The Vancouver Whitecaps were held to a 0-0 draw by Canadian rivals Toronto FC in a game of few chances.

Toronto have had an abysmal start to the season, having only picked up 1 point from their opening 5 games prior to this match. Attempting to combat this, Robin Fraser opted to pick a team that on paper seemed more aggressive than he had for his previous games, as Italians Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernadeschi were joined in attack by Derek Etienne and Deandre Kerr as part of a 4-2-3-1 setup.

In contrast to their opponents, Vancouver came into this game on form, and at the top of the Western Conference. The Whitecaps were also hoping to rebound, as they suffered their first defeat of the season against Chicago Fire last weekend.

Jesper Sørensen made 5 changes from that game, although 4 of them were players returning as Brian White, Andres Cubas and Ali Ahmed came back into the lineup after international duty, and Tristan Blackmon was restored following his absence. Tate Johnson replaced Edier Ocampo in the other change, allowing Mathias Laborda to return to his natural right back position.

Former TFC winger Jayden Nelson retained his place in the starting 11 for the Whitecaps, and it was clear that he wanted to be the difference maker on his 50^th MLS appearance.

Early on, Nelson won a foul off Jonathan Osorio in an attacking area, but Sebastian Berhalter’s delivery was deflected just off target by Laborda. Minutes later, Nelson won a corner which Brian White headed on target, but his shot was cleared off the line.

The rest of the half was fairly uneventful. Tate Johnson flashed a shot across goal following a set piece for the Whitecaps, but beyond that they didn’t have any chances.

Toronto did nearly match the Whitecaps in possession following a dominant spell at the end of the half, but they had no chances at scoring a goal as they were well marshalled by the ‘Caps defense.

Throughout the first half, the Whitecaps controlled possession well and attempted to play the possession-based game that we have become accustomed to under Sørensen. However, there was a lack of cutting-edge precision going forward that meant they didn’t take the lead into the interval, as the score was 0-0 at the break.

The second half carried on much like the first, although Vancouver started to control more of the ball. An injury, that hopefully is not serious given the Whitecaps’ injury record this season, to Andres Cubas saw Pedro Vite enter the field after the hour mark, after he was rested with one eye on the Champions Cup clash against PUMAS on Wednesday.

Emmanuel Sabbi also came on for Jayden Nelson, and he looked a threat immediately with his tricky footwork. He almost got himself onto the score-sheet within 10 minutes of his introduction, when the ball fell to him after a corner, but his strike was well stopped by Sean Johnson to keep the game scoreless.

Sørensen was clearly looking for his side to win the game, as he sent Daniel Rios on up front to partner Brian White. However, it was TFC who had the next big chance. Deybi Flores had a free header from the edge of the 6-yard box, but his effort was batted away by Yohei Takaoka in the Whitecaps goal to keep the game level.

Minutes later, the Whitecaps had their opportunity to snatch all 3 points. Ranko Veselinovic had a brilliant chance following a recycled set piece, but his header was punched to safety by Johnson at full stretch.

Following this, the Whitecaps were given eight minutes of added time to try and find a winner, and Sean Johnson once more was asked to respond, as he did well to push away an Ocampo drive at target.

In the end though, it was TFC who had the best chances to win it in the final moments. A flurry of late corners lead to a goalmouth scramble that almost found it’s way to the back of the Whitecaps net, but they were able to clear the ball and hang on to a point.

The game ended 0-0, and Vancouver were forced to settle for a hard-fought result in the rainy conditions.

Going forward, the players who impressed for Vancouver were wingers Ali Ahmed and Emmanuel Sabbi. Both players were willing challenge their man, and they seemed more than comfortable in doing so. They won many of the 12 corners Vancouver earned, and they looked like the Whitecaps’ best chance at scoring a goal.

The late free header aside, the Vancouver defense was solid, although it was not really tested. They only gave up 0.77 xG, of which 0.7 was from the late chances, as they looked comfortable in dealing with the TFC attack.

Another positive is that Tristan Blackmon returning at left centreback meant he could play wider in possession, permitting Tate Johnson to bomb forward and offer an extra threat going forward. That prevented TFC from doubling up on Ahmed, allowing him to get his joy running at the opposing fullback. This caused TFC issues and will bother other teams across the season.

Even though this result is disappointing for the Whitecaps given their start to the season, it’s important to remember how exceptional the start was, and that blips are inevitable. Going across to the Eastern Conference and earning a point and a clean sheet is not normally a bad result, and although Vancouver wanted to return with all 3 points, a draw is by no means the end of the world.

Following their substitutions, a key factor to keep an eye on is the status of Andres Cubas and Mathias Laborda. Both players have been instrumental to the Whitecaps’ form, but they were substituted off as injury precautions. Sørensen has said that they are a doubt to play on Wednesday, which might threaten to further end the good start of the season that the Whitecaps have made.

Vancouver have still had an impressive start to the season. For the second straight year, the Whitecaps are top of the Western Conference following their 6^th match, and they are playing positive possession football that is still more enjoyable to watch than the football the Whitecaps have historically produced.

The Whitecaps’ next fixture is at home to PUMAS in the CONCACAF Champions Cup on Wednesday, before they return to MLS action against Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

(Image Credit: Vancouver Whitecaps FC)