeawaterOnIce]

Subbing in Teibert was the difference in that match. A missed mark on Leon's 2nd goal that wouldn't have happened with any other player.

Also, passing it back when you're trying to go for the winning goal at the death is so freaking stupid.

This guy is an MLS 1.0 era player being put in way over his head against Liga MX competition (and MLS competition for that matter). It seems like whenever this guy gets subbed on, the team concedes, usually as a direct result of him being out of position.

I am not going to blame the guy, but Vanni should be learning his lesson. This guy cannot see the pitch past this season if the Caps ever want to be more than mediocre as an organization.

Death, taxes and Russel Teibert.

 

[Red]

Teibert is awful.

Weird tournament but it's nice to play different teams for a change. Leon is a strong team. It was a great atmosphere in the stadium in the 2nd half.

MLS couldn't have drawn it up better than Messi scoring in the 94th minute to win the game in his debut for Miami.

 

[Just A Bit Outside]

Teibert has been shit almost since day one.

There was some promise when he first started but has been useless since. If he wasn’t Canadian, he would have been long ago.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him pass forward. Always lateral or back.

The fact he is still around AND make very good money is an embarrassment.