The Vancouver Whitecaps begin their title defence tonight against the Carolina RailHawks, but the Whitecaps squad that will take the pitch will be very different from the team that hoisted the USL-1 trophy last season. Gone are Alfredo Valente, Steve Kindel, Wesley Charles, Nicholas Addlery, Jason Jordan, Eduardo Sebrango, Jeff Clarke and others who were key parts of that team, and as Marc Weber of The Province wrote today, some of the team's tenaciousness may have departed with them.
Unlike last year's championship squad, which was primarily a group of talented veterans hitting their stride at the right time, this season's been dominated by a focus on youth, as I talked about in my post on their first match of the regular season. Young players like Marcus Haber, Randy Edwini-Bonsu, Ethan Gage, Wes Knight and Luca Bellisomo have all made their impact felt on the team this year. Haber in particular has impressed; many thought the team might struggle to score goals this season after the departure of Sebrango and Addlery, but that void up front was nicely filled by Haber (eight goals, four assists), Charles Gbeke (a league-high 12 goals and one assist) and Marlon James (nine goals). Haber finished seventh in league scoring with 20 points, while Gbeke tied for second with 25 points and James placed eighth with 18 points in 17 games. Meanwhile, Addlery put up 17 points in 22 USL games this year and Sebrango only recorded 10 points in 28 games in all competitions.
If the Whitecaps have improved up front, they have perhaps taken a step back in midfield and defence. The midfield's seen plenty of talented players, including Gage, Ansu Toure, Martin Nash and Vicente Arze, but injuries have made it difficult to establish a consistent lineup there. The same is even more true at the back; Knight (who tied for the league assist lead with eight and was the team's nominee for the USL Rookie of the Year award) and Takashi Hirano have been solid presences on the wings, but the centre's seen a revolving cast, much of it inexperienced. The release of Wesley Charles, the team's most experienced defender, was a good move from a team chemistry point of view after two bizarre on-field incidents (including a punch-up with Gbeke during a game), but it showed that the Caps are painfully thin at the back. The retirement of Justin Thompson didn't help matters either. Goalkeeper Jay Nolly has been solid as always, leading the USL in minutes played, finishing second in saves and recording seven shutouts, but he hasn't received a lot of defensive help this season, and that's one of the key reason why the team heads into the playoffs as the seventh seed.
This isn't a one-sided matchup, though. Carolina was very good this year, finishing with a 16-7-7 record, and Vancouver's 11-10-9 mark is much less impressive, but the Whitecaps turned it on down the stretch, going 4-1-5 to clinch a playoff spot. The team faced some of the typical struggles observed when using young players earlier in the season, but their young stars have found ways to contribute and the team has gelled down the stretch. Moreover, Vancouver may have gone 0-1-1 against Carolina this year, but the Whitecaps played well in both games. They could have won the game in Carolina, and they dominated the August 15 contest at Swangard. I'm expecting a tough physical battle tonight, and a great contest. Tune in here for the live blog at 10:30 Eastern/7:30 Pacific!
[Cross-posted to The 24th Minute]
Showing posts with label Wesley Charles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wesley Charles. Show all posts
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Whitecaps release Wesley Charles
For a while, it looked like the Wesley Charles-Charles Gbeke incident had been completely settled. The Whitecaps' long break helped, and the two even took a pre-game lap of the stadium together before the team's next home match. Today, though, another incident happened and the Whitecaps immediately released Charles. Here's the press release sent out this morning by Nathan Vanstone, the Whitecaps' manager, broadcast and communications:
"WHITECAPS RELEASE WESLEY CHARLES
VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Wesley Charles has been released by the club.
During Tuesday’s training session, Charles took exception to a tackle by fellow defender Jeff Parke and attempted to strike Parke. Charles was immediately dismissed from the grounds and training resumed.
'This is the second incident between Wesley Charles and a teammate in just over a month, and as a result, we have decided to release Charles outright,' explained Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. 'As a club, we do not condone any violence on or off the pitch, and take such actions very seriously.'
On June 12, during the latter stages of a Whitecaps home match versus Miami FC Blues, Charles was involved in an on-field incident with teammate Charles Gbeke. As a result of the altercation, Charles and Gbeke received monetary fines and were suspended for two matches.
Charles joined the Whitecaps on July 11, 2008, and played in 33 matches for 2,785 minutes of action over two half-seasons with the club. Prior to his move to the Whitecaps, Charles spent 11 seasons in the League of Ireland."
That's quite the story. For one thing, Charles was an assistant captain with the club this year. For another, he was a first-choice centre back and a rock in the middle of the Whitecaps' defence. Their depth on defence is perhaps weaker than at any other position, so his loss will certainly hurt the team. Charles has always been a vocal guy, but prior to the Gbeke incident, I can't remember reading much about him that was negative.
The Whitecaps made the right move in my mind, though. One brawl between teammates was bad enough; two is ridiculous, especially when the same player is involved. Such incidents are a huge black eye for the club and make them look unprofessional. Moreover, Parke and Charles have to be completely in sync for the team to have success on defence; that's not too likely if one of them's trying to punch the other out. Charles' loss will hurt, but it's a necessary pill to swallow. The Whitecaps' defence may be weaker in the short term, but their team will likely be stronger, and that's important.
[Cross-posted to The 24th Minute]
Update: The Province has a good piece on the matter from Marc Weber. One of the potential replacements he mentions is Gerard Ladiyou from York University, who's certainly an intriguing option; I saw him play at the OUA provincials two years ago and was very impressed. He's got height and speed, and is skilled at the back but can be dangerous going forward as well. He's in on trial at the moment, and would be an excellent signing in my mind. It sounds like Nigerian Ndubuisi Onwuatuegwu is the likely immediate replacement for Charles, though.
"WHITECAPS RELEASE WESLEY CHARLES
VANCOUVER, BC - Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that defender Wesley Charles has been released by the club.
During Tuesday’s training session, Charles took exception to a tackle by fellow defender Jeff Parke and attempted to strike Parke. Charles was immediately dismissed from the grounds and training resumed.
'This is the second incident between Wesley Charles and a teammate in just over a month, and as a result, we have decided to release Charles outright,' explained Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi. 'As a club, we do not condone any violence on or off the pitch, and take such actions very seriously.'
On June 12, during the latter stages of a Whitecaps home match versus Miami FC Blues, Charles was involved in an on-field incident with teammate Charles Gbeke. As a result of the altercation, Charles and Gbeke received monetary fines and were suspended for two matches.
Charles joined the Whitecaps on July 11, 2008, and played in 33 matches for 2,785 minutes of action over two half-seasons with the club. Prior to his move to the Whitecaps, Charles spent 11 seasons in the League of Ireland."
That's quite the story. For one thing, Charles was an assistant captain with the club this year. For another, he was a first-choice centre back and a rock in the middle of the Whitecaps' defence. Their depth on defence is perhaps weaker than at any other position, so his loss will certainly hurt the team. Charles has always been a vocal guy, but prior to the Gbeke incident, I can't remember reading much about him that was negative.
The Whitecaps made the right move in my mind, though. One brawl between teammates was bad enough; two is ridiculous, especially when the same player is involved. Such incidents are a huge black eye for the club and make them look unprofessional. Moreover, Parke and Charles have to be completely in sync for the team to have success on defence; that's not too likely if one of them's trying to punch the other out. Charles' loss will hurt, but it's a necessary pill to swallow. The Whitecaps' defence may be weaker in the short term, but their team will likely be stronger, and that's important.
[Cross-posted to The 24th Minute]
Update: The Province has a good piece on the matter from Marc Weber. One of the potential replacements he mentions is Gerard Ladiyou from York University, who's certainly an intriguing option; I saw him play at the OUA provincials two years ago and was very impressed. He's got height and speed, and is skilled at the back but can be dangerous going forward as well. He's in on trial at the moment, and would be an excellent signing in my mind. It sounds like Nigerian Ndubuisi Onwuatuegwu is the likely immediate replacement for Charles, though.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Vancouver Whitecaps - Cleveland City Stars live blog
I'll be live-blogging tonight's USL-1 contest between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Cleveland City Stars. It should be an interesting one, as the Whitecaps seek to rebound from both watching the Voyageurs Cup slip away in front of their eyes and then throwing away their chance at revenge on a revitalized Montreal Impact side.
The Whitecaps enter tonight's with a 4-5-2 record through 11 games, putting them eighth out of the 11 teams in the USL-1 table. They do have a couple games in hand on many of the clubs above them, but they'll need to start making a run soon if they hope to defend their USL-1 title this season. Of course, it's not going to be easy. Key striker Charles Gbeke and central defender Wesley Charles will sit out this one thanks to the suspensions [Simon Fudge, whitecapsfc.com] they received following their punch-up a while back. Defenders Jeff Parke and Geordie Lyall and wingers Ansu Toure and Justin Moose will also miss this one thanks to injury.
Cleveland also needs to turn their season around. They're a new USL-1 side, and won the USL-2 title last year in only their second season of existence. Head coach Martin Rennie left after last season for the Carolina Railhawks, though, and that's proved to be a good move for him; Carolina's tied for second in the table with a 7-3-3 record, while Cleveland's second from the bottom with a 2-9-2 record. They do have some faces that will be recognizable to Canadian fans, including former Trinity Western University player and Whitecaps reserve Paul Ballard and former Montreal Impact midfielder Pato Aguilera, who leads the team with seven points from one goal and five assists. They also will have the home-field advantage of playing on FieldTurf at the oddly-named Middlefield Cheese Stadium, which may be a difficult adjustment for the Whitecaps. It should be an interesting one to watch. The game is on USL Live tonight, and the live blog will start at 7 p.m. Eastern. Come join in the fun then!
The Whitecaps enter tonight's with a 4-5-2 record through 11 games, putting them eighth out of the 11 teams in the USL-1 table. They do have a couple games in hand on many of the clubs above them, but they'll need to start making a run soon if they hope to defend their USL-1 title this season. Of course, it's not going to be easy. Key striker Charles Gbeke and central defender Wesley Charles will sit out this one thanks to the suspensions [Simon Fudge, whitecapsfc.com] they received following their punch-up a while back. Defenders Jeff Parke and Geordie Lyall and wingers Ansu Toure and Justin Moose will also miss this one thanks to injury.
Cleveland also needs to turn their season around. They're a new USL-1 side, and won the USL-2 title last year in only their second season of existence. Head coach Martin Rennie left after last season for the Carolina Railhawks, though, and that's proved to be a good move for him; Carolina's tied for second in the table with a 7-3-3 record, while Cleveland's second from the bottom with a 2-9-2 record. They do have some faces that will be recognizable to Canadian fans, including former Trinity Western University player and Whitecaps reserve Paul Ballard and former Montreal Impact midfielder Pato Aguilera, who leads the team with seven points from one goal and five assists. They also will have the home-field advantage of playing on FieldTurf at the oddly-named Middlefield Cheese Stadium, which may be a difficult adjustment for the Whitecaps. It should be an interesting one to watch. The game is on USL Live tonight, and the live blog will start at 7 p.m. Eastern. Come join in the fun then!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Whitecaps: Van City Insanity
So, that was fun. The Whitecaps snapped their USL losing streak last night with a 3-2 victory [Gary Kingston, The Vancouver Sun] over Miami FC, but it may well prove to be a Pyrrhic one. The real story of the game was not the victory, but the fight between Whitecaps' teammates Charles Gbeke and Wesley Charles, perhaps the most ridiculous in-game feud between teammates since the Lee Bowyer/Keiron Dyer incident at Newcastle United (story from BBC News). Compare the videos below.
(Incident starts at 7:51 of the Whitecaps' clip).
This is not good for the Whitecaps. In fact, it's hard to think of two players whose loss might hurt the team more (except perhaps goalkeeping legend Jay Nolly). The Whitecaps are very short at central defence at the moment thanks to Jeff Parke's injury (turf toe) and Justin Thompson's sudden departure [Marc Weber, Back of the Net], so any suspension to Charles (which seems inevitable) will certainly hurt. Gbeke's almost as big of a loss; the Whitecaps don't have too many options up front, as Marlon James is still returning from injury and Marcus Haber is still rather inexperienced, and Gbeke's been their key scoring threat so far.
It's tough to predict exactly what will happen as a result. Marc Weber has some great stuff on the fiasco, and makes an excellent point about the PR dimension. The Whitecaps are a very fan-friendly organization and have quite a focus on appealing to kids and families; you can bet they won't be too thrilled with the conduct of Gbeke and Charles, and I doubt the league will be either. My guess would be that we'll see suspensions for at least one of them, possibly both, and possibly from both the league and the club. It will be an interesting situation to keep tabs on, but you can bet that the Whitecaps fans are hoping that the two can work it out, as they've been key parts of the team to date and will be hard to replace.
P.S. I'll be live-blogging the Toronto FC - New York Red Bulls game at 8 p.m. tonight. Join me then for more soccer coverage!
[Cross-posted to The 24th Minute]
(Incident starts at 7:51 of the Whitecaps' clip).
This is not good for the Whitecaps. In fact, it's hard to think of two players whose loss might hurt the team more (except perhaps goalkeeping legend Jay Nolly). The Whitecaps are very short at central defence at the moment thanks to Jeff Parke's injury (turf toe) and Justin Thompson's sudden departure [Marc Weber, Back of the Net], so any suspension to Charles (which seems inevitable) will certainly hurt. Gbeke's almost as big of a loss; the Whitecaps don't have too many options up front, as Marlon James is still returning from injury and Marcus Haber is still rather inexperienced, and Gbeke's been their key scoring threat so far.
It's tough to predict exactly what will happen as a result. Marc Weber has some great stuff on the fiasco, and makes an excellent point about the PR dimension. The Whitecaps are a very fan-friendly organization and have quite a focus on appealing to kids and families; you can bet they won't be too thrilled with the conduct of Gbeke and Charles, and I doubt the league will be either. My guess would be that we'll see suspensions for at least one of them, possibly both, and possibly from both the league and the club. It will be an interesting situation to keep tabs on, but you can bet that the Whitecaps fans are hoping that the two can work it out, as they've been key parts of the team to date and will be hard to replace.
P.S. I'll be live-blogging the Toronto FC - New York Red Bulls game at 8 p.m. tonight. Join me then for more soccer coverage!
[Cross-posted to The 24th Minute]
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