CHANGING TIDE FOR CAPS
Coach says team will have fresh look
Carl Robinson’s message on Wednesday was clear: his Major League Soccer squad will be playing a new way in 2018.
Of course, he really means “newish.”
The Welshman has built defencefirst lineups and systems since he became coach of the Whitecaps in 2014.
There’s little reason to think his approach will change all that much, but he did admit he knew his team lacked flexibility when push came to shove at the end of 2017.
“We’ve got to try and find different avenues so that, if we do get in that position again, we don’t fall short,” Robinson said.
Hence bringing in a pair of big, physical strikers like Kei Kamara and Anthony Blondell, or another defensive midfielder like Efrain Juarez (a deal not yet finalized).
Oh, and a quick look at the roster as it stands tells us there’s more to come.
He’s signed six new faces already. Expect “two or three more,” the coach said.
“The personnel I’m going to bring in (and already have), you will see have different characteristics to the players who are leaving.”
So, among other things, get ready for three at the back.
“Possibly,” he said about changing formation, a topic he broached before being asked.
“Modern-day football sometimes goes to a back three. We’ve done it three or four times during the season, but we haven’t started games with it, other than the snow bowl game in Salt Lake,” he said. “Which was a disaster.” There’s also the age of the squad. “We had a number of players going over 30, something I wanted to reduce.”
So, out went Christian Bolanos, Mauro Rosales, David Ousted and Jordan Harvey.
Here’s why we say “new-ish.” At the end of the day, for Robinson, the target on the season is to concede only 40 goals on the year. Last year, the Caps gave up 49 goals.
“Too much,” the coach said. “If we can narrow that down a couple and increase (offence) by a couple ... we were one point from the top of the table.
“We picked up one point in the final three games. It was ours to give away and we gave it away, unfortunately.”
The league is only getting harder, he admitted.
As a result, “you have to try and alter things (in your squad).”
“We were successful last year by committee,” he said. “We got results because of the squad. And that’s what it will be again this year.”
“I need good character guys. People who are willing to run. Work. Fight. And be committed, with the little bit of quality which we didn’t have in the last two games against Seattle.”
It sounds like the disappointing finish has proved to be a lesson.
Robinson said he’s looking for solutions to the problems he saw in the end. There was the big win over San Jose in the playoffs, then the shot-less, goalless mess that was the first leg against the Sounders the following weekend. Throw-Ins: Robinson said Davide Chiumiento will join the club for training camp, but no decision has been made on bringing back the fan favourite ... Despite rumours in the U.K., Robinson said he was never approached about managing the Wales national team and insisted he wasn’t interested ... “He needed a break,” Robinson said about Alphonso Davies not being allowed to train with Manchester United’s academy ... Robinson didn’t sound hopeful that Nigerian Nosa Igiebor will be re-signed.