Football Season Review

Carl Robinson's carefully crafted Vancouver Whitecaps side stuttered badly in their MLS campaign as they failed to build on their encouraging displays over the last couple of years to cap off their second worst season in their history. Vancouver headed into the current campaign on the back of their best season ever as they finished second in the Western Conference while also winning the Canadian Championship. Robinson strengthened the team in the off-season by bringing on Masato Kudo, Christian Bolanos, Erik Hurtado and Cristian Techera as he looked to improve on their previous season. A frugal defense had laid the foundation for a successful 2015 but Vancouver struggled to keep cleansheets, managing just three in the first half of the season. Vancouver were managing to notch up victories at regular intervals, including impressive displays against fellow Western Conference rivals Seattle Sounders, FC Dallas and Toronto FC, to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot but problems were apparent for Robinson right from the start with Kendall Waston's loss of form proving to be a major contributor to their poor defensive performances. A switch to a 4-4-2 formation coupled with mid-season signings, including David Edgar, Giles Barnes and Marcel de Jong, did lead to a slight upturn in form with Pedro Morales once again the pick of players for Vancouver as he top scored with nine goals and also chipped in with four assists. However Kekuta Manneh's foot injury midway through the season which ruled him out for the rest of the campaign coincided with a slump in form that lasted for the rest of the season as Vancouver managed to register just two more wins in their final 14 games to finish the season in a disappointing eighth place in the Western Conference, with their 39-points haul being their worst in the last five seasons. Robinson had admitted that changes are needed and he will be looking to freshen up the roster in the off-season, with a goal scoring striker once again the biggest need for Vancouver while a dependable backup for Morales is also crucial if they are to put up a sustained challenge for a playoff spot next season.

Player of the Season: Pedro Morales