It's confirmed: as discussed on this site yesterday, veteran Scottish international and Middlesbrough attacking midfielder Barry Robson has signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps. Robson, 33, will be the Whitecaps' second designated player along with Eric Hassli.

Robson looks like a replacement for what Mustapha Jarju should have been: an attacking midfielder who plays for his national team and is a good all-round attacker best known for scoring goals coming out of a second division (although he's had some first division success as well). Of course, Robson is 33 years old whereas Jarju is 25.

No, I don't really mean to call Robson the new Jarju. The similarities in role are obvious: the differences are that, with 73 excellent games in the English Championship over the past two seasons as well as comprehensive Scottish Premier League experience, Robson is much more of a proven quantity. He's getting on in years but he's also a highly capable player at a level higher than MLS; if he can bring his Championship production to Canada he'll be worth a DP slot. Robson's stayed healthy and has a good attitude by all accounts. If you don't think the Whitecaps are overloaded on attacking players, he's a good risk: even if you do think the Whitecaps are too one-dimensional, Robson's midfield scoring is a facet we haven't got yet.

Also, it's unlikely Robson will be used as a forward.

I've already gone over the tactical implications of Robson so I'll spare your blushes. Suffice to say that this has to be bad news for Davide Chiumiento, as I can't imagine how the Whitecaps could carry Robson and Chiumiento in the same eleven. No doubt he'll be asked to hang back more than he does at Middlesbrough, and since my article yesterday I've been told Robson's played fair defensive midfield in the past. I'm sure he was brought in to score goals, though.

Yesterday, the Vancouver Sun's Bruce Constantineau brought the news that the Daily Mail has linked current Middlesbrough left winger/attacking midfielder Barry Robson to the Vancouver Whitecaps. If the Mail is accurate, Robson would join the Whitecaps after the Championship season in May. Sportsnet's Irfaan Gaffar, who has gotten to other Whitecaps signings early, quoted a Vancouver source saying it's "going to happen".

I don't like rumours, as a rule, but this one is starting to come together. Bob Lenarduzzi's non-denial in Constantineau's article will seem familiar to Whitecaps fans, and contrasts with his "I don't know where that came from" regarding a potential David Bentley loan.

Robson is 33 years old, turning 34 in November. He's a scorer, with six league goals this year: a skill replicated nowhere in the Whitecaps midfield. He's also added four assists, which would have been second on the 2011 Whitecaps behind Davide Chiumiento. One of Robson's goals game from the spot: his second on November 1 against Doncaster, and he's also scored from a direct free kick. For the most part Robson scores on the run of play, and his goals are annotated with comments like "drove in between two challenges" and "a goal worthy of winning any match". The guy does make his way onto YouTube from time to time...

The Whitecaps have needed a midfielder forever and Robson would fit the bill. Despite his advancing years, he's succeeding at a level better than Major League Soccer. He's another attack-first player, which is concerning given the vastly offensively-biased lineup Martin Rennie is assembling: in addition to all those highlight reel mistakes he's known for the occasional costly turnover and lapse in his own third. He's also Scottish, which might influence Rennie's desire to capture Robson but might also lead to lazy reporters linking the Scottish player to the Scottish manager, in the same vein as the "Canadian player linked to Toronto FC/Vancouver Whitecaps/Montreal Impact!" tedium we're all used to.

Robson would make a hell of an interesting player. I'm not sure what we'd do with him, but it would sure be fun to find out.

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Nothing is official yet, but it looks like defender Bilal Duckett may be on his way back to the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Duckett is a 23-year-old alumnus of Notre Dame University who joined the Whitecaps out of the third round of last year's MLS SuperDraft. His rookie professional season saw Duckett play 226 minutes in Major League Soccer, 706 minutes with the Whitecaps Reserves (first on the team), and 68 more in USL PDL with the Whitecaps Residency. In total, he accounted for no goals and no assists in precisely 1,000 minutes over a level of play ranging from "high professional" to "middling semi-pro".

Duckett was released on November 23 but has been in Vancouver since late last week, including attending Saturday's Canada - Cuba match. He has been tweeting hopes that he'll have a contract with the Whitecaps for the new season and is generally expected to be a part of the team's training going forward.

So, what's going on? It sounds rude, but Duckett's name because a byword among Whitecaps fans for the sort of inept college player Tom Soehn had the team rely on last season. His attitude was fantastic and he brought charitable and community involvement which went well beyond the call of duty, but for all his athleticism Duckett never seemed like an MLS talent. He played three positions, none of them well, and his release was generally seen as a necessary bit of business for a rebuilding team.

In fact, depending on the situation, Duckett's re-acquisition may prove to be a smart move. Just last week I was bemoaning Martin Rennie's lack of acumen in getting rid of the versatile, young, probably affordable Philippe Davies. Duckett is versatile, almost certainly affordable, and not much older. Plus he provides coverage at a position where we need it.

Not many players are willing to sign for MLS minimum money. If Duckett is, I might actually be talking myself into his return.

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Another one of Martin Rennie's old proteges is coming: yesterday the Vancouver Whitecaps announced the signing of midfielder Jun Marques Davidson.

Davidson is 28 years old, born in Tokyo to American parents and considered a domestic for MLS purposes. He's a veteran of some pretty good leagues, having spent the years from 2005 to 2008 in the excellent Japanese first division as well as more experience in their second division. Of course, what's getting headlines is that Davidson played a year in 2010 with, and you may have guessed this already, Martin Rennie and the Carolina Railhawks.

Advertised as a central midfielder with a defensive bias, Davidson will presumably compete with John Thorrington in the Whitecaps lineup. Davidson is younger, healthier, and has played at a higher club level but Thorrington is familiar with MLS and, of course, had his brief time with the American national team that ended three years ago.

Going into the season, the Whitecaps were starving for depth and badly weakened in central midfield. Now they have depth all over the place, except perhaps at fullback, and while they're still missing the marquee central defender midfielder we're hoping for they're clearly trying to establish a good committee. Some fans are concerned at Rennie chasing another one of his old American second-division buddies, but for most of his career Davidson hasn't been an American second-division player. Calling Davidson an American second division player is like calling Bilal Duckett an MLS starter.

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When the CONCACAF Women's Olympic qualifiers kick off in Vancouver on Thursday, everybody knows what Canada's goals are going to be. In case you couldn't guess, John Herdman spelled them out yesterday: firstly for Canada to win Group A, secondly for Canada to make the final (thus qualifying for the Olympics) at any cost, and thirdly for Canada to win the championship on home soil if possible, given goal number two.

These are the most sensible goals possible. The Olympic qualifiers are a sort of unofficial CONCACAF championship for the 2011 season, with no Gold Cup this year and no other major confederational tournaments. There's a reason they have a final game after the qualifiers have been decided: this championship is very nearly as difficult to win as the proper CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup and it makes a prestigious addition to any soccer power's trophy case. On the other hand, it's not nearly so prestigious as an Olympic medal: qualification must be Canada's primary goal and a championship would merely be a happy bonus.

So what are Canada's chances? The casual fan will correctly identify the United States as our most dangerous rival, but are there any dark horses who might upset our apple cart? And what about the other teams in our group, most of which are unknown to those of us who don't follow CONCACAF religiously? After the jump, I preview Group A and Canada's road to its first trophy in 2011.

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With the second pick in the second round, 22nd overall, the Vancouver Whitecaps have selected fullback Chris Estridge out of Indiana University.

A 22-year-old senior from Indianapolis, Estridge is primarily known for his defensive focus but did get up and score three goals in 22 matches with Indiana last season. He was generally considered a second-round-level talent on most of the draft boards, but not usually this early and not before some of the other options remaining on the board.

Estridge is a touch larger and more slower than the other notable fullback on the draft list, Tyler Polak (who immediately went to the New England Revolution). Both Polak and Estridge are left-footed fullbacks, but while Polak is a native left back who's played some right back, Estridge has flipped between the positions more comfortably. He's been a starter since leaving Wake Forest to join Indiana for the 2010 scholastic season.

I was a big advocate for Polak. With a Generation Adidas contract and all the pedigree, Polak seemed like a steal of a deal for the Whitecaps at twenty-first overall. Neither Polak nor Estridge are blue-chip prospects with a great chance of making it, but at least Polak wouldn't count on our salary cap. Polak had a rough time at the combine but it's not like Estridge was brilliant and, as I've said time and time again, the Combine proves less than nothing. Estridge was a Combine teammate of first-round pick Darren Mattocks; I wonder if Rennie, Ritchie, and Soehn saw something while scouting Mattocks and made a note.

Estridge reeks of a positional pick. A utility fullback, Estridge provides much-needed cover at right back for Young-pyo Lee but is not considered a leading talent. He may have a role to play as a cheap piece of injury cover but, frankly, I'd have preferred the Whitecaps went with either an established professional or a Residency player. I've never seen Estridge play but, based on what I've read, this pick could have been better.

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After the Montreal Impact surprised everybody by taking Andrew Wenger with the first overall pick, the Vancouver Whitecaps have taken Jamaican forward Darren Mattocks from the University of Akron.

Mattocks is 21 years old, turning 22 in September. A well-built 6-foot striker, Mattocks is not as technically gifted as Wenger but is quick and scores goals in bunches: he scored 21 goals in 22 matches last NCAA season. The Akron Zips are renowned as a soccer factory and Mattocks's scoring numbers had him widely associated with a move to Europe prior to finally signing a Generation Adidas contract.

There's not much doubt about Mattocks's ability. He was considered clearly part of the top two of this draft class along with Wenger, and the only debate was over whether he's best or second best. I had him second, most of the world thought he'd be picked first, but unfortunately Jesse Marsch was not one of them.

So what does Mattocks bring? He was the most electrifying player in American college soccer last year, and as such he'll bring some balance to Vancouver's attack: the lightning (along with Camilo Sanvezzo and Long Tan) to go with Eric Hassli and Atiba Harris's thunder. He's not incredibly technical, but a schoolboy career in Jamaica and two years with the NCAA's best coaching mean that he's quite capable with the ball at his feet. As a Jamaican (and a likely bet to make their U-23 Olympic team), Mattocks will take up an international spot, which is a flaw for a 21-year-old sitting on the bench. And he does come into a lineup full of forwards.

However, you have to take the best player available. The Whitecaps have done that, and if they decide to lose a forward they're in a good position to wheel and deal. I'm disappointed Mattocks was the best player... but he indisputably was, and that's what matters.

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Today is the day. At 9 AM Pacific, the Vancouver Whitecaps will head off to the MLS SuperDraft (live coverage on MLSSoccer.com) and, picking second overall, make their second selection in franchise history.

The Montreal Impact are picking first and there two consensus top picks: Duke utility player Andrew Wenger and Akron forward Darren Mattocks. Look around and you'll see that almost everybody agrees: Mattocks first, Wenger second. He's almost written on the Whitecaps roster in pencil.

The Whitecaps have the second pick of the second round, of course, and there's a bit more suspense there. Some lazy writers are linking the Whitecaps to Charlotte forward Evan James because he's Canadian, but James was considered a supplemental draft pick at best before having a good MLS Combine and, with four Canadians under contract, the Whitecaps have no need to go hunting for token Canucks.

Whether the second-round pick is James or Colin Rolfe or Jeb Brovsky's long-lost brother Irving, it won't get the headlines. It's the Whitecaps' first pick that's bringing suspense. Wenger and Mattocks are considered good talents, capable of slotting into an MLS eighteen almost immediately, although Wenger has the drama of supposedly wanting to stay in school until he graduates in May. Which one will the Whitecaps get? Or will the Whitecaps pull another Omar Salgado and go off the board?

These players won't determine whether the Whitecaps win or lose next year, or even three years from now. The MLS SuperDraft does not, as a rule, produce spectacular players. But Mattocks and Wenger look better than usual; better than Nagbe and Kitchen from last year. The Whitecaps could be in for a very nice, useful player, and let's hope they've done their homework.

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