RedNation Online recently had the chance to chat with Vancouver Whitecaps President Bob Lenarduzzi about several of his club’s main offseason developments, including the recent resignation of CEO Paul Barber, the acquisition of South Korean fullback Young-Pyo Lee and what the organization learned from its first year competing in Major League Soccer.
RedNation Online: What did the organization and the Whitecaps management team learn from its first season in the MLS?
Bob Lenarduzzi: I think that from a business perspective, we transitioned relatively well in that we knew that the potential for greater revenue opportunities were there, both from the partnership side and the ticket sales side. And from that point of view, to average over 20,000 people per game and to have a great sponsor base that includes a lot of top corporate partners like BMO and Bell, we transitioned into that relatively well.
On the technical side, I think we were probably guilty of underestimating the quality of play in the league. We didn't do that flippantly or boastfully, but I think we thought that we had set ourselves up to compete well and vie for a playoff spot. Obviously, that didn't end up being the case. So we now have a Manager in who has already started work with a postseason camp and we are excited about the prospects of him evolving our club. We want to be competitive next season and want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. And ultimately we want to make the playoffs and think that would be a good turnaround for us. We know that it's not going to be easy, but, at the same time, we are not frightened of making changes, which I think we have proven over the first year.
RNO: Do you think we will see more Canadian content on the team in the future?
Bob Lenarduzzi: The Canadian content for me is an interesting one, because I hear about that a lot. And I have actually turned that question around on the people who have asked me about it - not that I am turning it around on you - by asking "Where are the Canadians?". It's not like they are out there and they are free and clear and available.
I think if you look at Montreal, they are going through the same problem that we went through last year in terms of filling that Canadian content. We have taken a different approach and it's quite common. The players that are out there right now, that are available and are Canadian, they are what they are. The one thing that we can control and that we are prepared to invest in is player development. And our hope is that there will be a conveyor belt of Canadian players that will be coming through.
Russell Tiebert is one of them. Bryce Alderson is now another one. And we are hopeful that by continuing to do that and drilling down even lower and having a U-14 team and having an impact at ages below 14, that over time it will pay dividends and will make for greater Canadian content on the roster.
People have suggested that we are ignoring the Canadians and, in my opinion, they have their heads up their asses. It's there for everyone to see that there aren't an abundance of Canadian players right now and that is not being disrespectful to Canadian players. And with the group of players that are currently representing Canada in World Cup qualifying, there is no reason why that group can't qualify. However, if you look at the depth in that squad, that's the problem, and it always has been a problem. It was a problem when I was a coach as well.
RNO: How big a loss will it be now that Paul Barber has resigned and will be leaving the club?
Bob Lenarduzzi: I think when you lose someone that has Paul's pedigree there is going to be an impact on the club. But both Rachel and I were in the positions that we will be in now prior to Paul coming in. So hopefully we have had a learning curve along the way and we're better off for it and we're ready to pick up the slack.
RNO: How does your day to day role change with Paul Barber leaving?
Bob Lenarduzzi: What I was doing prior to coming on board was that I was more involved in the business side in terms of the amount of meetings that I would attend with potential partners. One of the things that Paul has done is that he has been out there a lot speaking to a variety of groups. I have been doing that as well, but there will probably be more of that now.
But from a business perspective, Rachel Lewis really is someone that doesn't really get the credit she deserves. She has been the backbone of this club ever since she arrived. She has moved up from the Director of Events position and is a very, very good executive. She will likely take on more of Paul's responsibilities, as opposed to that being the case for me.
RNO: You recently signed a big name Korean player in Young-Pyo Lee and, given that Vancouver has a large Asian community, do you see his acquisition as a big positive in terms of marketing?
Bob Lenarduzzi: It's absolutely a positive. In all honesty, we were rather fortunate in that he was in Saudi Arabia and could have stayed there for a very significant amount of money, but that at the stage of his career that he is at, money is not the primary objective and that lifestyle is.
So we are fortunate that we live in a beautiful city. We had an inquiry from his agent about coming to Vancouver and we were obviously excited about that. His popularity in the Korean community - and we found out first hand what that is over the last while - really is a massive bonus for us, because he is coming in to fill a positional void that was lacking throughout last season. So that's why he is here, but the other part is something that we are excited about as well.
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