<i>"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it."</i>
It’s difficult to really draw any conclusions after the 4-3 win versus the New England Revolution. Both teams took turns displaying some shocking defending that looked fit for a Sunday beer league.
You can somewhat understand why, as the Whitecaps started the match with Carlyle Mitchell, who was recalled from second division club FC Edmonton and thrust into the starting line-up despite not playing a game since May 25th due to an injured ankle, and Johnny Leveron, who is a very bright young prospect who has played more good matches than bad, but is not yet the man you want leading your defensive line. Add in an inconsistent Jordan Harvey and there would always be opportunities for the Revs to have. At the other end of the pitch, the normally stingy New England defence was handed a harsh red card to defender Andrew Farrell that clearly disrupted the Revs shape for the rest of the match.
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New England fans should feel slighted. They dominated the home side early, slicing through the makeshift Whitecaps backline with ease and controlled the ball comfortably all over the park. It appeared it would be a long night for the Whitecaps, as all three midfielders were defending carelessly, and you could drive a bus through the centrebacks.
Unfortunately for the visitors, a ball thumped up field was latched on to by a very bright Kenny Miller who went soaring through the air after the slightest of shoves in the back. There were hints of a heel clip, but from the various camera angles it appears that it was Miller who clipped his own heel.
That said, Whitecaps supporters will feel that the soccer gods owed them a bounce or two after the last two home games included the Timbers stealing a draw with a ball handling performance the TrailBlazers would be proud of and an utterly dominant draw against age old rivals Montreal leading to the Impact lifting the Voyageur’s Cup in BC Place. Not to mention the $645,000 salary cap worth of centrebacks on the physio table rather than on the pitch and you would not blame supporters for wondering when the string of bad luck would end.
The Whitecaps themselves should share a burden of the blame for their hard times. When drawing or leading and the game still in the balance, Martin Rennie has shown a tendency to favour a defensive substitution, resulting in a team willing to let the game be dictated around them. I'm sure Martin isn't at the edge of his technical area shouting "BUNKER, BUNKER!" but if you are up by a goal and you send on Alain Rochat as a substitute in your midfield, the message will be heard loud and clear.
In New York, the Whitecaps pulled off a shocking win despite many regulars being unavailable. It did, however, mark the return of Daigo Kobayashi. Daigo was coming off an ankle injury and was able to play the final 13 minutes plus stoppage. There was no indication that the injury was aggravated. Yet the following week, in Seattle, during a game the Whitecaps were up by one and under a constant barrage by the home squad due to their inability to keep the ball, Martin Rennie decided to wait until the 90th minute to put in Daigo. Jun Marques Davidson was having perhaps his worst game as a Whitecap, and Matt Watson was largely invisible. And Daigo Kobayashi was given a whopping sixty seconds plus stoppage time to help regain control.
I understand Daigo Kobayashi has not exactly been all-star calibre, and he certainly isn't the best defensive midfielder, but even before Andy O'Brien went off injured the game was clearly getting out of hand and neither Davidson or Watson were going to be the players to turn it all around. Martin Rennie pointed to the fact that Daigo was still overcoming an injury. Now, I'm reluctant to play internet doctor, but it doesn't pass the smell test. Seven days previous to the Seattle game, he played 13 minutes. Seven days after, he played the full 90 and didn't look worse for wear. I find it very hard to believe Kobayashi couldn't have been given more than sixty seconds to try and salvage something in a Cascadia Cup derby.
Daigo Kobayashi is being paid $225,000. Not an outrageous salary, but certainly one which you would expect to contribute regularly. Matt Watson is being paid $68,250. Watson is a hell of good guy, a great teammate, and will certainly give you a good honest effort every game, but he's still a fringe MLS player.
In MLS, a salary cap league, Daigo must be used. He must contribute more than Matt Watson. If he doesn't, then it's Martin Rennie's fault for not utilizing him properly, or it's Martin Rennie's fault for overpaying for a player who can't handle Major League Soccer.
For the record, I like Daigo and I think he'll succeed. It's far too early to truly judge him. As we've seen plenty of times, it may take even a year for a player to settle in to the league and his team.
Meanwhile, Rennie traded another fan favourite from the old regime in Alain Rochat (for pretty much nothing) mere hours before he had a derby game with Greg Klazura as your only defensive cover. Of course, Murphy’s Law struck and the one game we were out of options in the middle of the back, our old Clydesdale O’Brien had to be pulled off resulting in truly comic defending.
The verdict is out on the trade, as the speculation is that it is to clear up some room for an incoming signing. The rumour is that goalkeeper <a href="http://www.canadiansoccernews.com/content.php?4650-Keeper-David-Ousted-Reported-To-Be-Joining-Vancouver-Whitecaps" target="_blank"><u>David Ousted</u></a> will be joining Vancouver in a matter of weeks to take over the number one keeper position.
Huh?
While neither Cannon nor Knighton are in no danger of racking up unnecessary air miles to the MLS All-Star game in Kansas City, a new goalkeeper is hardly the tonic for the Whitecaps illness.
It would be another piece of puzzling cap management, as it would mean almost $250,000 in salary dollars would be tied up in your backup and third string keeper. It’s possible a move for Cannon is in the works, or he could be waived, but due to his tenure in the league it’s possible he’s on a fully guaranteed contract, meaning his salary number wouldn’t come off the books.
However, it was three points on Saturday, and we did put four goals past a previously stingy New England team. I’m not sure that it answered too many questions, though, as the Whitecaps looked abysmal to start the match, and despite being a man up were outplayed for several long stretches in the second half. Rennie did, however, make reasonably early attacking substitutions, which appeared to do the trick as Kekuta Manneh caused some havoc on his side.
Martin Rennie is a bright young coach. It’s his first time in the league and it’s his highest competition yet. He has shown some progress, but has also shown some faults. That is to be expected for a rookie coach in the MLS, but he must learn from his mistakes or risk having them decide his fate.
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