The Vancouver Whitecaps and their fans are still coming to grips with how their season came to an abrupt and disheartening end. They faced FC Dallas in the knockout round of the playoffs and were in the thick of things until a painful penalty kick in the 84th minute ended up sending the Whitecaps packing.
While that stings, the reality is that it’s time to move on and turn our attention to the future and what to expect this offseason. Head coach Carl Robinson has his work cut out for him this winter but there is still plenty of reason for optimism with so many returning faces. The most glaring need for the Whitecaps is to fill the hole up front that was left when Camilo left last offseason and there is no doubt the lack of goal scoring is something that has to be addressed. Vancouver is an organization headed in the right direction and it begins with attracting a top scorer.
Who’ll Fill The Goal-Scoring Void?
Camilo’s loss up front was a substantial hit for a team that was already lacking in the striker position. The proof is in the pudding as Vancouver had 53 goals for last season but dropped to just 42 this year. The good news is that they did get some excellent performances from both Kekuta Manneh and Pedro Morales. Manneh was almost unstoppable at times and, while he will certainly have to be more consistent to be considered among the league’s elite strikers, his best years are undoubtedly still ahead of him.
Morales thrived in every aspect for Vancouver with a tremendous vision and poise under pressure that made him a Whitecaps MVP candidate every single night. He finished the season with 10 goals and 12 assists, and it was no surprise when he was named the team’s Player of the Year. Now it’s on management to surround him and Manneh with at least one more major threat in order to maximize their talents. The team needs some depth and these guys needs some support. Right now, it’s not there. Morales is the type of player that makes the most out of the situation he is in and his game will only improve with another top striker in front of him.
Surviving The Expansion Draft
Vancouver was fortunate to survive the MLS Expansion draft without taking too many big hits but they didn’t come through completely unscathed. The loss of skillful midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy will certainly hurt unless they are able to address it. Ballouchy worked his way back from a knee injury and was showing positive signs that he would play a more prominent role moving forward but clearly, that’s no longer going to be the case.
The Whitecaps are negotiating with Andy O’Brien and Mauro Rosales in an effort to lower their cap numbers but it’s unrealistic to think they will be able to dramatically lower those payouts. The Whitecaps will only have so much to spend once they address their two biggest needs (the addition of a pure scorer and Ballouchy’s replacement) and it will be interesting to see what they are able to get done.
Outlook
The Whitecaps are certainly headed in the right direction. They have some quality cornerstones to build around as David Ousted, who was a legitimate Goalkeeper of the Year candidate, is stellar at the back end and will be back. Meanwhile Morales, Manneh, and Kendall Waston are a solid trio and as long as they live up to the performances they put forward last year, the Whitecaps are in pretty good shape.
That means that if they can find a way to add a top goals scorer to the roster they have in place, they will be primed to compete for a playoff spot once again in 2015. However, if they can’t make any improvements to the team that exited the playoffs very early, it’s unrealistic to expect them to go much further next time around.
