The Vancouver Whitecaps are a club in flux, having recently parted ways with head coach Marc Dos Santos, even despite a resurgent run of results.
What comes next for the 'Caps as the club hits this new crossroads? The Extratime crew discussed as much on their latest episode, with co-host Matt Doyle contending that a recommitment to youth development will be key in getting Vancouver back on the road to MLS Cup contention.
Vancouver, after all, developed arguably the most talented MLS export in league history in academy product Alphonso Davies, who has ascended to international superstardom since his record sale to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. While they still boast some talented youngsters coming up through the ranks, Doyle said he believes there's potential for them to once again be considered in the league's top-tier in that department.
"Seven to eight years ago, if you had asked people who really follow the USSDA at that point, which is now MLS NEXT, they would have told you that Vancouver was on par with FC Dallas and the Galaxy and the Union, at that elite level," Doyle said. "They had all these players come through and what they never had is a coach in the first team who would filter them up through the system and into the XI and do the type of things that Greg Vanney is doing now for the LA Galaxy, do the type of things that have been part of the culture for FC Dallas since Oscar Pareja got the head coaching job. They've never had that."
Doyle said it's become even clearer after watching the Whitecaps' Canadian Championship defeat to Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC, which preceded Dos Santos' departure. Pacific's roster featured several young players who Doyle said could have been starting for the Whitecaps now "on a different timeline, a different slice of the multiverse." They're also coached by former MLS defender Pa-Modou Kah.
Vancouver sporting director and CEO Axel Schuster told reporters that one of his goals going forward is to re-invigorate that healthy pipeline between the youth development system and the first team, something that Doyle said left him feeling encouraged.
"So I'm glad to hear Axel Schuster saying: 'We want to have that alignment.' The 'Caps have to get that right," Doyle said. "They have the amount of talent in that local area and they have the satellite academies across the country, which is how they found Alphonso Davies in the first place — they have to get that right, that is step No. 1 because that is their path to becoming a team that can compete for titles in this league."
For more from Extratime, check out the full episode here.
