'We wanted quality': Whitecaps issue huge signal of intent with CanMNT double-swoop
In a dramatic double deadline day swoop, the Vancouver Whitecaps made some key acquisitions, bringing CanMNT full backs Richie Laryea and Sam Adekugbe to the club this past week.
After trading Julian Gressel and his soon-to-be-expiring contract to the Columbus Crew earlier in the window, this Canadian double-swoop serves as a huge signal of intent from the ‘Caps as Vanni Sartini continues on his singular quest of making a run at the MLS Cup in 2023.
Beyond being two additions bolstering key positions of need for the team, the Whitecaps also quelled any concerns that Gressel’s departure would be the club's lone deadline move, too. Past editions of this team might’ve stood by and waited in such a situation, but the sheer ambition of these acquisitions alone was refreshing to see.
"We didn't need players, but we wanted players – quality players – who could improve our roster," Whitecaps head coach Sartini said this week. "So to sign guys that can really help us make the next step, two Canadian national team players, two guys that can immediately have an impact on the team, (means we achieved that)."
Not only that, but they’ve also set themselves to compete in the future, as well, with most of their core now locked up for the years to come.
All of a sudden, things are looking good in Whitecaps land, as they look to put seasons of disappointment behind them with a push to the playoffs, building on what has arguably been their best stretch in the club’s MLS history.
Signal of intent from the Whitecaps?
Yet, beyond even diving into what the pair might bring to the team, it’s worth noting how important their arrivals are off the pitch, as well.
Notoriously known as a team that doesn't chase after the “big name player”, the Whitecaps have sometimes gathered a reputation of being cheap or lacking ambition over the years, especially compared to other teams in MLS, such as their Canadian counterparts Toronto FC and CF Montréal, who have had a pretty good history of attracting some well-known names.
Instead, the Whitecaps always preferred to focus on the collective, trying to build a team. Unfortunately, they’ve done so with mixed results - between 2011 and 2019, the team won just one trophy (the 2015 Canadian Championship) while making the playoffs only four times, never advancing past the final eight.
Now, however, that’s changing. From moves for Hwang In-Beom, Ali Adnan and Lucas Cavallini in 2019, to the arrival of Ryan Gauld, Caio Alexandre and Pedro Vite in 2021, and then in the past year with Andrés Cubas and Sergio Cordóva, those are several multi-million transfers the team never really made before these past five years.
They haven’t hit on all of those transfers, but they’ve certainly swung, something they haven’t always done in the past.
Plus, they're certainly starting to get results from that process. Between Gauld and Cubas, they’ve got two core pillars to build around, and have done well to surround them with key pieces like Vite, Brian White, Yohei Takaoka, Ranko Veselinovic and more.
Therefore, it’s safe to say that the arrival of Laryea and Adekugbe is just a continuation of that. Two signings that fit into the team’s vision and needs, they also bring key name recognition, given that both are two prominent members of the CanMNT, featuring at the 2022 World Cup.
Along with the fact that they’re both coming from pretty solid clubs, with Laryea contracted to English Premier League side Nottingham Forest while Adekugbe comes from Turkish Süper Lig side Hatayspor following a loan with Galatasaray, there’s a lot to like with these signings from a Whitecaps perspective.
Before, two moves like this would’ve been a pipe dream for Vancouver, but now, they’ve been able to pull it off, showing how things have changed for them.
Yet, that just shows how far they’ve come, as they’ve increased their ambition over the last few years, doing a good job of also combining it with the creation of a vision, allowing them to put the pieces together on this project.
"What we've done for the last three years is try to improve the team not just through flashy players, but with players who can be functional to the technical project that we have here, players that can adapt immediately," Sartini explained.
What will the pair bring?
Speaking of that project, it’s also worth diving into where the pair fits within that, as they’re two sizable moves.
And the good news? The fit is nearly perfect, as they’re exactly what Vancouver needs right now.
A team that plays fluid soccer, doing well to generate chances by the boatload, they’ve also had some issues defensively. In particular, they’ve had issues at the full back and wing back positions, leading them to experiment with several faces in those roles.
In Adekugbe and Laryea, however, they’ve done well to address those needs, in a big way.
Given that Sartini’s system demands a lot from the wide players, be it his full backs in a 4-3-2-1 or the wing backs in a 3-5-2, on both sides of the ball, it was imperative that the Whitecaps found some players who could fulfill those demands, which Adekugbe and Laryea certainly do.
Both are usually more comfortable in a back four at their clubs the last few years, yet they’ve also done well as wing backs for Canada, providing the necessary support off the ball to handle the rigorous demands of those positions.
Blessed with good speed, stamina and a strong work rate, they’re players that can make things happen on both sides of the ball, which is often the toughest part about the position.
At the same time, while they share a lot of similarities in that regard, it’s worth noting that they also do bring different profiles to the position, which will make it interesting to see how the Whitecaps deploy them together.
In theory, one would expect both of them to slot in at either full back or wing back, and be tasked with running up and down the flanks, providing a similar overlap threat. In practice, however, that might not be the case, especially in the attack, where they’ve got different profiles.
With Laryea, he’s much more of a box arriver, one who does his best work when dribbling and running at defenders. That’s reflected in his numbers with Toronto FC this season (where he’s been on loan from Forest), as he’s been one of the best in MLS this season at progressive carries (91st percentile), take-ons (90th percentile) and touches in the final third (83rd percentile).
Richie Laryea had four actions in about 18 minutes for #NFFC yesterday. But everyone was mesmerized by this classic Laryea dribble. 💨 #CanMNT pic.twitter.com/CTjy4sDbAM
— Peter Galindo (@GalindoPW) April 27, 2022
He’s also strong in passing, chance creation, assisting and finishing, sitting in the 50th percentile or higher in each of those categories (and has two goals and four assists in MLS play this season), but his best work comes when he’s dribbling.
As for Adekugbe, he prefers to play with the ball at his feet, but is more of a participant in the build-up, usually arriving in the final third via combination play and off-ball movement.
His Turkish Süper Lig numbers from 2022-2023 aren’t tracked to a percentile like Laryea, but when compared directly, it’s worth noting that he had a slightly higher passing percentage (84.9%-83.7%), attempted more crosses (2.42-1.19) and had more passes into the penalty area (2.46-1.09) than Laryea, reflecting that ability to create on the ball.
Sam Adekugbe picked up his 1st assist for Galatasaray🎯
— Alexandre Gangué-Ruzic (@AlexGangueRuzic) April 18, 2023
Galatasaray continued to push towards the Süper Lig title today, picking up a big 4-1 win over Alanyaspor
Adekugbe had himself quite the game, too, capped off with an assist. Love to see it#CanMNTpic.twitter.com/QgrgnkTJaz
On the flip side, he attempted nearly one-third of the dribbles, and had significantly lower xG (0.01-0.07), further showing how his best work was usually done through passing and ball progression, as he prefers to play a bit deeper on the field than Laryea.
Defensively, they’re a lot more similar, as they’ve got nearly identical numbers in interceptions, recoveries, clearances and tackles, although interestingly, Adekugbe contests and wins far more aerial duels, while Laryea has more ground duels.
Because of that, don’t be surprised if their roles are slightly different for the Whitecaps, even if they play together.
For example, if the Whitecaps play a four-at-the-back, Adekugbe could sometimes drop back to help them build up in a three-at-the-back set-up on the ball, while Laryea would likely push forward more often with more freedom.
That could work well for the Whitecaps, too - Ali Ahmed likes to push forward into the left side of the pitch when deployed as a left-sided #8 in a three-player midfield, so it could make sense to have him and Adekugbe form a partnership on that side, especially given that the other main #8 options for the right side (Alessandro Schöpf or Pedro Vite) prefer to play more centrally, which would benefit Laryea on the other flank.
Either way, there’s no doubt that these two should form a strong partnership at the full back position, even if their roles don’t end up being as similar as some are expecting from them.
The start of a shift?
While this is undoubtedly a win for the Whitecaps, both in terms of the fit and what this move represents, it’s worth noting that this move could have different implications for the CanMNT, though.
Two key members on that team, it’s surprising to see them move back to MLS at just 28. Given Laryea’s dominance in MLS the past few years, earning him that move to Forest (before he went back on loan to Toronto), as well as Adekugbe’s strong performances in Europe these past few years, many expected them to want to stay on the other side of the Atlantic as they sorted out their futures this summer.
Especially seeing how CanMNT head coach, John Herdman, has pushed his players to get to Europe, one can only wonder what he thinks of this move.
At the same time, it’s worth noting that Adekugbe’s and Laryea’s move back to MLS isn’t anything new. In fact, it’s been the continuation of a trend that has emerged in recent months.
How will the acquisitions of Richie Laryea and Sam Adekugbe at #VWFC impact the #CanMNT? 🇨🇦@plattoli 🗣️ "I think Herdman would prefer these two to stay in Europe and try and push in major leagues... but you're seeing the different things players weigh up. This appeals more." pic.twitter.com/c7susbFcDx
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) August 3, 2023
Just look at this past year, as an example.
Despite European interest, Jonathan Osorio re-signed as a free agent with Toronto FC this offseason, while Mark-Anthony Kaye was recently traded for a third time within MLS since 2019, a season in which he also had European interest. Then, Kamal Miller was also traded within MLS this year after many expected his next move to be to Europe, also adding to that list.
What this shows is that recently, Canadian National Team players in their prime have seemingly never been more valuable within MLS, and the commitment teams have made to some of those players in terms of trade offers and salaries reflect that.
Yet, that’s also a push likely supported by MLS - these sorts of players, who are in their prime, can only help grow the level of the league.
Therefore, one can wonder if we’ll only see more moves like Adekugbe and Laryea in the future. Players that are both marketable and in their prime, and more likely to move to the league to be closer to home, so it would make sense for MLS to target that.
Of course, it’s not fully ideal from a CanMNT perspective, as one would want players to push themselves to the highest levels of European soccer, but it’s hard to go against that pull to play close to home and the recognition and salary that can come with it.
For what it’s worth, more and more young players are making that push to Europe, so this shift is happening more between the age bracket of 25-30, versus those younger ages, which will start to really make up the majority of the CanMNT soon, so it’s not as if Herdman’s wishes are being ignored across the program.
Lastly, it’s worth noting that MLS of today isn’t the MLS of four or five years ago, either. As seen with the recent signing of Lionel Messi, the league is changing rapidly, and could really see a big boost in the next few years, especially if they choose to loosen the roster restrictions.
Because of that, don’t be surprised if there are more moves like that of Adekugbe and Laryea, reflecting that ever-changing landscape, one that has slowly started to take shape across the league in 2023.
