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Author Topic: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up  (Read 2010 times)

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Offline Tallman

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Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« on: June 23, 2014, 10:57:30 PM »
Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
By Gary Kingston (Vancouver Sun)

When you have been yellow-carded for a hand to the face of the great Lionel Messi — in front of 40,000 screaming Argentine fans in Buenos Aires, no less — just about anything else in soccer should be a breeze, right?

Certainly even filling in for an injured captain in a Major League Soccer regular season game shouldn’t be nearly as scary as having Messi, an incomparable ball wizard, challenge you one on one.

That was the situation Vancouver Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell, the young Trinidad and Tobago international, faced in a friendly against Messi and Argentina last month. Mitchell was carded after bringing up his hand as Messi tried to get around him after slipping a ball through his legs.

Mitchell did, however, help keep Messi from scoring a goal in a 3-0 win for Argentina.

“It was a good experience for me … you learn a lot from that game,” he said. “(Messi) is one of the best players in the world to play against. We got a few tips.”

Now it looks like Mitchell will be given an opportunity to replace the injured Jay DeMerit on Wednesday at BC Place Stadium against Montreal as the Caps try to tighten some loose defending that saw them concede eight goals in three games before the World Cup break.

“I’m very excited to play this game because I haven’t played a game for a while,” Mitchell, 26, said Monday. “It’s a big opportunity for me. I’ve got to go out there and do my best.”

Mitchell, athletic and aggressive in the air, played 15 games — starting 13 as a right-side centre back — for the Caps last season when injuries knocked Andy O’Brien out of the lineup. But except for a pair of Canadian Championship games against Toronto, he’s been a spectator this season as coach Carl Robinson went mostly with the veteran pairing of O’Brien and DeMerit in MLS action.

DeMerit is out at least six weeks after tearing a tendon in his left ankle in the Caps’ last game, a 3-3 tie at Philadelphia on June 7.

Johnny Leverón started twice for a rested DeMerit earlier this season. And the natural left-footer seemed to be the likely choice to replace the captain.

But after experimenting in practice last week with Leverón, O’Brien, Mitchell and rookie Christian Dean in various pairings, it was O’Brien and Mitchell who lined up with the rest of the starters in practice on Monday.

O’Brien and Mitchell are both right-footed and did not play together in a game last season. But Robinson said he’s not overly concerned about that.

“If you play two right-footed centre backs, not many people say anything about it. If you play two left-footed centre backs, people say, ‘Oh, you can’t do that. It’s unbalanced.’ Which is crazy and ridiculous.

“Not many teams in Major League Soccer have got a right-footed centre back and a left-footed centre back.”

O’Brien, 34, and Mitchell switched sides at different points in practice Monday.

O’Brien said he’s played some games in his career as a left-sided centre back, but “it’s not my ideal side.”

“When you get used to turning one way for 18 years, it can get very difficult turning the other way,” he said with a smile.

Mitchell said he’s OK with playing on the left.

“It’s all about defending, not being a playmaker,” he said. “You defend first.”

With eight games over the next six weeks, including Wednesday (Montreal) and Saturday (in Colorado), Robinson said it’s likely all his centre backs will get some playing time.
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline dreamer

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2014, 08:27:08 AM »
Nice. Match fitness will improve before the Caribbean Cup.
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Offline Mose

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2014, 09:08:55 PM »
After all dat talk dey playing Leveron in de Middle with O'Brien and have Mitchell playing right back. He doing a good job so far though. Defensively at least.
Are you a match? It's too late for Emru, but maybe you can help save someone's life: http://www.healemru.com

Offline Tallman

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2014, 01:00:47 AM »
WATCH Carlyle Mitchell score for Vancouver Whitecaps against Chivas USA.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/BCplNIpYKH4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/BCplNIpYKH4</a>
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline dreamer

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2014, 08:29:09 AM »
Lovely lovely.
More weaponry for the Warriors.
Bateau, Cyrus, Primus, Hoyte, allyuh turn now
Supportin' de Warriors right tru.

Offline Tallman

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Drama king Carlyle Mitchell says ankle fine despite theatrics
« Reply #5 on: July 14, 2014, 07:09:44 PM »
Drama king Carlyle Mitchell says ankle fine despite theatrics
By Marc Weber (Vancouver Sun)


Carlyle Mitchell is known for his dramatic reactions to injury.

Former coach Martin Rennie and current coach Carl Robinson have both poked light-hearted fun at the Trinidadian’s theatrical displays.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise to Robinson when Mitchell barely made it off the field in Saturday’s loss to Chivas and then declared himself fine after the game.

Good thing, too. With Jay DeMerit (ankle) and Andy O’Brien (hip) on the shelf, Robinson can’t afford to lose another centre-back. Not with two road games this week: Wednesday in Toronto and Saturday in Salt Lake.

And then there’s the point that Mitchell is coming off a game in which he scored his first MLS goal — off a corner, no less, which is a very rare thing for this club.

“It’s a good feeling,” Mitchell said after the 3-1 defeat, “but unfortunately we didn’t get the result we expected.

“(The injury) wasn’t that bad. I just rolled my ankle late in the game. By Wednesday, I should be fine.”

The Caps (6-4-7) will not be pleased with how they conceded either of the first two goals.

The first came off a corner and the marking wasn’t good enough. The second was on a great cross and sublime movement in the box from Erick Torres, but again the Caps will pick apart their role in what proved to be the killer blow.

“As a team, we just have to concentrate more,” said Mitchell.

In the first half, especially, both Mitchell and his centre-back partner Johnny Leveron looked calm and confident. It was their fourth straight game together and that’s starting to show.

Neither saw much time this season until DeMerit and O’Brien went down.

O’Brien is basically day-to-day, but he has barely trained in the last three weeks and Robinson seems set to stick with this partnership in Toronto.

Can they be consistent enough? They still need to prove that. Robinson’s talked about seeking a centre-back during the transfer window, which is now open.

But Mitchell gives the Caps something they’ve missed since joining MLS: a real threat in the box on set pieces.

Perhaps no player in MLS gets up higher than the 26-year-old, whose biggest issue on headers last year wasn’t getting there first but keeping his attempts down and on target.

“I’ve been getting close and I said, ‘One day it will go in,’” said Mitchell. “It was a great cross by Pedro.”

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qs6kyvhrWIc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Qs6kyvhrWIc</a>
The Conquering Lion of Judah shall break every chain.

Offline Mose

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #6 on: July 24, 2014, 10:54:32 AM »
This should mean more playing time for Carlyle.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/jay-demerit-to-retire-from-whitecaps-1.2716400
Quote
Jay DeMerit to retire from Whitecaps
The Whitecaps’ only captain in franchise history is retiring.

Jay DeMerit will announce his retirement on Thursday at a press conference in Vancouver, a team source confirmed to CBC News.

DeMerit, who took in the Pemberton Music Festival over the weekend, began speaking to the MLS team about his impending retirement last week.
...
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Offline Tallman

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Vancouver Whitecaps 2014 year end report card
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2014, 06:14:51 PM »
Carlyle Mitchell: C-
Carlyle Mitchell was the forgotten centre-back. He was a key part of Martin Rennie's defense in 2013, but the same could not be said under Carl Robinson in 2014. His play and minutes regressed and he never recovered. Mitchell started 8 matches in a row from June, 25 to July, 30 and did not earn any other MLS minutes this season. His first and only MLS goal came on July, 12 against Chivas USA. It would not be a surprise if Carlyle Mitchell departed the Whitecaps for greener pastures in 2015.

http://www.rednationonline.ca/Articles2015/VancouverWhitecaps2014yearendreportcard.aspx
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Offline Mose

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #8 on: November 05, 2014, 05:02:00 AM »
Don't know what greener pastures he could find but he needs to play and I don't know how much playing time he's going to get with that new guy Waston in there.
Are you a match? It's too late for Emru, but maybe you can help save someone's life: http://www.healemru.com

Offline JRtheWriter

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2014, 01:23:47 PM »
Don't know what greener pastures he could find but he needs to play and I don't know how much playing time he's going to get with that new guy Waston in there.
With them being in CCL he may find a good amount of playing time.

Offline Sando prince

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Re: Whitecaps centre back Carlyle Mitchell asked to step up
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2014, 01:36:10 PM »
Lovely lovely.
More weaponry for the Warriors.
Bateau, Cyrus, Primus, Hoyte, allyuh turn now

T&T always had weaponry. Problem has always been playing together as a team and giving your all for full 90 mins. Think about how many past T&T teams with weaponry that failed to qualify for different World Cups

 

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