Whitecaps Announce Roster Changes for 2017
By Gareth Wolff
Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirmed on Thursday that goalkeeper Marco Carducci, defenders Fraser Aird and Jordan Smith, and striker Blas Pérez will leave the club. Meanwhile, the Whitecaps exercised their contract options for 2017 on 11 players.
Close on the heels of confirming captain Pedro Morales’ departure from the club, the Vancouver Whitecaps announced the departure of four more players on Thursday. The ‘Caps have declined to exercise their contract option on backup goalkeeper Marco Carducci. Right backs Fraser Aird and Jordan Smith, both on loan with Vancouver last season, will return to their parent clubs. Panamanian striker Blas Pérez, out of contract at the end of the season, is also on his way out.
It wasn’t all about the departures, though. The Whitecaps confirmed that they have picked up options for 2017 on 11 players. Goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi appears to have cemented his position as David Ousted’s backup, as Carducci is moving on. Defenders Christian Dean, Jordan Harvey, Tim Parker, and Cole Seiler, midfielders Marco Bustos, Kianz Froese, Ben McKendry, Nicolás Mezquida, and Russell Teibert, and forward Kekuta Manneh will also be sticking around for now. Forward Erik Hurtado has also signed a contract extension that will keep him at the club for the next two years, with options for 2019 and 2020.
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None of the exits are a huge surprise, with the possible exception of Carducci. Right back was a problem position for the Whitecaps last season, and neither Aird nor Smith were able to make it their own. Morales’ form was hot and cold. Pérez scored a spectacular bicycle kick goal, but only managed one other league goal all season.
The Whitecaps have also retained a young core of players who will be hoping for a breakout season in 2017. Seiler, Bustos, Froese, and McKendry will all get opportunities to impress, in the Canadian Championship at the very least.
Challenging Decisions for Robinson
With this week’s announcements, the Whitecaps squad is starting to take shape for next season. Further departures are possible, of course. Next week’s Expansion Draft could see Vancouver lose a maximum of one player, and future trades are always on the table. But looking at the 26 players currently under contract for the 2017 season, there are some very obvious holes, as coach Carl Robinson seems to be aware:
"“We have built a strong core and are pleased with where we are at in the process of building our roster for next season. In addition to our players under contract, we continue to actively look for additional key difference makers and will provide updates when available.”"
No senior right backs are left. The Whitecaps have been linked with Orlando City’s Kevin Alston, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. In midfield, Morales also needs to be replaced, unless Robinson is planning to rely on the fragile Russell Teibert to support Matías Laba and Andrew Jacobson in central midfield.
The striker position, however, is possibly the weakest at the moment. For a team that struggled to score goals last season (and just declined to renew their top scorer’s contract), a strike force of Masato Kudo (two league goals in 894 minutes in 2016) and Erik Hurtado (two goals in 1230 minutes) does not inspire confidence. With Manneh, Christian Bolaños, and Giles Barnes, there are options from wide. Teenage sensation Alphonso Davies is also waiting in the wings, both literally and figuratively. But the Whitecaps desperately need a striker signing.
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The latest rumors over at Eighty Six Forever have Honduran striker Romell Quioto linked with the ‘Caps. The results of Robinson’s scouting trip to South America are also still unknown. Perhaps once the MLS Cup Final and the Expansion Draft are over there will be more concrete news.