Welcome back to the Canadian MLS Roundup for week eight, as we take a look across the three Canadian MLS teams, assessing their form and any relevant story-lines from the week.

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Vancouver vs. Austin (5-1)

I had opined last week that Austin is not an easy opponent and normally I would be correct, however we live in “interesting times” as the old saying goes and this was not only one of the most convincing wins from the Whitecaps so far this season, but also one of the biggest of any team this far. 

The Whitecaps attacked resolutely and managed to use the accuracy of their formation to great effect. Whenever they were able to get near the box, at least one player was already where he needed to be, allowing crosses that normally might not have amounted to anything to become dangerous opportunities. 

The same tightness of formation helped on the defence as well, as Austin frequently became mired trying to break down the Whitecaps defensive block. Coach Sørensen said after the match that one of the key features is that they attack as a team and defend as a team, which is very clear.

Interestingly this was a match where the stats might not have given you the full story: At half-time the stats were quite even but as the game went on, the assault continued and in the end, 27 shots were launched by Vancouver leading a staggering 5 goals and there were many more opportunities. Austin did manage to salvage their honour slightly at the end, leading to a final result of 5-1.

With Brian White accounting for the final touch on 4 goals, it is pretty much a given that he is everybody’s man of the match, though honourable mentions should also go to the likes of Rios, Sabbi and Ahmed for helping get things positioned and pushing hard. Sabbi of course accounted for one of the goals directly as well.

Honourable mention to the mouse that had to be evacuated from the pitch at the start of the game. We appreciate players who safeguard the little furry critters. 

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Montreal vs. Charlotte (0-1)

This was the first home game for Montreal this season and even on television, you could tell the crowd was loud and passionate. Montreal came out swinging with early chances and kept a steady assault on the goal, while Charlotte relied on quick breaks and long runs to deliver their goal opportunities.

Despite aggressive and often heroic efforts, however, it did not pay of for MTL. 16 minutes in, Pep Biel managed to take advantage of a disastrous missed back pass and scored for Charlotte.

Montreal kept up the energy and at times felt almost dominant, claiming just shy of 70% possession throughout the game. However, the goal kept eluding them with multiple offside calls. At times it felt like Prince Owusu was everywhere at once and several shots could absolutely have gone in. This was easily a game that could have ended 2-1 or even 3-1.

But it did not. Charlotte’s defenders managed to hold it together and in the end, the energy expended resulted in another match with no points earned. Bitter I am certain, but I think with tighter tactics in the attack, Montreal are on to something for the future. Not that an MLS coach needs my advice, but if they can get their offside positioning under control, they are positioned to start winning games. 

Man of the match for me is a hard pick between Albanian player Giacomo Vrioni or Hennadiy Synchuk from Ukraine, both of which has strong showings after they were substituted in during the second half.

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Toronto vs. Minnesota (0-0)

The two northern squads both brought an energetic game, with Toronto relying on a lot of long passes, as well as the lightning speed of Bernadeschi, to allow them to shift the balance of an attack in moments. 

The pace was high, resulting in the first shot on goal within 3 minute. Though as the first half wore on, it became clear that the two teams would be extremely evenly matched in both possession, speed, and offensive ability.

This lead to a series of long runs and tough midfield struggles, but resulted in the game seeing only 6 shots in the first half (with only one being reasonably on target) and a combined 5 shots on target for the whole game. 

It was certainly not for lack of trying with both teams playing quite physically, Minnesota accumulating 16 fouls with the Toronto home crowd occasionally voicing their disagreement with the calls made. 

Man of the match here must be Bernadeschi. At times it felt like he was everywhere, participating in both the defence as well as the attack and playing not only the supporting role when needed but as the striker as well. A stellar performance.

An honourable mention must go to keeper Johnson. In a match with relatively few clear shots, good goal keeping is all the difference, and he had 2 great saves that could easily have turned the draw (and 1 point) to a disastrous loss.

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With matchday eight behind us, the Eastern Conference is still looking tough.

Montreal is sitting on 2 points, while Toronto clawed their way to 4 points. DC United did not budge from their 6 point mark, meaning a win next weekend can bring Toronto up the table, while Montreal will need at least 2 to make any movement. 

Montreal is facing Orlando this weekend. Orlando has had a mixed season so far with 12 points accumulated. This year Montreal has done better in possession, but Orlando is better at generating shots and shots on target. With another home game, this is a winnable match for Montreal. Orlando has tied their last 2 games, so they will no doubt be eager for a win to raise morale.

Toronto is playing Salt Lake, currently in the middle of their own conference. Salt Lake is a solid team in terms of both possession and shots, so Toronto will have to bring their A-game here. Salt Lake has had 2 losses and a win in their recent matches. 

Vancouver is now a full 4 points ahead of their closest competition in the Western Conference (Minnesota at 15 points) and 1 point ahead of Columbus in the Supporters Shield standings. Their next league match is St Louis, currently fourth lowest in the Western Conference and generally outclassed in almost every stat. They are also no doubt smarting from back to back to back losses. Easy pickings? Never say never in MLS.