Teams in different spending galaxies, but have same goal
Whitecaps focused on recruiting route, while L.A. not afraid to empty pockets
Two rudderless ships will drift into each other about 10 kilometres inland from Long Beach, Calif., on Saturday night.
Both have a destination — a Major League Soccer championship — but their routes are going through different poles with the same lacklustre results.
The budget-conscious Vancouver Whitecaps on Tuesday fired Carl Robinson, their head coach of nearly five seasons. The L.A. Galaxy, the high-profile, high-paying league standard bearers, parted ways with Sigi Schmid two weeks ago.
And both teams, with their radically disparate methods of creating a roster, are struggling to make the playoffs. The Galaxy (11-11-8, 41 points) are a point up on Vancouver (11-11-7, 40 points), though both trail the Seattle Sounders (1311-5, 44 points) for the final playoff berth in the Western Conference.
With just five games left in the regular season, there’s no room for mistakes by the Caps, who have dropped two straight games.
“Obviously, (L.A. is) still fighting for a lot,” said Whitecaps interim head coach Craig Dalrymple. “But we have a game plan we hope will be effective. The boys have committed to it, and understand how we’re going to play.
“I challenged the players on what to expect, what do they want, what is the messaging they’ve heard to this point, and what are
they willing to commit to. So really, it’s driven by the players. So I just try to massage it and guide it, to a point where they’re all on the same page.”
Both teams are, at least in the front office, still scrambling to straighten out a chaotic present for a clearer future. Player budget has been an enrapturing topic for Caps fans, and that doesn’t figure to change, even with the team’s pledge to splash on some highpriced players with the money earned from Alphonso Davies’ transfer to Bayern Munich.
The Galaxy were last in MLS last year despite a $12.1-million payroll that was fifth-highest in MLS. This year that number jumped to No. 2 at $17.5 million, yet they are still in the same boat as Vancouver, who spent less than half that amount.
Don’t expect that philosophy to change, said Whitecaps minority owner Steve Nash.
“We’ve spent plenty of money,” said the former NBA star, who spent Friday morning’s practice session training with the first team and residency squads.
“I think people are referring to signing a big DP or spending more money, but we have loads of players that are making loads of money that are sitting on the bench. So I think, if anything, we have to realign our values and principles, get better at all our processes — recruitment, especially — and do the best we can with the level we have, resource-wise.
“I understand where the fans are coming from. They want to see a loaded lineup, they want to see a big star or two in here, and that’s natural. We appreciate that hunger and desire from them.
“That’s not necessarily what we’re about in our values; we want to build a team, and a holistic one, from the youngest kids to the first team. We want to recruit well not just in ability, but in personality, and really put together a team of fighters. That’s something that doesn’t always cost a lot of money.
“Not just pop in, sign a few mercenaries and have fun at the playoffs, because as we know, that’s a risky proposition and that’s not what we’re about.
“We want to see this club, this fan base, catch fire. And for us to do that sensibly and sustainably, we need to be wise and we need to build. And this is an opportunity not to say, ‘OK, panic button, let’s spend a lot of money, let’s risk the farm to try to win an MLS Cup in a league that has shown that (spending ) is not the way to the final, necessarily.
“We have to keep building, keep learning, keep growing, keep making cultural hires that build something special here.”
We want to build a team, and a holistic one, from the youngest kids to the first team.
KEY MATCHUP
Kei Kamara vs. Dave Romney
Romney, the 6-2, 25-year-old L.A. Galaxy centreback, will likely draw the assignment of trying to slow down Caps striker Kei Kamara, who’s been on a tear, scoring three times in his last four starts, including two high-flying headed goals in two games. None of his teammates has scored, so the Headmaster — the league leader in aerial battles won — needs to carry the load upon his head once again.
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Things to watch WHITE FLAG, OR SEEING RED?
The #Robboout brigade finally got their pound of flesh when Carl Robinson and his assistants were fired by the club Tuesday. How the team responds to the loss of their coach, and interim head coach Carl Dalrymple’s leadership, won’t really be known until the team hits the pitch today.
If they weren’t motivated to find a way to win in the two home losses that have their season on the brink, it’s tough to see them getting fired up for the Galaxy, even with their playoff lives on the line.
LATE-SEASON OFFENCE
Last season with five games left, the Whitecaps were sitting pretty atop the West after a 2-1 win over Colorado pushed their unbeaten streak to seven games. But they won just once the rest of the way — getting shut out twice — scoring three goals over that span, and finished in third.
Fast-forward to 2018, and a sixgame unbeaten streak has been replaced by two straight 2-1 losses at home. They need their offence to find those timely, gritty goals that have eluded them.
GALAXY’S RISE
Losing isn’t a familiar feeling for Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Galaxy just ended a winless streak that stretched back to July 29 (0-4-3), beating the Seattle Sounders 3-0 at home. It cost L.A.’s Sigi Schmid his job — there have been a record six coaching changes in MLS this season — and left his team with rapidly fading playoff hopes.
“It’s a different situation, and it’s the first time I feel like anything can happen (in a game),” said Ibrahimovic, who leads the Galaxy with 18 goals.
“Because the teams I’ve played for, I had that feeling like we’re unbeatable. Nobody can destroy us. We will destroy everybody.
“And now it’s like you come to a game, it feels like 50-50, anything can happen.”