The Vancouver Whitecaps only finished two points out of the playoffs last season. They were far from one of the worst teams in MLS. Even with Alphonso Davies departing for Bayern Munich at the end of the season in a record deal, there was still the makings of a sound roster.
And yet, the Whitecaps decided to not settle for mediocrity. They chose to rip it all up and start again.
Out went the rather vanilla Carl Robinson as head coach; in came the inventive, progressive but somewhat unknown Marc dos Santos.
Dos Santos is a highly regarded young coach, renowned for his creativity, attacking style of play, and his development of young players.