Almost a full season into his first campaign as an MLS head coach, Marc Dos Santos has learned some hard lessons.
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC boss, brought in last offseason to revamp the club, has taken some lumps as the Whitecaps are seven points adrift at the bottom of the Western Conference, already eliminated from the Audi 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs.
In a recent story in the Vancouver Sun by J.J Adams, Dos Santos reflects on a tough season, insisting he and his team are taking it hardest: “You think you’re suffering? Don’t worry, we’re suffering more than anyone else.”
While the Canadian is aiming to finish the season strong, he's hard at work in preparing for the 2020 season, going on scouting trips and evaluating his player pool for next season, the latter task Dos Santos says is "pretty much all evaluated, especially guys who have been with us since preseason."
Vancouver will host the Houston Dynamo, another team down on their luck this season, on Saturday at BC Place (10 pm ET | TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US). Perhaps the most illuminating part of Adams' story is Dos Santos explaining the shifting focus in looking for squad reinforcements after a year on the job.
“For us to have a model of play, and recruit to maximize that model, for me [to do it] was a mistake.
“Our window, it’s too big. We have to focus on the best players possible we could bring to the club, and then find what fits better the mold we have,” Dos Santos said.
You can read more at the Vancouver Sun.
