Kenny Miller Adds to Whitecaps Scottish Flavor

Martin Rennie has added two veteran Scottish internationals to the Whitecaps in recent weeks, with yesterday’s signing of Kenny Miller meaning Vancouver now has three designated players (DP). Al Dannity looks at the strategy behind Rennie’s acquisitions and what Miller will mean for the Caps’ playoff hopes.

Life in those legs yet
Martin Rennie clearly has a plan for the Whitecaps and it’s easy to see where Miller fits in. As FOX’s Eoin O’Callaghan said on Twitter, Rennie sees pace and graft as key assets in Major League Soccer (MLS). A veteran of the Championship in England and the Scottish Premier League (SPL), Miller has no shortage of graft in his game. Pairing him with Darren Mattocks could prove a promising partnership up front for the Whitecaps. While Miller’s scoring rate has slowed considerably in recent years, the Scottish international has the veteran instincts to capitalize on the pace of Mattocks. That’s the role Rennie sees for the Scottish international. With two SPL titles in his medal collection, Miller knows what it takes to be a winner in this game and along with Barry Robson he brings the kind of hard-working attitude necessary for Rennie’s vision.

“The fact he’s a hard-working player who can bring more to the team,” Rennie told The Province. “He has the ability to run in behind people. He has good movement. He can play in a couple of different positions, hold the ball up and create things. Over the years he’s assisted on a lot of goals.” That last line indicates the Caps’ coach sees Miller as more of a creator than an out-and-out scorer for the Whitecaps.

Three is the magic number?
The addition of Miller means the Whitecaps now have three DPs on their roster. Robson became the second earlier this summer, joining Eric Hassli. For a defense-first coach like Rennie, having all three DP slots used on attacking players seems somewhat out of the ordinary. The long-term future of Hassli is certainly up for debate. With Sebastien Le Toux leaving, the Caps aren’t exactly deep up front but Mattocks and Miller look like the probable long-term starters. That leaves Hassli using a DP slot on the bench. Any move on Hassli likely won’t happen until next season but don’t expect him to feature in the starting line-up too often.

Having a variety of scoring options could come in handy at the business end of the season. With the Galaxy, who sit 4 points behind the Caps in the standings, up next Vancouver will need every source of goals they can muster. Miller won’t be available for that match-up but he might feature against San Jose this weekend.

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