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2021 Whitecaps

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Addition by subtraction (starters):

RT
Baldi (sorry, just not good enough - I don't get the hype?)
 

Dude

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Addition by subtraction (starters):

RT
Baldi (sorry, just not good enough - I don't get the hype?)
RT was, to me, nowhere good enough.

Baldi, I felt he had a good match paired w/ Bikel. Baldi played more as a shallow lying holder, and Bikel played the animal. Rarely does the two holder midfield arrangement work, and you could see strategy was getting possession and moving it to the right, or up top. Dájome played mostly off the right side...the left side saw Tiebert almost entirely being bypassed by Gutiérrez, who had an excellent match. I felt he was the best we had, actually.


I see Baldi and his progression. Fitness is way higher right now, he's sweeping well, and very few losses in possession. What I like about his and Bikel's games right now is an unapologetic approach to hounding the ball carrier. They are both tackling everything in site, and dancing along the line but not going too far over. I also don't see these guys having a moan when they get a knock, fcuking love that. The hard man approach is filtering into the rest of the squad, and I like not seeing guys play-acting for calls. Even the South Americans have backed off on that stuff.

Alexandre likely to grab Baldi's spot...hope Bikel stays in there.

Love how Cava's game is coming along, love how he drew the PK. He doesn't need a lot to be a big impact.
 

Dude

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On another topic....

How do you all feel about the idea of un-retiring Dom's #10?



Glass City brought it up. I generally like his stuff but this has me pretty wound up. I know numbers aren't retired in football (especially #10), but his was here, and for a beloved player in the club and community. Personally, I hate the idea of unretiring just because a few jock sniffers want to hand it over to a kid who's done nothing in the game, and nothing for the club.

Thoughts?

Am I alone in this?
 

Regs

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On another topic....

How do you all feel about the idea of un-retiring Dom's #10?



Glass City brought it up. I generally like his stuff but this has me pretty wound up. I know numbers aren't retired in football (especially #10), but his was here, and for a beloved player in the club and community. Personally, I hate the idea of unretiring just because a few jock sniffers want to hand it over to a kid who's done nothing in the game, and nothing for the club.

Thoughts?

Am I alone in this?

First I've heard of this but then again, I don't pay too much attention to the jock sniffers.

Hard NO.

You aren't alone (on this).

:wa:
 

Dude

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In 24 hours, the "Agree with everything Dude says" feature can be enabled on the nanobots. I know a guy, and I already have the ap on my phone.
 

mtkb

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Glad to see the RT hate wagon has been picked up in my absence...

one of my pals said "I've never seen a single player kill attacks more than RT" - and that really sums it up... he's actually managed to get worse... works hard, and i'll give him that his defensive positioning and instincts have somewhat improved over time (low bar on both), but he's just a possession killer.

I've seen enough of Gutierrez - Ali Adnan pack ur shite, they need the DP spot. Love Adnan at 250k per year, hate him at 2 million or whatever they're paying him.

Cavallini - I love the fact that a single goal was enough for Caldwell to accuse him of being "in a rich vein of form" but small victories I suppose. For the first time since Chumiento / Hassli were here, the Caceido / Dajome / Cavallini (and perhaps Alexandre) grouping looks to have some semblance of an idea about what each other are going to do. Not Sedin level telepathy by any stretch, but hey, progress.

Baldy was lucky not to get a straight red against Portland, and picked a bad time to have a snooze on the weekend, but as a bench player he's just fine.

Mobilio is #10 in this town. Wouldn't un-retire it for Neymar never mind whoever this new target is. If he needs that number to perform so badly he can do it somewhere else...
 

dezza

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@mtkb I'm guessing Caldwell's comment about Cavallini being in form may have been taking into account his recent goals with the Canadian National team (where Caldwell has been an assistant coach)
 

Dude

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To be fair he is in a good run of form.

@mtkb : flow killer, offence killer, all good descriptions of RT. For two matches overloading the right side has worked. It won’t forever. Swap Adnan in for him as a winger and we may have something.
 

mtkb

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that looked more like the Whitecaps we're used to - dull, uninspired, and lacking in execution.

not sure how the PK gets called back when the referee is five feet away and staring right at the foul... that was two video reviews, both instigated by Allan Chapman, both against the Caps... both for no good reason in my view.

pure class from Diego Rubio on the finish, but the Bikel foul is a direct result of RT being unable to handle his man, or remotely steer him away from a danger area... why they put Alexandre up top with Cavallini and RT in the middle of the park in a 4-4-2 is beyond me. I get that they're having work ethic issues with Bair, and Ricketts may not be 100%, but surely throwing Raposo up there to see what he can do in an advanced position would have made more sense?

Speaking of Raposo, Darryl Dike was taken one spot after him and will likely be sold to Europe for between 10-20 million dollars. Raposo looked like he belongs in the CPL on Sunday; I get that coming on later on is a challenge but the odd free cross should at least come within a mile of the target.

This teams needs a legit #10 and then we'll see... without one they're likely doomed to a mid pack, playoff straddling finish at best...
 

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It took 15 minutes for RT to make a forward pass! He consistently drops back to receive the ball but then has no ability to turn/have a look.

I found it comical when Alexandre decided enough is enough and he started dropping real deep to get the ball from the backs... RT didn't know what to do and quietly drifted out wide and did nothing.

Not sure if others picked up on it but like I say, it was comical.

I thought about it and I put the onus on MDS now. Why do you put RT in a position that he is technically not capable of?
 

mtkb

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I don't know how you take the club seriously as a high end talent when you look across the park and see that you're lined up beside RT... I mean as a sub to run around like a bull on crack for ten minutes at the end, sure... but as part of the started 11, and with the armband to boot? Fcuk me...
 

Dude

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It took 15 minutes for RT to make a forward pass! He consistently drops back to receive the ball but then has no ability to turn/have a look.

I found it comical when Alexandre decided enough is enough and he started dropping real deep to get the ball from the backs... RT didn't know what to do and quietly drifted out wide and did nothing.

Not sure if others picked up on it but like I say, it was comical.

I thought about it and I put the onus on MDS now. Why do you put RT in a position that he is technically not capable of?
Yes, MDS was tactically out of his depth. Why even start RT, and further, WTF are you thinking handing him an armband? Last week, the opposing Captain was Michal Fcuking Bradley. I mean, it's not even close, in terms of quality, or leadership.

I know this much, I have no idea what Ciao is capable of because of the miscast of RT. Yeah, when he started dropping deep, bang on, RT drifted out wide...to do what? Bikel was still kicking anything that moved (God Bless, starting to really like this guy), including RT's missed mark. It reminded me of Pedro Morales, late in his stay, when he started as a deep lying playmaker rather than up the pitch, expressly to get him the ball because we were failing at that. I think (correct me if I'm wrong) it was after Koffie had left, and with him, a lot of that space he'd command after collecting Laba's won tackles.

In retrospect, would it not have been better to have Baldi playing the deep role, let Bikel do his animal thing, and leave Ciao up high as the link in to Cava? I thought Bikel was quite good an unrelenting in his role.

And....we still haven't seen anyone remotely as talented as we had with Morales in the middle of the part. Not even close. The guy was fun to watch, could spread the play, would have a go....too bad he was made of glass, and hated North America.
 

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I don't know how you take the club seriously as a high end talent when you look across the park and see that you're lined up beside RT... I mean as a sub to run around like a bull on crack for ten minutes at the end, sure... but as part of the started 11, and with the armband to boot? Fcuk me...
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