Every Friday, Sportsnet.ca will chat with Sportsnet 650 radio commentator Dan Riccio about the big stories and issues surrounding the Vancouver Whitecaps.
SN: What’s your reaction to the Whitecaps’ decision to fire coach Carl Robinson this week? Good move or bad move?
RICCIO: I think it was the necessary move. If you look at Robinson’s five years with the club, he did relatively well. There wasn’t the playoff success that many hoped for, but his regular season record is comparable to other teams with similar budgets in the Western Conference.
However, Vancouver has felt like a team in need of a new direction, a new way forward. The Whitecaps became stale. Sure, they are scoring more this year, but they are one of the worst possession teams in the league, they have the seventh fewest shots per game, and rank low in goals scored from open play. The concerns over the last few years have remained the same. That was a big concern for me, and with attendance numbers down over recent weeks it seemed the fan base felt similarly. It was becoming harder to sell Robbo’s direction for the club, and a new person pulling the strings can help that.
What did you make of Whitecaps’ timing in parting company with Robinson with five games left in the season? Should they have waited until the end of the campaign? Or were they right to cut him loose now?
If you know that the coach is going to be let go at season’s end, why hang on? I get that many people think the timing was curious, but for me there is no reason to keep a coach in the job if you know his fate has already been decided. It’s no secret that frustration was growing from both sides, and so it was best to just immediately move on.
It also seemed obvious that the writing was on the wall for some time now. With the squad struggling to get results down the stretch, management is clearly hoping a change of manager will give them a boost in the final five matches to make that last-ditch attempt at the playoffs. I don’t agree with that line of thinking, but hearing the comments from club president Bob Lenarduzzi this week, it’s obvious that this was part of the thought process.
What do you think Robinson’s legacy will be as Whitecaps coach? Was his tenure a success or a failure?
It should be viewed as a success, and I hope the fan base sees it that way. The Whitecaps have dropped from a top-five payroll team into the bottom half of MLS since Carl Robinson took over, and that makes it difficult to compete consistently at the top of the league. The budget is a difficult hurdle to overcome, and management’s reluctance to pay transfer fees made that mission even more difficult to find quality players.
So, if we just stick to the facts, Robbo did well under the circumstances. It is incredibly difficult to deny that. It wasn’t perfect, but making the playoffs in three of his five seasons and bringing the team to its first playoff win last year should be seen as success.
It will be interesting to see how the new person in charge manages the challenges that come with this particular position, and I have a feeling over time many of the fans who wanted to see this change will look back more fondly on Carl’s tenure.
Who do you think is the top candidate(s) to replace him on a full-time basis? If you were making the decision, who would you hire?
The buzz is that it will be Canadian Marc Dos Santos. The Montreal native has been working as an assistant under Bob Bradley at LAFC, and he has built himself an outstanding reputation. It seems like a great fit, and for more than just the fact that he is Canadian. He’s been around MLS, he won an NASL title with the Ottawa Fury, and he had success with the San Francisco Deltas, and Swope Park Rangers. He also has experience in Brazil with SE Palmeiras and Desportivo Brasil.
Having that experience, and having built those connections in other parts of the world can be huge assets for the club as they embark on a big off-season. I would have Dos Santos at the top of my list ahead of Caleb Porter or Sigi Schmid, two well-known names in Cascadia circles. MLS is evolving, and Dos Santos can help the Whitecaps get on a path with where the rest of the league is going.
Can the Whitecaps overcome this coaching change late in the season to qualify for the playoffs? Or is the post-season beyond them at this point?
That is the hope from management, but I think it’s unrealistic. Sure, the Whitecaps are only four points out, but they have dropped to eighth in the conference and three of their remaining five matches are away from BC Place. They have to travel across the country to take on Toronto FC, a difficult trip to make late in season even though TFC has run into their own troubles. That travel is rough. They have to win four of the five games to secure a playoff spot, I would think. I don’t see it happening. The Whitecaps blew their chance by losing both of these last two matches at home against Seattle and Dallas. That also sealed the fate of coach Carl Robinson.
Be sure to listen to Dan Riccio on a daily basis on Sportsnet 650. You can also follow Dan Riccio on Twitter
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