Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all are gearing up for a pleasant week and that you had a relaxing break over the weekend.

Well, on the off chance anyone was worried about the Caps only getting a point over their last two matches (two games in a hail storm and without their best seven players to boot), Saturday’s 2-0 win over Colorado Rapids should put those anxieties to bed.

Outside of a bright 10 minute start to the match for Colorado, it was one way traffic. And, boy, was it thick traffic. The Rapids barely mustered a shot in the final 80 minutes of the match and the Caps were dominant in the midfield and used outstanding performances from their wide players, Emmanuel Sabbi and Ali Ahmed, to rout the Rapids. The trend was only reversed when the Caps had to dip into their bench and, at that point, it was largely too late.

This was a team effort, however, and it included one of the best defensive performances of the year, with Tristan Blackmon looking especially strong, both in possession and in shutting down the Rapids attack. Tate Johnson had a rocky open but then settled in with aplomb, picking up a fantastic secondary assist on White’s goal and not putting a foot wrong defensively.

But Sabbi and Ahmed, both of whom are going to find themselves in a battle for minutes when Ryan Gauld and Jayden Nelson are healthy, were the standouts here. Ahmed in particular was the driving force behind much of what the Caps created, particularly in the first half. His assist on Sabbi’s first Vancouver goal was nothing short of spectacular and he probably should have had another goal contribution on the balance as well — he was that good.

Sabbi has shown real promise in the first couple of matches but hasn’t quite put it all together. Well, he did that on Saturday. Sabbi’s pace gabe the Rapids real fits but I was most impressed with how he reads the game. There was one long ball over the top that Sabbi could have played one time across the box and faked like he would do so, freezing Ian Murphy and allowing him to drive to the endline. And his run and finish on the goal was excellent. There was some uncertainty about what Sabbi would look like in MLS given his stint in Le Havre but I feel pretty confident that he is going to be an excellent piece for the Caps, whether he starts every match or not.

The fact that Jesper Sorensen has three solid players for the wide attacking positions is a strange feeling for a Caps side that has had to toss out mediocre wingers in the past. Being able to bring on Ahmed, Sabbi or Nelson to run at tired legs and feed White or Gauld is a dream and I would put that attack up against any other in MLS, even considering the relative dearth of designated players.

This week will test that depth, however, with the trip to Mexico City and back before a date with Austin FC, who have had one of the league’s best defenses this season. Every week this season has been an adventure in the best possible way — buckle up for some more.

Shameless Self Promotion

The Caps are leaving us speechless (in a good way) but Caleb finds the words to break down Saturday’s win. And we have a dispatch from BC Place on how the Canadian women fared Friday night.

Best of the Rest

The biggest news of the past week came off the pitch, with concrete developments on building a new, soccer-specific stadium at the PNE fairgrounds. As someone who doesn’t live in Vancouver, I don’t think it is my place to dissect this but suffice to say, this is excellent news. It sounds like there are quibbles with the location but this would firmly commit the club to Vancouver and could increase the club’s value in searching for owners.

The Caps’ top rivals in the Western Conference? San Diego FC, just like we all expected. No, don’t check where I predicted them to finish.

In the first weekend of CPL play, York United grabbed a win against Vancouver FC thanks to a brace from substitute Julian Altobelli. Here’s what else you might have missed from CPL this weekend.