Vancouver Whitecaps News and Notes (May)

Loaning Out Players

The Vancouver Whitecaps were eliminated from the Canadian Championship on Tuesday evening, thanks to a 4-2 victory by Montreal Impact. Traditionally, Carl Robinson has used this tournament, and the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League as an opportunity to give his younger players and bench players some valuable minutes.

In a discussion with Robbo, AFTN stated that a number of players will likely head out on loan to help them get game time. Recently, there have been rumors that Marco Bustos was on his way out, but this statement by Robbo begs the question who is most likely to leave the club?

After being signed from the ThunderCaps this offseason, Kyle Greig has seen little to no action. I would not be surprised to his name being passed around as a potential loan option; especially if Erik Hurtado returns soon. Ben McKendry could be another name, although he has been playing more with WFC 2, so maybe he does not get loaned out. Who are some players that you could see on their way out? Also, does the loaning out of players lead to someone coming in during the summer transfer window?

Vancouver Whitecaps Infirmary

Like every other team, the Whitecaps have been dealing with injury issues. Thanks to a dangerous tackle from Montreal Impact Marco Donadel, Nicolas Mezquida will be sidelined for the next eight weeks with a high ankle sprain

This news pretty much confirms that Christian Bolanos will be playing out of the middle until Yordy Reyna is set to return; as Robbo doesn’t seem interested in giving Bustos a shot in that position.

Speaking of Yordy Reyna, Whitecaps report Farhan Devji said that he is not back practicing yet, however, newest Caps player Bernie Ibini does appear close to making his debut.

David Ousted’s Future Replacement

While Spencer Richey has not received a lot of opportunities to display his skills for the senior squad, when he has been given them he has performed well. In his first MLS start, filling in for a suspended David Ousted against TFC, Richey was awarded MLS Save of the Week honours. Although unsuccessful as a team, I feel that Richey performed very well in his two opportunities during the Canadian Championship. When Ousted is ready to move on, or his salary becomes too high for a ‘salary cap’ league, I am confident in Richey being able to step-up and fill that void. Too bad we could not give him a win on Tuesday for his 25th birthday!

National Team News

On June 13th, the Men’s National Team will play a friendly against Curacao in Montreal. Two Whitecaps players have been called in to the ‘preparation squad’ by coach Octavio Zambrano: Russell Teibert and Marcel de Jong. Former Caps loanee Fraser Aird and striker Marcus Haber will also be in attendance. Unsurprising, with the match in Montreal, the Impact will lead the representatives with five.

Speaking of the National Team, we received a little present at halftime on Tuesday night that we did not see in the past: an interview with the manager. Zambrano was on to promote the Curacao match and his vision for the squad going forward. It was a short interview but I believe positive. What were your thoughts on the interview?

Whitecaps and ThunderCaps Attendance Down

With a season high of 1,131 last weekend, Whitecaps FC 2 moved up to 29th (out of 30) in USL attendance. Needless to say, it has not been a good start attendance wise, with the ThunderCaps averaging 618 fans. This is very disappointing as the ThunderCaps reached the Western Conference Final last season and have been enjoyable to watch this season. It is possible that the luster has worn off of the squad or that there has been a trickle-down effect from the senior squad. Or it could be the location, as the largest attendance have been in Langley and not at UBC.

Although not as dramatic (only a 3.5% drop), the Whitecaps have also had their problems with attendance this season. There are several potential reasons for this, but I will leave those to you to discuss in the comments.

And that is it from us. What are some of the Whitecaps stories that have caught your eye over the past month?