Centre Back Neil Yadolahi Apparently Offered a Stint with the Vancouver Whitecaps

Harjeet Johal of Red Nation Online broke the story this morning that Iranian-Irish defender Neil Yadolahi has been offered a stint with the Vancouver Whitecaps, likely on a free transfer.  See his bio here.  Yadolahi’s last team was Droghda United in Ireland.  A 22 year old centre-back primarily he has also played both fullback positions in the past primarily during national team duties.  One wonders if this is a potential depth addition and that someone else may be moving on accordingly.  Johal mentioned that there are some lingering injury concerns so stay tuned as this does not appear to be a done deal quite yet (pending a physical).  Would this require another international roster spot (which we have very few left of) and is this a first team signing?  Not sure at this point.  An intriguing move if true.  What exactly are the Whitecaps up to?  Is another centre back moving on?  Are they looking to convert him from his primary centre back position to a right back?  Is this the promised right back we have been waiting for?  More to come on this one…

Look for the Pythonesque red arrow in this highlight reel supplied by his management team, Pangea Sports, as part of his player CV.

Could Cristiano’s Reunion with Whitecaps Masato Kudo be in the Works?

A tweet late last night suggested that new Whitecaps Masato Kudo’s former teammate at Kashiwa Reysol, Brazilian Cristiano da Silva’s contract had not been renewed at Kashiwa Reysol.

Cristiano was on loan from his former club Ventforet Korfu in the J League (which is incidentally chock-full of Brazilian players) and did not have his stay extended (presumably due Reysol not wanting or not willing to pay his transfer fee).  The 28-year-old Cristiano is an attack minded midfielder (left winger mainly but can play striker and right wing) reminiscent of another Brazilian who once plied his trade with the Vancouver Whitecaps (and who shall not be named).  He recently scored a hat trick on free kicks near the end of last season has a more than decent strike rate for a winger (14 goals in 34 games).

Cristiano is on a much smaller ticket than Masato Kudo and depending on his transfer fee could he be worth a flyer?  Could the Whitecaps be looking to dip from the J League once again and unite Kudo with a former teammate in the MLS for the upcoming season?  Was Masato Kudo the only Japanese player that Whitecaps Coach Martyn Pert scouted on his recent trip to Japan?  Did Cristiano also catch Martyn Pert’s eye while he was scouting Kudo?

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Is Cardiff City’s Kenwyne Jones the target man Vancouver Whitecaps FC have been looking for?

Is Cardiff City’s Kenwyne Jones the target man Vancouver Whitecaps FC have been looking for?

Cardiff City’s out of favour striker and target man Kenwyne Jones has apparently played his last game for the club and is in advanced talks with “a foreign club”.  Could that club be the Vancouver Whitecaps of the MLS? Cardiff City is of course current Whitecap Robert Earnshaw’s former club and the Whitecaps have a number of ties to the club.  Jones is apparently a close friend of former Whitecaps Centre Back Carlyle Mitchell, who is now playing for former Whitecaps Coach Martin Rennie in Korea.  Jones has been rumoured to be on the move to the MLS previously (with Columbus Crew being the rumoured destination).  If a deal was to come to fruition, it is rumoured that there would be very little (if any) transfer fee.  It should be noted that Cardiff City and the Whitecaps already have experience doing deals as Cardiff City was Kenny Miller’s former club before he transferred to the Whitecaps in 2012.  With both Robbo and Earnshaw being in the UK at this time, could Jones, a Trinidad and Tobago International, be the big target man that Robbo has been coveting?

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El Salvadorian Club Interested in Vancouver Whitecap Darren Mattocks?

A recent tweet out of El Salvador by a local television reporter suggests that out of favour Vancouver Whitecaps FC striker Darren Mattocks is being looked at by El Salvador Club Alianza F.C. located in San Salvador, El Salvador.  The club is apparently looking at him as a potential strike partner for Argentinian J.J. Philippe.  It does not appear that a formal offer for the services of Mattocks, who is still under contract with the MLS Vancouver Whitecaps until December 31, 2016, has yet to be made.  With the recent arrival of Masato Kudo, look for Robbo to shore up the forward line with another striker, likely a target man in the Blas Perez mode.

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