Coaching Staff Named and Club Called Out by Commish

Coaching Staff Announced

It has been several weeks since Marc Dos Santos was named the manager of the Vancouver Whitecaps. On Friday, we learned who his coaching staff was going to be. MDS will be flanked by assistant coaches Vanni Sartini and Phillip Dos Santos, while Youssef Dahha will work with the goalkeepers.

It is no surprise that Dos Santos brought in a veteran coaching staff, with the trio having worked across six different countries and being able to communicate in Arabic, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Sartini has been a US Soccer Pro License coach since 2016, after being an assistant coach for seven years in Italy. He holds a UEFA Pro License and has co-authored La Preparazione Precampionato, or for those us who do not speak Italian, Preseason Preparation.

The younger Dos Santos brother, Phillip, comes from USL Indy Eleven, after working with Marc in both Ottawa and San Francisco. Phillip holds a UEFA A License and has been involved in Canada Soccer’s youth national teams from 2011 to 2014.

Dahha spent 13 years with the Montreal Impact before moving on to Ottawa Fury last season. Youssef played an integral role in establishing the Montreal Impact Soccer School Advanced Centre for Goalkeepers.

The takeaways from this announcement is that Marc Dos Santos is going with coaches that he is familiar with but also who have global experiences. The wide range of languages spoken and backgrounds mean that the club can be involved in recruiting and attracting players from around the globe. In addition, the coaches that have been brought in have a history of ‘doing their homework’. It is obvious why MDS chose them as they seem to have the same mentality of him, as students of the game, so to speak. One of the frustrations that I had with Carl Robinson is that at times the team appeared rudderless. In addition, when they were stifled by an opponent there appeared to be no answers. I suspect that with the team MDS has assembled this will not be the case. Expect the club to be ready for all possibilities, have a plan B, C, and D, and be able to adapt on the fly.

What are your thoughts on these choices?

Vancouver Whitecaps Told to Spend

In other news, Major League Soccer Commissioner Dan Garber gave his State of the League today, ahead of tomorrow MLS Cup. In the address, he discussed the Davies sale and that “Greg Kerfoot and his colleagues need to use the money to bring in someone who is as exciting as Alphonso”. Long discussed by Vancouver Whitecaps fans, and management, as a tight-pursed club, it seems that the league’s patience with Vancouver’s tactics is wearing thin. It will be interesting to see if this will lead to any changes in spending. Of course, it is always important to remember that bringing in high-priced players is a two-way street. The club had interest in Atiba Hutchinson, but the deal fell through. Given that MLS offered to pay some of the transfer fee, it is unclear whether the issue was money or desire to come play here. However, I don’t believe Carl Robinson and BC Place’s turf are major draws for players. Hopefully the excellent facilities at UBC, Marc Dos Santos, and the city can change some of that.

What are your thoughts on the Commissioner’s comments? Is it ‘about time’ or was he wrong to call out the club in public this way?

First New Players

Finally, at the conclusion of MLS Cup on Saturday, there will be a four-hour transfer window on Sunday afternoon. Marc Dos Santos has already stated that the club will be active at trade opportunities. One move that we are almost assured will happen for the Caps on Sunday is the acquisition of their (potential) starting goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau from Montreal Impact for allocation money. CWilkins will have more on this in the upcoming days, so stay tuned.

What are your thoughts on the latest news about the coaching, the state of the league, and the acquisition of Crepeau and more?