Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all have had a lovely week and are winding things down before the weekend.

It was a bit of a heartbreaking start to the Leagues Cup on Tuesday, with a 2-0 lead for Vancouver over LAFC quickly forcing me to reconsider my antipathy for the tournament and Vancouver’s performance in it.

It turns out that a bit of emotional distance would have been a good idea, as the Caps shipped two goals in the closing minutes of the match, including a controversial one where it was unclear if Matuesz Bogusz was onside, to spoil what was otherwise an astute tactical plan and a good performance against a team that has consistently had their number.

The Caps were really, really effective on the counter but just had trouble getting that third goal with Brian White and, most infamously, Levonte Johnson, whiffing on open nets. And this is the worry with how Vancouver has been playing: they just have not been able to finish off games in a way that they will have to in knockout tournaments.

There was quite simply no reason to play as open as they were in the dying moments of the match and while the defense was very good and the side kept a good shape for basically all of the match, that seemed to go out the window at the very end.

This shouldn’t obscure a lot of really good performances, however, not least of which being from Sebastian Berhalter, whose wonder goal and assist made him man-of-the-match. And a win in the penalty shootout brought a bit of relief for Vancouver. They will need only a point against Tijuana at BC Place (a side that just got clapped by LAFC) to advance. Two points or more would see them win the group, setting up a likely date with Monterrey or Pumas (as Austin have inexplicably dominated that group).

The other major news of the week was the decision to place Javain Brown on waivers, bringing an end to the somewhat bizarre saga, with Brown going through some personal issues, not wanting to be in Vancouver, wanting to play more or all of the above.

I’ve yet to see any real definitive reporting on all of this but it is a blow to the team’s depth, as Brown has rounded into form a bit after looking really rough at the start of 2024. It is certainly a bummer after the Caps reportedly turned down European offers for Brown last season, a move they surely were regretting after Real Salt Lake picked Brown up off waivers.

Brown’s time in Vancouver should be considered an unqualified success, awkward ending notwithstanding. Anytime you get 95 first team appearances out of a SuperDraft pick (much less one that was picked late in the first round), you’re doing pretty well for yourself. It’s too bad it had to end in this way.

Shameless Self Promotion

More on a dramatic start to the Caps’ Leagues Cup campaign, as well as even more Caps content in podcast form.

Best of the Rest

More on the decision to move on from Javain Brown.

Soccer Canada has lost its appeal in Drone-gate but reached the quarters anyway, points deduction be damned.

Meanwhile, the men’s U-20 side will miss out on a U-20 World Cup berth after a controversial loss to Panama.

A look at high-profile Canadians who are out-of-contract — and could wind up in CPL.