Episode 159 – The AFTN Podcast – “There’s Still Time” (Feast of Football with Bruce Grobbelaar, Carl Robinson and Cole Seiler)
June is very much a feast of football. There’s the Euros, Copa America, the Canadian Championship, MLS and USL matches to enjoy. So many games to watch, so little time.
We cover all those competitions in our latest podcast and we kick things off with Vancouver Whitecaps. They’ve got it all to do in their semi-final second leg against Ottawa Fury, heading in to the game with a two goal deficit on the back of a pretty horrible performance for the most part.
We hear from ‘Caps coach Carl Robinson, (06:24) who tells us what winning the Voyageurs Cup meant and means to him and the club, and we chat with one of the Whitecaps who came away with praise from last week’s loss, debutant centre back Cole Seiler (11:09), about that game, making his first team debut, his own development and the USL season so far.
There’s a lot of Vancouver connections with the Ottawa side and one of them is current Fury goalkeeping coach, and former Whitecaps NASL ‘keeper and Soccer Bowl winner, Bruce Grobbelaar (20:50). We dig into the AFTN vaults for our chat with Bruce from back in 2012. It may be four years old, and things may have changed for him, but it’s a fascinating chat with the legend and well worth hearing again as he talks about his time in Vancouver, Liverpool and Zimbabwe and we look at everything from his wobbly legs to his European success and Hillsborough.
And there’s still time to look at Kendall Waston’s sending off at Copa America and ahead to the Euros, which get underway this week. Carl Robinson will be cheering on Wales and he chats (56:45) about what qualifying for their first major tournament since 1958 means for the country and the massive steps Wales have taken to improve the game there. Canada (and Scotland) take note!
There’s a lot of chat to be had, so have a listen!
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Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!
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Interesting talk on the situation with the Canadian players, and their apparent inability to seize their opportunities. I’m curious where you think the breakdown is if the players aren’t developing. Is it the players attitude? Are they not being prepared properly at the USL level? Are they not being transitioned properly in to the MLS squad? A combination? Because it’s now year 5 in MLS (plus some time in NASL) and while I don’t think anyone thought it would be instantaneous I think we all thought the residency would produce more than 1 part time player in Teibert and a few guys who get late game minutes sometimes.
Hard to put an exact finger on it, but lack of development opportunities the last few years (before WFC2) hit them. Caps would have to have a year of blooding these guys in MLS minutes to see full benefit and perhaps write off that season. Not going to happen and I wouldn’t want to see that anyway.
But guys like Adekugbe seem to have taken a step back in their development, then they come in a little cold and stuggle. Bustos hasn’t been utilised in his best position in his two games and I fear Froese may have hit his ceiling. Teibert too, and I’d move him on.