Editorial (May 14, 2019) – Marc Dos Santos is one third through his first season as Head Coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC. It hasn’t been great so far, but the club’s gotten some results. I hesitate to use the cliche trust the process, but the players have bought into the project. Andy Rose certainly has.
Andy Rose: Marc Dos Santos Laying Foundation For Vancouver Whitecaps
After losing the first three games of the season, Vancouver have gotten results in five of their last siz games. They got their first road win of the season defeating bottom barrel Colorado Rapids in a wild game. Then they beat Portland Timbers at home on Friday night.
Dos Santos made significant changes to the roster in the off-season after taking the job. This clearly was a multi-year project with those changes, Dos Santos getting his first head coaching position in MLS, and the Caps getting ready to spend more money as the transfer fee for Alphonso Davies cleared.
After a slow start, what the new manager has implemented has started to yield results.
“You know, the character of the guys and personality of the players and again I keep saying this group of players works every day of the week, our belief in tough moments, their approach in tough moments has been good and this is a very good result for us on the road,” Dos Santos said after the game at Colorado.
Midfielder Andy Rose returned to the lineup recently after missing the early part of the season due to injury.
“It was always going to take a little bit of time, especially with so many new players. It’s been an opportunity for me to watch and learn.
The midfield is taking shape and the team is getting offense by committee. There’s still no talisman like other teams in the Western Conference. But unlike the first few weeks of the season, no one is calling them a Wooden Spoon contender.
“I think we shouldn’t get carried away because we’re still not quite where we want to be in the table and where maybe we feel we should be,” Rose told Last Word on Soccer.
Marc Dos Santos knows what he’s doing and has a vision forward for the club. If they can a few good moves in the summer transfer window and continue to improve, they could compete for the playoffs.
