Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all had a restful weekend and that the week ahead treats you well.

Just when you think there might be a let off from the Vancouver Whitecaps as they juggle a demanding fixture list, they keep the pedal to the floorboard and steamroll anything that gets thrown at them.

I imagined the challenge of Austin FC, who were fourth in the west with the league’s best defense, could frustrate a tired Caps team. Instead, Austin left town with the league’s ninth best defense after conceding five goals, four of them to Brian White.

In the first half, the Caps did well despite not putting up their sharpest performance. In the second half, however, it was an absolute demolition derby, with Austin capitulating and letting Vancouver do whatever they wanted.

We can’t go any further without honoring White, who became the first Caps player in the MLS era to tally four goals in one match and became the first to 50 goals. His haul lifts him up to a tie for first place in the Golden Boot race.

When you factor in White’s continental performances, I don’t think you can argue that he is the hottest striker in the U.S. Men’s National Team player pool. The only thing that might cost him a shot at the Golden Boot is getting called up to the Gold Cup roster. And for a team that has consistently been adrift at the striker position over the years, I don’t think anyone is taking these types of performances for granted.

Modern soccer has de-prioritized the value of a traditional striker, who can scrap in the box and outsmart and out muscle defenders to the ball. But while White was still highly effective in Vanni Sartini’s system, he is a hand in glove fit for a more possession-based side. And, lest we forget, White is putting up gaudy numbers without his old friend Ryan Gauld.

It wasn’t just White, however. Emmanuel Sabbi continues to look excellent and another natural fit for this style of play. We have to start thinking of Edier Ocampo as one of the top players in his position in MLS, which is staggering for a player who we thought would be a winger (or wingback), not a fullback. Tate Johnson will make Jesper Sorensen’s life hard when Sam Adekugbe and Mathias Laborda are fit again, as he turned in another strong outing.

This team genuinely looks like one that can push Inter Miami, which is all you can really ask when you’re facing the greatest player of all time in a knockout competition. But for as good as Miami have been, the Caps are indisputably the best team in the league. And who thought we’d be writing that sentence at the start of the season?

Shameless Self Promotion

We have the full breakdown of what we’re calling the Brian White Legacy Game TM.

Best of the Rest

The Caps game on Saturday went viral not because of their dominant performance but because of a mouse making its way onto the pitch at BC Place. Fortunately, Brad Stuver was humane.

Stop me if you’ve seen this movie before … but tickets for the Caps/Inter Miami CCC tie are going bonkers on the resale market. A disappointing (yet all too common) reality for loyal Caps fans who actually want to see the game.

Jesse Marsch is pledging to trot out the strongest possible Gold Cup squad to take advantage of one of the last set of competitive matches before the World Cup.

It has been a tough start to the season for Vancouver FC. They have signed old friend Nicolas Mezquida to patrol the midfield, however.