Welcome back to the Canadian MLS Roundup for week seven, as we take a look across the three Canadian MLS teams, assessing their form and any relevant story-lines from the week.
The Vancouver Whitecaps faced off against Colorado Rapids. In great form and on home turf, the fan base was loud and energetic making for a memorable match.
On the field, the opening was chaotic with both teams getting corners within the first couple of minutes, however the Vancouver press started to assert itself pretty quickly, leading to a match where Colorado was having a difficult time setting up attacks of their own, and the ones they did get going generally got mired in the Vancouver defensive block.
The Whitecaps used this advantage to go up two goals before the break, from Brian White and Emmanuel Sabbi.
In the second half, it began looking like Colorado was regaining their footing a bit, and perhaps the Vancouver heavy press was resulting in the team losing steam a bit, but they held it together until the end, notching another victory.
I think Sørensen can be quite pleased with the team: Positioning in the attack was quite good, with the team feeling very natural in how they supported each other. The defence had an excellent day, staying on task and as usual challenges came in strong.
I usually prefer not picking an offensive player as a “man of the match” since they get all the credit as it is, but Emmanuel Sabbi really does deserve a mention here. Not only scoring the second goal but also showing himself very energetic and aggressive at other times. He is a player that hasn’t gotten that many minutes, being out with injury, and I think he definitely was eager to show what he can do.
CF Montreal has been grasping for a win, with a rough string of away games to start the season. This week they had a difficult opponent in the Columbus Crew, in front of a very lively Ohio crowd of 19,000.
The first half was difficult, with Columbus coming on strong and often keeping Montreal pinned back, having a difficult time developing play up the field. Goals for Columbus came at the 11th and 26th minutes, with a Montreal goal being disallowed offside.
The first half then came to an unfortunate close, with Joel Waterman being substituted out on worries of a concussion.
In football, you often see a struggling but capable team come back out swinging in the second half and this was the case here: Montreal felt like a much more cohesive unit in the second half, building up several attacks of their own with Owusu knocking in a goal in the 50th (though a lengthy VAR check caused some nerves).
The boost to morale kept Montreal in fight for much of the half, with the defence always feeling thick and difficult to get through for the home side. Columbus seemed to have a difficult time once they were faced with a more solid defensive block, and that helped de-fang their usual quick attacks.
Montreal did feel like the steam was running low towards the final minutes, but when the whistle blew, they had at least made their mark.
It is worth noting that towards the end of the match, another Montreal goal was ruled offside. Seeing two goals disallowed in a match you lose by one is a bitter feeling, but that is the nature of the game.
There were a lot of promising players that I think could warrant a shout-out: Loturi had moments, Clark performed well, and of course Owusu is a threat wherever he goes. In the end, I’m going to pick Samuel Piette, not a flashy player but a tough midfielder who put in some hard tackles where it was needed.
Toronto FC travelled to face Inter Miami, a difficult encounter with the perennial league favourites. Toronto came under siege almost immediately, and often struggled to push the ball consistently out of their half.
When a team is on the back foot, it is easy to get into a cycle where you barely clear the ball out, and have to remain in the defensive posture to hold off the next attack.
Toronto also seemed hesitant to break formation too much, making their forays up the field brief, though they were able to notch a few shots despite struggling with sub-40% possession.
In the 39th minute, a Miami attack finally connected, but the goal was called off due to a foul, giving a TFC moment of breathing room. Minutes later a chaotic tussle allowed Bernardeschi to score in first half stoppage time. The celebrations were short-lived though, as only 3 minutes later, Messi scored to tie things back up at 1-1.
The second half was a battle, with the Toronto goal being attacked consistently. While being unable to attack in a strong fashion, Toronto made the most of their chances, with a few desperate scrambles near the end having the potential to pay off with a goal. In the end though, the match ended with the score remaining tied.
Miami produced twice as many shots, and 3 times as many corners. While there were a few moments that could have a swung a victory TFC’s way, a draw here should not be scoffed at.
The Toronto defence fought well, disrupting a lot of the Miami attacks as they came in. A harder push with a heavier press could perhaps have given Miami a real scare, but as it is, there’s still room to build.
My player of the match is Sean Johnson. While many players put in a strong effort, he had to save some real cannon balls and I always respect a goal keeper who is not afraid to getting in the way.
With week seven done, Montreal and Toronto remain at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with 2 and 3 points respectively. The good news is that at 4 points, New England is within reach, and DC is sitting at 6, meaning there are opportunities to climb the table.
Toronto will play Minnesota at home next. The 4 last times they have met, Toronto has won two of them, but Minnesota is in much stronger form currently, including high scoring draws against Kansas and the Galaxy. Hopefully home-field advantage and the momentum of an unexpected result this weekend will carry them here.
Montreal get a home game at last, facing off against Charlotte. This is a match-up that Montreal has usually won, though the last outing in October of last year was a Charlotte victory. Charlotte has had a strong start, securing 4 wins and a tie in 7 games, so nothing can be taken for granted.
The Whitecaps continue their stellar streak, leading not only the Western Conference, but 16 points also holds them in the top of the Supporters Shield competition. After the second leg against Pumas midweek in CONCACAF Champions Cup, they will square off against Austin at home on the 12th.
Austin is never an easy game: They have done well so far, and they are a tough team physically.
With Minnesota and and San Diego just behind the Whitecaps in the table, Vancouver might be looking to cheer on Toronto and Colorado, who play those other top teams this upcoming weekend.