Whitecaps drop down to 7th in Week 17

The arrival of Barry Robson and some roster flexibility thanks to shipping out Long Tan looks nice, but midseason shakeups often end up having the opposite of the desired effect. If this ends with Martin Rennie scoring another reliable central defender, though, he'll have done well.

Montreal down from 13 to 14

Toronto up 17 to 18

Seattle steady at 8

Portland down from 16 to 18

Whitecaps Move Up To 6th In Week 18

There’s no doubt that bringing Barry Robson on has changed the chemistry of the team a bit, and offensively they certainly struggled to put attacks together. But the defense is still one of the best in the league, and Joe Cannon’s a match-winner. Can’t argue with two road shutouts, can you?

Montreal down from 16 to 14

Toronto steady at 17

Seattle steady at 8

Portland steady at 18

Both games count towards the ranking, no?

The Chivas game wasn't as bad as people are making out (I just watched it on PVR last night because I attended the live local PDL game on Saturday night instead). Whitecaps were the only team playing for the first 75 minutes; Chivas only woke up in the last 10 or 15 minutes. It was a better 'performance' than the first win there, the win in Denver, or the win in Columbus; all that was different is that we didn't bury one of our chances like we did in those games. The first half was all Whitecaps, and they dominated possession, control, and tempo of the game precisely like every road team wants to.

We're more critical of our own team than the guys at MLS who do these rankings, and who saw Whitecaps get a 0-0 away result where they controlled the first 3/4 of the game, after poaching a 1-0 victory away at altitude.

Whitecaps drop to 8th in Week 19

Vancouver are a worse team than they were a month ago. Planning for the future by selling Davide Chiumiento and trading Sébastien Le Toux is no better than buying Robson and Miller. They'll have to learn how to play with each other very quickly if they're to stay in the Western Conference playoff hunt.

Seattle up 8->7

Montreal steady at 16

Toronto steady at 17

Portland down 18->19

--

'Caps mid-week opponent Los Angeles up 11->10

'Caps weekend opponent San Jose steady at 1

They will eat their words in a few weeks :)

Montana said: Why does everyone disregard the fact we added Richards?

I think he needs alot of chances to finish and he doesn't particularly provide great service from what I've seen and heard over the years. He is incredibly fast though!

Hammer said:

Montana said: Why does everyone disregard the fact we added Richards?

I think he needs alot of chances to finish and he doesn't particularly provide great service from what I've seen and heard over the years. He is incredibly fast though!

Sounds exactly like Shea Salinas last year.

I'm not impressed with the deal and it looked like LeToux has been rejuvenated by the trade, he scored on Sunday and almost scored this afternoon.

Whitecaps rise two spots back up to 6th in Week 20

They blew it midweek, failing to close down Jose Villarreal for the game-tying goal. The win over the Shield-leading Quakes will soothe some of the burn from that, as will the production from Barry Robson. Defense is still where it's at, though.

Seattle steady at 7.

Toronto up 17->15.

Montreal down 16->17.

Portland still at rock-bottom 19.

Whitecaps' opponent for the next two games, Real Salt Lake, steady at 3.

Whitecaps sink three spots to 9th in Week 21

Despite what the Whitecaps say, Jay DeMerit’s 90 minutes at the All-Star Game didn’t make him give up a PK vs. RSL on Friday. Fact is the ‘Caps remain an inconsistent side, missing the opportunities presented of late to string together the big results that would truly catapult them among the league’s best.

Seattle up 7↑5

Montreal (now with Nesta) vault up 5 spots 17↑12

Toronto down 15↓17

Portland still bottomed out at 19th

Whitecaps' previous and next opponent, Real Salt Lake, up 3↑2

We're 8th in the SB Nation rankings, down from 5th. Seems people around the league thought more of the LA draw and RSL loss than the SJ win.

Rank - team (avg score; last week)

8 - Vancouver Whitecaps (7.73; 6.33): Lots of moves that were good for headlines, but it remains to be seen if all the lineup shuffling will yield results. So far, the results are very mixed.

6 - Seattle Sounders (6.47; 7): Still not playing as well as most of us expected, but at least are starting to get results. Will be interesting to see how addition of Christian Tiffert affects things.

13 - Montreal Impact (13.4; 14.89): Still not a team we'd consider a real playoff contender, they are at least an interesting team to watch. If Marco Di Vaio and Alessandro Nesta are playing at the same level next year, they could be a team worth watching.

18 - Toronto FC (16.73; 16): The battle for the Wooden Spoon is at least a lot more compelling now than it was a month or so ago.

19 - Portland Timbers (19; 19): Not to pick on the guy, but does Gavin Wilkinson really belong atop an organization with championship aspirations? His coaching suggests, no.

Haven't had the greatest run lately, but for them to drop us 3 places due to one week where we lost but out played RSL at their stadium shows how arbitrary these power rankings are.

Those tools at MLS are either blind or they are trying to defend the MLS allstar game with that comment, because they get payed to do so. It was so obvious Demerit was exhausted and was at fault with the PK and the bonehead back pass to Cannon that got him the red card.. He shouldn't have played 90 minutes in the meaningless allstar game,. which caused us to lose 3 points 48 hrs later.

SAFC_Yank said:

WhitecapsFutbol said: Those tools at MLS are either blind or they are trying to defend the MLS allstar game with that comment, because they get payed to do so. It was so obvious Demerit was exhausted and was at fault with the PK and the bonehead back pass to Cannon that got him the red card.. He shouldn't have played 90 minutes in the meaningless allstar game,. which caused us to lose 3 points 48 hrs later.

If you've got proof that his playing in the all-star game led to the PK, provide it.

How do you prove that? If you've got proof there are no invisible pink unicorns in my sock drawer, provide it.

SAFC_Yank said:

WhitecapsFutbol said: Those tools at MLS are either blind or they are trying to defend the MLS allstar game with that comment, because they get payed to do so. It was so obvious Demerit was exhausted and was at fault with the PK and the bonehead back pass to Cannon that got him the red card.. He shouldn't have played 90 minutes in the meaningless allstar game,. which caused us to lose 3 points 48 hrs later.

If you've got proof that his playing in the all-star game led to the PK, provide it. Besides, DeMerit wasn't marking Beckerman initially, he came across to try to make a play on a guy who had a free header. It's a pretty remarkable claim to argue that DeMerit playing in the all-star game led to Robson and Koffie failing to properly mark Beckerman.

Actually, now that you ask,. I have spent countless hours working on a 400 page report using computer models and wind tunnel tests which proves my case beyond a shadow of a doubt. I will have it on your desk by 9am Monday. Bottom line.. Demerit was tired and sucked that match...

SAFC_Yank said:

Lord_Bob said:

SAFC_Yank said:

WhitecapsFutbol said: Those tools at MLS are either blind or they are trying to defend the MLS allstar game with that comment, because they get payed to do so. It was so obvious Demerit was exhausted and was at fault with the PK and the bonehead back pass to Cannon that got him the red card.. He shouldn't have played 90 minutes in the meaningless allstar game,. which caused us to lose 3 points 48 hrs later.

If you've got proof that his playing in the all-star game led to the PK, provide it.

How do you prove that? If you've got proof there are no invisible pink unicorns in my sock drawer, provide it.

Am I trying to prove there's anything but a bad odor in your sock drawer? :-*

Perhaps proof is too strong, but people are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5. Honestly, do people think if DeMerit hadn't played in the all-star game he would have dealt with the Beckerman situation differently? Beckerman wasn't the guy he was marking, but when Beckerman looked like he would have a free header, DeMerit tried to make a play. It was desperate, and it didn't work. Fine. If people want to say that was rash, fine. But it it's fairly consistent with the way DeMerit operates - he's often willing to attempt a high-risk play to stop an attempt on goal, one of the sliding tackles he made against Chelsea fits that. And really, exhaustion in the 33rd minute? Ha'way.

Therefore, calling the MLS Ratings guys "tools," "blind" or bent because they hold the opinion the all-star game had nothing to do with the PK is simply putting a pre-existing disdain for the all-star game ahead of actually analyzing what happened.

Wouldn't you say that putting a pre-existing need to play devils advocate ahead of actually analyzing things is as big of an issue?

Would you rather have the tired player, who travelled for 12 hours the day before or a fresh one? When the fresh guy has shown to be an all star and solid defended 9 games outta 10 and then has the stinker under adverse conditions what conclusion can be drawn?

mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/08/14/mls-power-rankings-week-23

MLSSoccer.com has Vancity moving up to 7th place from 9th.

You never know quite which Whitecaps side you're going to get, which is part and parcel of a midseason rebuild. Of a certainty, though, is that if Camilo rediscovers his 2011 form, they'll be very, very formidable down the stretch.

Haha obviously they are trying to cover their tracks because they said we sucked the week before. I actually think our play has been fairly consistant with where a 3rd place team should be...

Whitecaps drop from 7th to 9th in Week 24

They get a bit of a mulligan for the Seattle loss since they were missing so many key players, but this is a team that’s just 3-6-3 in their last 12 overall. We’re still questioning the need for a midseason rebuild.

Seattle up 6↑5

Montreal steady at 11

Toronto still second-last (18)

Whitecaps' next opponent, Portland remain at the bottom (19).

Not directly related to Power Rankings, but... The March to the Match podcast on MLSSoccer.com is harping pretty hard on Vancouver this week.

I'm pretty sure most people involved with MLS do not like our team.

2012 ESPN Power Rankings: August 27

San Jose continues to be class of MLS

The Whitecaps are in free fall after losing their third in a row at Portland. To make matters worse, Darren Mattocks' red card means he'll be unavailable for next week's match against the L.A. Galaxy.

Seattle up 2 (6)

Montreal up 9 (10)

Toronto up 15 (16)

Whitecaps' next opponent, Los Angeles up 7 (8).

SB Nation rankings

rank - team (avg score; last week)

11 - Vancouver Whitecaps (10.6; 8.92): There's something to be said for always trying to improve, but Martin Rennie's decision to make over his team midseason looks worse with each passing week.

3 - Seattle Sounders (2.93; 4.62): Remember the concerns over the offense? With 13 goals in their past four games those are safely in the past.

12 - Montreal Impact (11.33; 11.69): Winners of five straight, it's tempting to pick them for a playoff side. But with so many extra games played, that's going to be tough. Still, the progress is undeniable.

18 - Toronto FC (18.13; 17.85): Nothing wrong with a tie on the road against the Dynamo, but they aren't spending gobs of money just to rack up consolation prizes.

19 - Portland Timbers (18.2; 18.69): A win, a win! Does it materially change anything? No, but at least the Cascadia Cup seems like a realistic goal.

SB Nation rankings:

rank - team (avg score; last week)

12 - Vancouver Whitecaps (11.9; 10.6): Oy vey. If not for United, we'd be talking a lot more about how huge of a collapse they've been going through. They should still be able to hold off Dallas, but they seem intent on making it interesting.

2 - Seattle Sounders (2.6; 2.93): Not the most convincing result, but earning a tie in the 100-degree heat of Dallas is certainly not a bad thing. They also got a bit of a boost with the return of Steve Zakuani to the staring lineup.

11 - Montreal Impact (11.5; 11.33): Their start was so bad and their improvement took too long, but it's still fun to see these guys shaking it up. Should be an interesting team next year.

13 - FC Dallas (12.0; 12.53): Really needed to win against the Sounders this week but could only manage a tie. This week's home game against the Whitecaps is as much of a must-win as there is in the regular season.

18 - Portland Timbers (17.7; 18.2): Maybe Gavin Wilkinson was right and this team is improving. Of course, beating the Rapids at home is not exactly a huge accomplishment, but they can now at least claim upward momentum.

19 - Toronto FC (18.5; 18.13): Poor, poor TFC. The characters may change, but the plot remains perpetually depressing. The wooden spoon may have to be renamed in their honor.

mlssoccer.com

Whitecaps remain in 12th place.

If they lose on Saturday at Dallas, then it's truly squeaky bum time. Vancouver would hold a one-point lead with five games to go – but four of those at home and one in hand. Things would have to go very wrong for them to come up short – but things have been going very wrong for quite awhile now.

Squeaky bum time?