Whitecaps putting character first
New manager plans to rebuild with hard-working players who like to play defence
Marc Dos Santos knows he has a huge job ahead of him in overhauling the good ship Whitecap. And the new manager’s first official moves as the man in charge made it clear he wants players who won’t rock the boat on board when the new season launches.
Last year ended with the team washed up on the rocks in a storm of dramatic dissent, getting pounded by waves of criticism both internally and externally — the usual fate of teams with high expectations that miss the playoffs.
Dos Santos’ teams in the past have enjoyed the reputation of being cohesive, teamfirst, unity-driven clubs, where no one player is valued above another. Hard work and diligence have been considered prized assets, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that Nico Mezquida and Erik Hurtado were among just seven players who had their options picked up at Monday’s MLS deadlines.
“It’s important to have players who show up every day, they show up to every event. That’s part of creating a winning mentality,” Dos Santos said. “So every player who has that mentality is in a good spot in the club. (They are) two players who did good things in the club.
“It’s looking at the total package. Looking at what they bring every day in the locker-room, how they train, their commitment to the club … everything counts when you take a decision on a player.”
The team’s two longest-serving players outside of Russell Teibert, Mezquida (five seasons) and Hurtado (six) both have scored 12 regular-season goals for the Caps, and their role as energy subs off the bench fits in well with Dos Santos’s hightempo, high-pressure philosophy.
Also having their options exercised were centre-back Doneil Henry, fullback Brett Levis, midfielders David Norman Jr. and Yordy Reyna, and goalkeeper Sean Melvin.
There were few surprises in the players whose contracts weren’t renewed. Brek Shea and Aly Ghazal were the No. 2 and 3 highest-paid players on the team. Roberto Dominguez and Marvin Emnes were trialists who never saw the pitch. Centre-back regulars Jose Aja and Aaron Maund likely were deemed too expensive, especially as part of a defence that conceded a club-record 67 goals last season.
While it wasn’t completely shocking that the club decided to move on from starting goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic, many were surprised that Spencer Richey — who had been on loan to FC Cincinnati and one of the best stoppers in the USL last season — wasn’t renewed. Instead, the team will look to homegrown goalie Melvin and to-be-determined players.
“It was about me profiling what the Whitecaps need as a goalkeeper and what does it mean to use a foreign spot,” Dos Santos told TSN’s Peter Schaad earlier this week. “When I looked at the goalkeeping position, I thought we could get the job done with a domestic goalkeeper. So I think we totally go in the right direction with this one.”
The status of the team’s two biggest players — both in size and personality — remains unclear.
Centre-back Kendall Waston hasn’t publicly budged from his desire to leave the team, but he’s been away on international duty with Costa Rica since early November, and Dos Santos said he hasn’t talked to him face-to-face.
Forward Kei Kamara, a fan favourite whose 14 goals was the second-most in the team’s MLS history, is out of contract. While there haven’t been talks with the Sierra Leone international yet, Dos Santos hasn’t ruled him out.
The team’s current roster is bereft of scoring (Reyna’s six goals is the high), has a keeper who has never played an MLS game, just one confirmed centre-back (Henry), and lacks a game-breaker in the vein of Alphonso Davies.
The next chance to change all that comes during a halfday trade window on Dec. 9. Free-agency begins the same day as the MLS Expansion Draft (Dec. 11), a day before the MLS Waiver Draft, and three days before the MLS Re-Entry Draft.
Options for bringing in a marquee player are limited by transfer windows in other international leagues, so Whitecaps fans might have to wait until next year before they see an exciting new face. But Dos Santos promised plenty of movement between now and then, including “young, energetic, dynamic player.” He’ll opt for players who are responsible on defence over those who are solely offensively gifted.
“That was one of the reasons I wanted to come here, because I felt there was space to make a roster better. But you can’t do this in one transfer window,” said Dos Santos.
“Because, when you change players, it needs to click. You need time to make it click. But everything that’s decided is in looking at the medium to long-term for the club. Every big job … when you want to change something and you want to move forward, you’re going to have to start by almost destroying something to rebuild. And this is what we’re doing at the moment.
“I’ve learned more … about the passion around the club from the fan base … and that brings a big level of responsibility to make sure I bring the right people in.”
It’s looking at the total package. Looking at what they bring every day in the locker-room, how they train, their commitment totheclub…”
Marc Dos Santos