Robinson deserves accolades
Carl Robinson, MLS coach of the year candidate.
If you’re a Vancouver Whitecaps fan, it has a certain logical ring to it right now, considering where the team sits in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings and the money they’ve spent on players.
With six games left in their regular season, the Whitecaps (13-9-6) are atop the West with the Portland Timbers (12-10-8), Sporting Kansas City (11-6-11) and the Seattle Sounders (11-7-11) all nipping at their heels.
When the MLS Players Union released player salaries in April, Vancouver was ninth in the league ($8.1 million), leaving them behind the likes of sixth-placed Portland ($10.8 million) and seventh-placed Seattle ($10.4 million). Kansas City ($6.6 million) was 17th.
Toronto FC (18-3-8), which leads the East, was tops in terms of spending at $22.5 million, followed by New York City FC ($17.9 million) and Orlando City SC ($13.2 million).
Robinson, as you would fully expect, wasn’t getting drawn into a conversation Tuesday about personal accolades, explaining, “It’s about the players.” He was willing to talk coaching philosophy a tad.
“You learn what you’re able to do and what you’re not able to do,” Robinson said of his time at the helm of the Whitecaps, which began in the 2014 season. “Sometimes you get it right. Sometimes you don’t.
“You learn about people. I think that’s an important thing. Every person is different. You want them all to be a certain way, but they’re not. They’re all individuals. You have to work with them individually and collectively.
“You have to learn from your mistakes and, when the day is gone, you have to wake up the next morning and put a smile on your face. Life is too short. That’s the way I approach my job and my coaches — I make it mandatory for them, too. I want them to have smiles on their faces every day. The same with the players. If we come into work and give it our all, the rest will take care of itself.”
FC Dallas coach Oscar Pareja won coach of the year last season in a vote by players, club staff and media. Dallas won the Western Conference regular-season banner in 2016 with a 17-8-9 mark. Voting is slated begin next month.