Welcome back to the Canadian MLS Roundup for week nine, as we take a look across the three Canadian MLS teams, assessing their form and any relevant story-lines from the week.
Vancouver vs. St Louis (0-0)
Vancouver opened with their customary strong push, though as the half wore on St Louis found their feet and contested quite well. A St. Louis goal was disallowed but showed their intentions. It was clear that the Whitecaps would have to take the hosts seriously in this game.
Jesper Sørensen’s “defend as a team” principle was on display, as St Louis tried to play several long balls to launch attacks but they were generally dealt with quickly and effectively. Perhaps a bit too effectively at times, as the characteristically physical style of the Whitecaps brought two free kicks in dangerous flank positions near the penalty box. It is perhaps a bit of luck that they went to the halftime break at 0-0.
The second half continued the back and forth, with St Louis opening strong but Vancouver gaining the upper hand more and more as it progressed. The match continued being scrappy and rough, with Edier Ocampo taking a full on boot to the stomach and going down for some time.
On display was the strong build up and connected passing of the Whitecaps, allowing them to work their way forwards fairly effortlessly, with the match stats showing almost 100 additional passes made by Vancouver and 16 shots, but the final delivery remained elusive in the match and at the final whistle, both teams took a point from a 0-0 result.
Montreal vs. Orlando (0-0)
Still chasing their first season win, Montreal came into this match with a lot to prove in front of their home audience which, even just judging from the Apple TV broadcast, was quite lively and eager for the team finally bring something home.
The match opened with Orlando trying to slip one through, taking a shot within the 3 minute mark, but it did not pay off. The crowd exploded at 20 minutes, as the ball went into the Orlando goal from a free kick, but that noise turned into howls of outrage, as it was ruled that Samuel Piette had blocked the goalkeepers vision and the goal was not counted.
The first half would continue as a disorganised back and forth struggle, where both teams tried to break through and get on the scoreboard first. Montreal relied heavily on pushes up the right flank with Hennadiy Synchuk as the focus, but attempts were frustrated. It felt like Orlando was perhaps a bit sharper with their passes, and Synchuk often found himself not quite in the right position, or lacking an obvious course of action.
The second half started out with Montreal throwing themselves into it immediately, backed up by a midfield that struggled several times to contain Ivan Angulo when he broke through, but with Joel Waterman and George Campbell producing good work in the final meters of the defensive zone.
Despite a second half with Montreal mostly on the offensive, and with Orlando’s Rafael Santos sent off at 76 minutes, close opportunities from Caden Clark and Dante Sealy were not enough to break the deadlock, and the match ended 0-0.
It’s hard not to feel like Montreal is still missing just a bit more coordination on the offensive side to really get a big result. There is certainly enough energy being expended, but a lot of crosses into the box just do not pay off.
Notable Player: I’m going to give it to Joel Waterman, for a pretty impressive sliding block that was otherwise likely to be a certain Orlando goal.
Toronto vs. Salt Lake (1-0)
Like Montreal, Toronto has been chasing their first win of the season, trying to get it in front of an energetic crowd at America First Field in Sandy, Utah.
After a bit of initial tussling, a quick steal gave Theo Corbeanu a clear shot on goal, and in the ninth minute, Toronto was in the lead 1-0.
Real Salt Lake rallied quickly, and consistent attacks began forming from around the 15 minute mark, with Toronto holding a tenacious defence. Attempts at countering tended to get bogged in the midfield, but Salt Lake struggled to breach Toronto’s backline.
At 36 minutes, a foul by Bernadeschi near the Toronto penalty box might have resulted in disaster, but the free kick was blocked, as was the rebound. Towards the end of the half, Toronto tried to get a bit of a breather, but they went into the half time having mostly played a defensive game.
Salt Lake came out hard in the second half, earning a corner kick within the first minute and another at the 49th minute, which set the stage for a second half that was dominated by RSL trying to break the Toronto defensive block. Toronto struggled to get offensive actions going, even with Diego Luna being dismissed for violent conduct at the 61st minute, fighting out a grindy battle in their own half.
After a full nine minutes of stoppage time, Salt Lake had notched 61% possession, 23 shots and 8 corners. What they did not notch was a goal. As the whistle blew to the howls and boos of the crowd, Toronto claimed their first win of the season.
Given their difficult start to the season, Toronto is focusing on strengthening their defence first, which makes a lot of sense as the most direct route to progress: If you can keep the back line in good shape, then you can start focusing up the field.
Notable Player: You could pick almost anyone in the defense, but I am going to pick Theo Corbeanu for his cheeky goal, given the importance of this win to team morale.
A draw brings Montreal to three points, leaving them stranded at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and tied with LA Galaxy at the bottom of the Supporters Shield standings. This week will see a trip to play NY Red Bulls who are winless in their last two. Hopefully having earned a second clean sheet will help bolster morale a bit for MTL. RBNY is a team that has allowed a fair few opponents to score against them. Will a week of practice allow Montreal to clean up their attacking play?
Toronto remains 14th in the East, but 7 points looks a lot more respectable, and they are now getting to a spot where they can start working their way out of the hole. They will tackle NYCFC in a home game. A tough game for sure, but Toronto has only conceded 1 goal in their last 4 matches. If the TFC the defence stays strong, I think Toronto can claim a second win here.
The Whitecaps remain at the top of the Western Conference, a full 4 points clear of both Austin and Minnesota, in addition to being one point ahead in the Supporters Shield standings. After a midweek tussle with Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, they will play Minnesota at Allianz Field on the weekend. Minnesota has had a very strong season so far, with only a single loss in 9 games. That being said, they have really relied on their defensive work for much of that, having scored just 11 goals.