Richmond "Richie" Laryea

[Unnamed Trialist]

6 hours ago, VinceA said:

Haven't Vancouver had issues with getting the best out of all of their FBs? Might be a Sartini problem.

We were never great, not with any coach: we gave Nerwinski the best years of his life, we gave up on Adekugbe in his former life in favour of Jordan Harvey, who lasted better than Duracell; Robinson was even the first to convert Davies back there as his gift to football humanity. We gave Brett Levi's a try. Then we had Scott Sutter and PC, whose names will forever be etched into our hard drives or the ice at Rogers Centre. A decade ago we had Beitashour and then the Korean Lee.

Maybe Harvey is our best fullback in MLS history, and that's really hard to type.

[Watchmen]

6 hours ago, Obinna said:

Just curious, was Gressel a DP and if he were to have returned as a DP how would that have factored into your view? In reality I believe Laryea is a TAM level player, not a DP, but I believe the same for Gressel who doesn't strike me as a superior player. He does however strike me as being a better fit for Vancouver so I can understand your view there.

Gressel was not on a DP contract.  It's unclear whether the contract he turned down would have made him a DP or not - they've only said it would make him one of the higher paid players on the team, but there's a significant gap between Gauld and the rest of the squad (Gaudl at $2.5m, Cordova was 2nd before his transfer at $1m).  Gressel was at $939k already.

[masster]

On 10/2/2023 at 4:16 AM, Obinna said:

Why do I get the impression caps fans are overexaggerating how poor Laryea has been? Anytime I watch he seems fine, but from what I read he's a disappointment and a downgrade from Gressel.

Was Gressel really that good or was he just a better fit for how Vancouver play? Very curious about this because things don't add up for me.

Maybe what caps fans aren't getting bang for their buck given his contract? 

Gressel was both good and a better fit. But he was also playing a different position, so that isn't a direct comparision.

Laryea is playing a much more attacking role than he was at TFC, and he hasn't seemed to form any sort of chemistry with Gauld and White yet.

Edit: And as I catch up on this thread, I see that all of the above points have already been made.

Edited October 3, 2023 by masster

[BearcatSA]

On 10/2/2023 at 8:52 AM, Watchmen said:

Raposo picked it up briefly, but he's regressed.  Which is frequently his problem.  And he's settled in to having about one move: run down the side, stop, curl the ball in to the box, usually to no one because there's no one there or he's over hit it.  Rinse, repeat.

I've seen him try to take on a defender wide a bit more this season but the play you've described is usually his modus operandi/default tactic.  Otherwise, it's push-and-run (unless he is getting nailed by Bombito, in which case it turns into a push-and-WHAM!!)

[PegCityCam]

Breaks some ankles and then scores his first as a Whitecap. A more Richie-like goal you will never see.

[blueseeka]

Watched the last 20 minutes or so. Vancouver looked pretty great versus the number one team in the West. They could go far in the playoffs.

It was great to see a Layea goal which was assisted by Adekugbe, who had received the ball from Hoilett.

[toontownman]

Could and should have been nearly 10 tonight. So frustratingly wasteful. 

Ahmed with a great showing again.

What do we have that Fifa want to bribe them to speed up Gaulds eligibility. I can't see him staying long enough in Vancouver to play for us but here's hoping.

[masster]

I am glad that Richie got his goal right at the end. Hopefully that will take some of the pressure off and give him some confidence moving foward.

Because up to that point, it was another poor display from him overall.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

17 hours ago, masster said:

I am glad that Richie got his goal right at the end. Hopefully that will take some of the pressure off and give him some confidence moving foward.

Because up to that point, it was another poor display from him overall.

I was only able to watch the second half, but I would disagree somewhat.

He did a lot of thing well.  Decent defensively, took the ball back a few times.  Had a number of good runs, drew a foul or two in good areas. 

His final ball was very poor when on the left. Thought it did improve when he was switched to the right.

Edited October 6, 2023 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[CanadaFan123]

2 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I was only able to watch the second half, but I would disagree somewhat.

He did a lot of thing well.  Decent defensively, took the ball back a few times.  Had a number of good runs, drew a foul or two in good areas. 

His final was very poor when on left. Thought it did improve when he was switched to the right.

I only watched the first half but he seemed decent enough. Combined well with Ahmed a few times and was his usual direct self. The goal should give him a boost for sure and I’m excited to see what the caps and their Canadians can do in the next few games.

[BearcatSA]

6 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

His final was very poor when on the left. Thought it did improve when he was switched to the right.

I thought he had a really nice hit for his goal but he had a glaringly poor first touch on another great scoring opportunity inside the box and few other missteps on the attack in that second half as well, even on the right.  However, I get the feeling that he still pressing and playing tight.  Hopefully, the goal takes the pressure off.

This team misses Gressel's shooting skills.  There was a first half play where Gauld teed up a first time shot on the right that Gressel would have cranked but Raposo ended up flubbing with extra toutches.

[Watchmen]

16 hours ago, toontownman said:

Could and should have been nearly 10 tonight. So frustratingly wasteful. 

Ahmed with a great showing again.

What do we have that Fifa want to bribe them to speed up Gaulds eligibility. I can't see him staying long enough in Vancouver to play for us but here's hoping.

Its not FIFA, it's Canadian citizenship requirements.

[toontownman]

2 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Its not FIFA, it's Canadian citizenship requirements.

Ya! Sorry. My stupid processing brain. I know this.. I'm an immigrant. There really should be a work around for this by now when it benefits the country. 

[narduch]

MLS people obviously don't read this thread.

 

[Obinna]

37 minutes ago, narduch said:

MLS people obviously don't read this thread.

 

Yeah it's quite strange to me. Vancouver fans (at least on this board) are down on Laryea when everyone else doesn't see a problem, including those who pick MLS TOTW. Very curious to know exactly what it is.

I know we've talked about Gressel being a different player, or even a better player (which I am not convinced of), or simply a better fit for Vancouver (who am I to say otherwise?), but it's still an odd one for me...

I know someone (@Watchmen?) suggested it's largely about his contract and whether he's worth it, even though he is playing like typical Laryea. Both things can be true, Laryea not being worth it (for Vancouver) and Laryea still being one of the best outside backs in the league. 

[Watchmen]

4 hours ago, Obinna said:

Yeah it's quite strange to me. Vancouver fans (at least on this board) are down on Laryea when everyone else doesn't see a problem, including those who pick MLS TOTW. Very curious to know exactly what it is.

I know we've talked about Gressel being a different player, or even a better player (which I am not convinced of), or simply a better fit for Vancouver (who am I to say otherwise?), but it's still an odd one for me...

I know someone (@Watchmen?) suggested it's largely about his contract and whether he's worth it, even though he is playing like typical Laryea. Both things can be true, Laryea not being worth it (for Vancouver) and Laryea still being one of the best outside backs in the league. 

I'm glad he scored, even if it was essentially meaningless to the overall game.  He also made a few unforced errors when the game did matter.  And he was TOTW while playing against a St Louis B team.  I'll stand by, I don't think he's worth a DP spot but I'd be fine with him returning next year.

[BearcatSA]

13 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

I'm glad he scored, even if it was essentially meaningless to the overall game.  He also made a few unforced errors when the game did matter.  And he was TOTW while playing against a St Louis B team.  I'll stand by, I don't think he's worth a DP spot but I'd be fine with him returning next year.

He also scored a really nice goal and sometimes the highlight reel moment carries a lot more weight with voters than other factors do.  

Hopefully he'll be on all cylinders vs Japan.

[GasPed]

14 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

He also scored a really nice goal and sometimes the highlight reel moment carries a lot more weight with voters than other factors do.  

Hopefully he'll be on all cylinders vs Japan.

Yeah, the goal was a highlight, but his earlier complete whiff on the cross (followed by an ignominious fall on the turf) was a bit of a lowlight.  It's funny - I expected more and I think it's because I'm used to watching Canada and TFC highlights, rather than a pedantic 90 minutes jogging up and down the flank.  I think I just need to reset.

[Obinna]

10 minutes ago, GasPed said:

Yeah, the goal was a highlight, but his earlier complete whiff on the cross (followed by an ignominious fall on the turf) was a bit of a lowlight.  It's funny - I expected more and I think it's because I'm used to watching Canada and TFC highlights, rather than a pedantic 90 minutes jogging up and down the flank.  I think I just need to reset.

I think I figured it out. Vancouver are sooo good they make Laryea's running appear pedantic.

I too will reset my expectations as we simply cannot expect Laryea to look as good as he's looked for Canada.

Clearly we cannot compare Canada with this elite (4th in the West?) Vancouver side. 

[GasPed]

1 hour ago, Obinna said:

I think I figured it out. Vancouver are sooo good they make Laryea's running appear pedantic.

I too will reset my expectations as we simply cannot expect Laryea to look as good as he's looked for Canada.

Clearly we cannot compare Canada with this elite (4th in the West?) Vancouver side. 

Yes, I know - what would Whitecaps fans know about quality, etc. 😉  But it's strange - I think I just expected Richie to be flying past everyone, dribbling everyone, cutting in and shooting/crossing, dominating basically.  But instead he looks kind of... ..average? 

Now that I think of it, I haven't seen the classic, get-my-foot-in-front, you-touched-me-I-fall-down, Richie party trick in quite a while too.  

Or maybe I thought he would make the Whitecaps instantly better, and it really hasn't been that way - or at least the improvement is not obvious.

One thing that I will repeat though, that counters the idea that Vancouver fans don't know good when we see it:  Ryan Gauld should be MVP of the league and Canada Soccer should exert every bit of influence they can to see him stay in Canada for 2 more years (including turning off the Whitecaps feeds to Scotland/Europe/anywhere). 😉

[An Observer]

2 hours ago, GasPed said:

Yes, I know - what would Whitecaps fans know about quality, etc. 😉  But it's strange - I think I just expected Richie to be flying past everyone, dribbling everyone, cutting in and shooting/crossing, dominating basically.  But instead he looks kind of... ..average? 

Now that I think of it, I haven't seen the classic, get-my-foot-in-front, you-touched-me-I-fall-down, Richie party trick in quite a while too.  

Or maybe I thought he would make the Whitecaps instantly better, and it really hasn't been that way - or at least the improvement is not obvious.

One thing that I will repeat though, that counters the idea that Vancouver fans don't know good when we see it:  Ryan Gauld should be MVP of the league and Canada Soccer should exert every bit of influence they can to see him stay in Canada for 2 more years (including turning off the Whitecaps feeds to Scotland/Europe/anywhere). 😉

Gauld would be a huge addition for us for 26.  We don’t have that kinda player who would link the midfield to the strikers (and wingers).  He also has quite the engine and does a lot of great defensive work which we will need.  I hope it happens but not losing sleep on it.  

I can dream of a starting 11 of the following:

    Dieu-Merci or Jebbison

                                David

Davies           Gauld            Buchanan

           Eustaquio      Kone

     LDF    Stafanovic   Tomori

                   Goodman

 

 

[Obinna]

On 10/6/2023 at 4:42 PM, GasPed said:

Yes, I know - what would Whitecaps fans know about quality, etc. 😉  But it's strange - I think I just expected Richie to be flying past everyone, dribbling everyone, cutting in and shooting/crossing, dominating basically.  But instead he looks kind of... ..average? 

Now that I think of it, I haven't seen the classic, get-my-foot-in-front, you-touched-me-I-fall-down, Richie party trick in quite a while too.  

Or maybe I thought he would make the Whitecaps instantly better, and it really hasn't been that way - or at least the improvement is not obvious.

One thing that I will repeat though, that counters the idea that Vancouver fans don't know good when we see it:  Ryan Gauld should be MVP of the league and Canada Soccer should exert every bit of influence they can to see him stay in Canada for 2 more years (including turning off the Whitecaps feeds to Scotland/Europe/anywhere). 😉

Gauld would be brilliant in the national team and would be awesome in a 3 with Eustaquio and Kone!

When in comes to Laryea though I am curious to see what he looks like now for Canada. Will his bag of party tricks go missing like in Vancouver, or will he be the same Laryea we are used to with Canada? 

[narduch]

I believe he is the highest paid Canadian in MLS.

Slightly ahead of Osorio 

[Unnamed Trialist]

On 10/7/2023 at 3:12 AM, An Observer said:

Gauld would be a huge addition for us for 26.  We don’t have that kinda player who would link the midfield to the strikers (and wingers).  He also has quite the engine and does a lot of great defensive work which we will need.  I hope it happens but not losing sleep on it.  

I can dream of a starting 11 of the following:

    Dieu-Merci or Jebbison

                                David

Davies           Gauld            Buchanan

           Eustaquio      Kone

     LDF    Stafanovic   Tomori

                   Goodman

About Gauld: Scotland just qualified for the Euros next summer in Germany, and playing quite well (beat Spain at home, just lost to them away). So the Scottish block is fairly solid, and they have really fine mids. I am not saying he does not deserve a chance, he probably does, but it is not like they are going to start experimenting any time soon.

You could see starting in the fall of 2024 when WC qualifying begins in Europe, if they struggle or have injuries they could look at him. On the other hand, with qualifying for Canada et al 2026 that much easier, they may be fine and not feel they need him.

He's young, he could still opt for Scotland after 2026, true.

Still, it is a short window for him to be brought in for Scotland before 2026 and you could imagine he'd be tempted by Canada. Hard call.

[CanadaFan123]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

About Gauld: Scotland just qualified for the Euros next summer in Germany, and playing quite well (beat Spain at home, just lost to them away). So the Scottish block is fairly solid, and they have really fine mids. I am not saying he does not deserve a chance, he probably does, but it is not like they are going to start experimenting any time soon.

You could see starting in the fall of 2024 when WC qualifying begins in Europe, if they struggle or have injuries they could look at him. On the other hand, with qualifying for Canada et al 2026 that much easier, they may be fine and not feel they need him.

He's young, he could still opt for Scotland after 2026, true.

Still, it is a short window for him to be brought in for Scotland before 2026 and you could imagine he'd be tempted by Canada. Hard call.

He’s 28 this year so not really young in terms of an international future. For context, Arfield was 27 when he earned his first cap for Canada. 
 

So if I understand correctly Gauld wouldn’t even be eligible for us until after the 2026 WC. Not sure how that helps us really.