Good Monday morning Caps fans — hope you guys had a good weekend and are getting ready to get back in the swing of things today.
Getting back in the swing of things is the name of the game this week, as the Caps return to action in a match that actually matters and boy is it a big one.
Tigres is off to a typically strong start in the Liga MX Clausura, sitting joint top on 11 points, despite a couple of draws in recent matches. Stars who have made the Caps’ life miserable in the past like Andre Pierre-Gignac are coming off the bench but this is obviously one of the best teams in North America, as everyone expected when this draw was announced.
I’ve set my expectations low for this one based on the preseason but I doubt Vanni Sartini has. If Leagues Cup last season is any indication, this is a team that is going to go out and play fairly wide open, even against much more formidable opposition.
The question will boil down to how Vanni wants to slice things tactically. After a preseason of tinkering he will have to settle on an actual strategy here and it will be telling which way he goes.
If I had a vote, I would go with the 4-3-1-2 diamond that Sartini used in the first preseason match, with Brian White up top and Damir Kreilach or Ryan Gauld acting as a sort of second striker. I like the idea of that element of control that the diamond gives as the ability to push the fullbacks up a bit more to join the attack if needed.
But this team, despite the absence of a lot of roster turnover, is still filled with some unknowns. How will Kreilach and Fafa Picault mold the nature of the attack. Can Sebastian Berhalter make the most of what will likely be an increased role this season? Will Alessandro Schopf and Pedro Vite live up to their potential and give the Caps a bona fide secondary chance creator? The search for answers begins on Wednesday night.
What will you be watching for at Starlight on Wednesday? What should the lineup look like? Chime in below in the comments.
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