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Since the restart and the MLS is Back tournament, The  Whitecaps have struggled offensively. They have been shut out in 5 of their last 6 games as of late. Something needs to change quickly, or the fans will be calling for MDS to be out. This piece is going to give some insight on what the team can do to get back on track. 

There is no doubt that the Vancouver Whitecaps have been in an offensive and creative rut as of late. That is evident in the stat line, and their overall play. They are winless since coming back from the restart, MLS is Back does not count; only had a single win anyway. Along with that, they have only registered 4 shots on target in 3 of those last 5 matches. That is the most damning stat. This just shows how little they are able to create in that final third. You have players like Cavalini and Reyna who can score goals, but with no service. This all starts with the shape in the midfield. 

Luckily for them, their time is not quite up. While they may be last in the Canadian Championship race, they can still make their way back to the top. As long as they can make up the goal difference and win out the next four games against the other Canadian teams. In order to do that, they need some sort of creative outlet to get the ball to the forwards running through. 

Looking at the Numbers: 

Like I said above, 4 shots on goal in 3 matches is just something else. Almost impressive how low that number is. Their best chance was the penalty miss from Cavalini last week against Montreal. If you want to get into some of the advanced stats, they’ve only generated 1.7 Expected Goals in that time span as well. The roughly 20 shots they’ve sent towards goal haven’t been from quality positions, hence the limited xG and shots on targets that they’ve created. After scoring through all 6 games of preseason, and scoring in their first 3 games of the regular season, they’ve clearly hit a wall offensively as of late. 

Due to this fact,  it has been a tough time for the defense. They have done well enough to only concede 9 goals in that 6 game span, yet they’ve only won one game in that time. That lone victory coming against the Chicago Fire at MLS is Back tournament. While those 9 goals is not anything to write home about, it is still better considering how much space they tend to give their opponents. 6 of these goals came from two games so there are some positives to look at. It is evident that Marc Dos Santos’ obsession with the 3-5-2 and 5-3-2 formations are working defensively. 

Formation Shifts: 

At the start of the season, MDS and the Whitecaps seemed to come out in a 4-3-3 formation nearly every game. It played to the strengths of the players and it made their play much more fluid and entertaining. The shutdown and restart changed all of that. Many players opted out or even came in injured. This did not help with the player selection process as many of those players were starters including Jaino Bikal, Erik Godoy, and Fredy Montero. 

Not having his players has caused MDS to do some experimenting with the formations and playing players out of position. The go to has been the 5-3-2 formation. This formation in particular is interesting. It is VERY defensive minded and is usually used in cases where the team using it needs to bunker down against stringer attacking teams.

With this in mind, it is no wonder why they can’t seem to create many chances. They seem to just sit back and wait for the opposing offense to come forward. 

The picture above just shows how far even the forwards are and they just allow the Montreal defenders to have time to set up the next pass. This does not even show the rest of the team’s shape. 

The Whitecaps’ defensive shape is actually really impressive and very tight. Which is why they have not had many goals go through, besides the two where 3 goals went in. Despite this, they are still allowing too much space for the opposing teams to really do what they want. 

With the team sitting so far back, they have no real way to get into an offensive rhythm and make those key passes to get some chances going. Not having the correct players for this formation definitely does not help either. 

Andy Rose, who is a midfielder, is playing at CB. While he has excelled there and said in an interview last week that he enjoys it, it is not his natural position. There is also Cristian Dajome, who is playing wingback but is definitely an out and out winger. Dajome has struggled to make an impact in this role. The players at times, have no idea where to go next in the 5-3-2. 

MDS has even tried to go with a 3-5-2, which is very similar to the 5-3-2 just a bit more offensive. The same struggles that the team faces applies to both formations. They tend to press higher a bit more in the 3-5-2, but it still leads to nothing since there are only 3 natural defenders on the field. This is where they get caught the most on the counter attack. This is shown in the last game against Montreal where Dajome was not in the correct spot and got beat down the line leading to a goal. 

Which Formation Will Work Best: 

Based on the players at MDS’s disposal, I firmly believe that a 4-3-3 or a 4-3-2-1 would get the most out of the players. Both formations allow the players to play in their natural positions and will give them more clarity in their roles on the pitch. This will also force them to be higher up the pitch to go fully into a press when they need to win the ball back when they lose the ball. 

4-3-3

The 4-3-3 allows more bodies up the pitch and adds to the press. This tactic worked last week when they had Cavalini, Dajome, and Milinkovic as the front 3 in the latter part of the match. They also showed much more tenacity in the final third and were able to put together a few string of passes.  You could tell just by how the players were moving and playing that they were much more comfortable. 

Even with them missing Bikel and Godoy, they can still provide a strong lineup to challenge for the Canadian series. While switching to a 4-3-3, the lineup could look like this: 

Hasal

Nerwinski Veselinovic Cornellius Adnan

Owusu Rose       Teibert

Dajome Cavalini Milinkovic/Reyna

I really do think that this is their strongest lineup and doing this can get things back on track. They started the season with this formation, why not go back to it? Once everyone is fit and back, it will be easy to slot them in where they will be best. This also gives them more wiggle room on what kind of player they need to look for. 

In an interview with Marc dos Santos before the match, I had asked him about his transfer targets and where they were looking. He said this, “We are looking for a creative midfielder, like a number 10, to help with the transition in the middle of the pitch. We are looking at players here in MLS along with the Canadian Premier League. European transfers are almost out of the question due to travel restrictions.” This gives us an insight on what to look for in the coming months. 

4-3-2-1

With their transfer target in mind, this could set them up to come out in a 4-2-3-1 formation. This not only gives them options in the midfield, it also provides a more possession based game. It is the same formation that their Cascadian rivals, the Seattle Sounders, use in most of their games. The players will still be in their natural positions and give them more depth and width as well. This formation helps keep that control in the middle of the park, which is what MDS is so desperate for. It also makes the transitions from attacking to defending easier. 

The lineup could possibly look like this: 

Hasal

Nerwinski Veselinovic Cornelius Adnan

Owusu Teibert

Dajome   ??? Milinkovic

Cavalini

Even here, this is still a much stronger lineup than what they have been putting out as of late. All that is missing is the potential signing they are out looking for to fill the gap. Although I must say, while this 4-2-3-1 looks appealing, the 4-3-3 is going to be the best option moving forward for this Whitecaps team. 

Where to Go from Here: 

The Vancouver Whitecaps are at the bottom of the table so there is nowhere to go but up. The talent is there and you see it at various times throughout the matches. It’s just about consistency. This is how they move forward from here. Once MDS gets his tactics in line and gets the players in their correct positions, things will be smooth sailing. 

In a press conference the other day MDS said this:

“The difficult thing for us right now is to find the best formula because of players that we lost or players that are not in, and that’s difficult for us. I feel that, yeah, you have answers in the second half that allows you to have an opportunity to grow as a team.  But man when you have so many guys out when we went to Orlando, and then back in and sellin
g In Beom (Hwang) that is the most creative midfielder we had, you ask yourself so many questions and what’s the best formula, how can we go about things and always being on the road also.”

“But (Michael) Baldisimo and even Pat (Metcalfe) I would say with these two games, they’re giving us options to also be in a 4-3-3. Hopefully (Janio) Bikel is going to come in soon, hopefully Erik [Godoy] we could use him soon, but right now we have to do the best right now with the players we have and that are available.”

This seems to indicate that he seems to want to go back to his previous 4-3-3 but he is just unsure. While I agree losing your three best players is a tough spot to be in but MDS is running out of options and out of excuses. If results do not start changing, there will be calls for him to be out. He is a great coach and a good tactician, he just needs to find a narrative and stick with it. 

Check out Vancouver’s next match later today as they take on Toronto FC at home in BC Palace. Kick off is at 6:30 PST on ESPN+