Over the past several weeks patience has worn thin in the lower mainland after the high hopes of opening day have faded into a jumbled mess of near losses and hard fought draws. Ben Massey wrote a thought provoking piece that seemingly foreshadowed today's news and that was written exactly 10 days ago. I think he might actually know what he is talking about once and a while...
In press conference after press conference it seemed to show on Teitur's face a little more that he was dealing with immense pressure from the brass to get his squad to buck up take control of some games. People on the street began to whisper and supporters on the Southsiders forum even began to question Thordason's effectiveness in leading the expansions Whitecaps. In an open letter to the fans, Whitecaps brass pointed to the fact that this is a results driven business and how expectations had not been met. That is a pretty clear cut answer saying "hey baby it's just business"
I can totally see where the front office is coming from though.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Now I am far less qualified then Thordason to effectively run a pro club, but even my simple mind could see that something was fundamentally wrong with our squad. It's not as though we have been absolutely outclassed in a 6-2 home loss this season so it has felt like we have been in nearly every game that we have played. It's a little heart breaking to watch your home side lose or tie games that they clearly had a shot at stealing. Apparently management has felt the same. The only thing I take issue with is that the axe came maybe a little to early for me. I would have liked to see Teitur get at least until the All Star Game to try and show that he has learned some lessons. It would seem though that the club has very different plans and expects to right the ship as quickly as possible.
Strict use of the 4-4-2 "Grandad" System saw the club grind out a 1-5-6 record in MLS competition. Wait for a second though, because thats not exactly true. Saturday April 2nd we watched the Blue and White go down 3 goals to an undermanned and unspectacular Sporting Kansas City squad. It was not until Teitur shook things up a bit and removed a defender and replaced him with an attacking midfield player that the games outcome completely changed. The squad went from a sit back and hammer the ball up the middle squad to one that wanted to play the wings and stretch the opposition.
We will see what a difference this change will make. The club did not have to look very far to find Teitur's replacement.
Current Director of Soccer Opperations Tom Soehn will take managerial control of the squad for the rest of the season. Soehn's resume speaks for it's self. He has won 2 supporters shields an MLS Championship, and a US Open Cup.