Articles, Soccer

Camilo out for the season — boo hoo, amirite?

There’s no love lost for Camilo round these parts. The man broke his contract with the Vancouver Whitecaps prior to last season, sparking a year-long search for a decent goal scorer. Sure, the Caps made the playoffs, and did so in dramatic fashion, but they sorely missed the diminutive Brazilian in the striker position.

How Whitecaps fans spent the 2014 season: openly hating the man, but equally desperate to see some consistent goal-scoring. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
How Whitecaps fans spent the 2014 season: openly hating the man, but behind the whatevs we were eager to see some consistent goal-scoring. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

The blue and white saw offensive production drop by a full eleven goals without Camilo. In 2013, the Caps were the only teamwith a positive goal differential to miss the post-season; a year later, they were still in the black (thanks to a wonderful improvement on the back end) but had the lowest GD of any playoff team.

Would number 7 have stepped in the way of the LA Galaxy in their quest for a storybook ending to Landon Donovan’s career had he stayed? Unlikely: the Whitecaps may have gotten shut out in both away games versus the Galaxy this season, but they didn’t fare much better last year with Camilo in the lineup. It’s also not his fault that Coach Robbo elected not to offer Kenny Miller a contract extension in favour of giving the young horses in the stable a chance to run.

What if and if only aside, it was that very lack of scoring finish — I’m looking at you, Darren Mattocks — and a bizarre bit of refereeing that ultimately did the Caps in.

Meanwhile, the little oathbreaker from Brazil tied for the Mexican League scoring lead, and had a total of 16 goals in 26 appearances overall for Querétaro. Despite his personal success, the team finished in the lower half of the table, and brought in an even bigger Brazilian name, Ronaldinho, to provide a dangerous one-two for 2015.

It is with *ahem* heavy hearts, then, that we at Pucked in the Head report that Senhor Camilo tore his ACL in a pre-season friendly last weekend. Depending upon which source you tap into, he will miss anywhere from five to eight months of Liga MX action. (It is also rumoured the 34-year-old Ronaldinho has soured on his romance with the Roosters, and is looking elsewhere for late career kicks.)

In happier times — you wouldn't know it by their expressions, but this was a celebration — teammates Russell Teibert and Erik Hurtado whoop it up for Camilo's Golden Boot winning goal in 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.
In happier times — you wouldn’t know it by their expressions, but this was a celebration — teammates Russell Teibert and Erik Hurtado whoop it up for Camilo’s Golden Boot winning goal in 2013. Photo by Jason Kurylo for Pucked in the Head.

You never want to see a player go down, of course — and you doubly never want anyone to hear you say that you do — but considering the cowardly move Camilo and his agent pulled last season, don’t be surprised if a whole swath of folks beholden to BC Place consider this bit of news something of a Feliz Navidad gift. Coitadinho!