Saturday night in Frisco, the Vancouver Whitecaps bested FC Dallas by a final score of 3-1, securing their second straight road win, heading back to BC Place for a four-game homestand with an undefeated record.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this one was how dangerous and dynamic the Whitecaps’ attack looked at times with Fafa Picault in the front three. His pace created ample space for all three attackers to create dangerous chances, and it also made life much easier on the midfield duo of Pedro Vite and Andres Cubas, who dominated the midfield, especially in the first half.

Though FC Dallas did make an early second half push, the Whitecaps rarely looked to be under threat from open play, which continues the encouraging early-season trend of much improved defensive play in comparison to last year. Much like my commentary from last weekend, I do think questions have to be asked about the quality of the opposition, as Dallas, despite positive pre-season reviews, have been very poor to start the season – with Petar Musa in particular having a real shocker against the Whitecaps.

All this being said, the Whitecaps talked a lot before the season about getting off to a fast start in 2024. So far, they are certainly on the right track.

Ok, on to the player ratings we go:

Yohei Takaoka – 6.5

To me, a goalkeeper should come out to claim the kind of softly lofted cross near the edge of the six yard box which led to Dallas’ set piece goal. These moments remain the one weakness in Takaoka’s play, but otherwise he’s been very solid so far this season.

Mathias Laborda – 7.0

First off, what a tremendous sequence of play from Laborda which led to the opening goal: the touch, the run, the finish, all great stuff. Overall, having Mathias start regularly has made a big difference to the quality of the backline, and you can still see him growing week by week. If I’m going to nitpick, Laborda and Raposo did have a few adventures defensively, which led to some attacking moments from Dallas down the left wing.

Ranko Veslinovic – 7.0

Another really strong showing from the Serbian, he just looks very confident at the moment (something we have not always seen), and it’s showing in his play. He was strong in the air (also something we have not always seen), and was sharp with the ball at his feet as per usual.

Tristan Blackmon – 6.5

Probably the least notable of the three at the back, though that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He linked up well with Schopf, who often tucked inside from his wide spot.

Ryan Raposo –  6.5

As mentioned, there were a couple of defensive adventures, but he chipped in with a wonderful ball for Vancouver’s third goal after selling a dummy to the Dallas defender. Like it or not, Raposo is Vancouver’s second most dangerous attacking piece in that wide role, at least until Adekugbe is back, or they bring in someone else.

Pedro Vite – 7.0

The stats might not jump off the sheet, as Vancouver was very direct in their attacking play, but both central midfielders were very strong for Vancouver in this one. Pedro’s composure in tight quarters and vision on the ball continues to jump off the screen, especially in this deeper role.

Andres Cubas – 7.0

Harassing the opposition, winning tackles, and playing sharp outlet passes…More of the same from the defensive midfielder, who is in top form right now.

Alessandro Schopf – 6.5

Though not flashy, the Austrian was quite effective linking with the attack and finding the front three in space for shots. Though you probably don’t want him starting there long term, Schopf does look comfortable in this wide role.

Ryan Gauld – 7.0

Rather than being the centre of the attack in this one, Gauld did a ton of dirty work off the ball, pressing and getting stuck in with challenges. Not every designated player would be as happy putting in the thankless work, which we saw from Ferreira and Musa for FC Dallas, but that’s just what makes Gauld so valuable.

Fafa Picault – 8.5

After supporters begged for a start, Fafa did not disappoint. His pace made Dallas play softer than they wanted to defensively, but it’s also worth noting that Picault is far from a pace merchant: he’s very skilled with the ball at his feet, as evidenced by his assist, and he also makes smart runs in the box, as evidenced by his goal.

Brian White – 8.0

With a little more room to roam, Brian White is dangerous. Despite not being the fastest himself, White can be ruthless in those transition moments, and he looked like the White of late 2023 against Dallas. His vision to find Laborda on the first goal was tremendous, and his header on the second Whitecaps’ goal is a much more difficult finish than he made it look.

Substitutes – 6.5

Unlike last weekend, the Whitecaps did not need their bench contributors to break the game open. Honestly, I’m not sure I saw enough to give anyone a particularly definitive grade as Vancouver played the game out in uneventful fashion. For some general notes, I thought Luis Martins looked sharp in defense, while Ali Ahmed was not quite as sharp (especially in comparison to last weekend), with a couple of poor touches and misplaced passes, but again, not much to write home about in a pretty low leverage situation.

Michael D’Agostino & Vanni Sartini – 7.5

Credit where credit is due, the Whitecaps appear to have built a system this season which is both more structured, but also more fluid in terms of how they counter their opponents strengths and weaknesses, in comparison to last year. As mentioned by the commentary crew, Vancouver had a very clear idea of what they were trying to do on the ball, and almost every time they surged forward, it led to a dangerous moment. On the flip side, Vancouver stayed reasonably compact at the back, only allowing the odd low quality look to FC Dallas from open play. Again, we will have to see how this holds up against teams in better form, but “so far, so good” for Vancouver as they return for four straight at BC Place.

Alright, those were my thoughts on the big win down in Dallas, let me know yours, as always, in the comments.

(Image Credit: Santos Galo)