Sunday afternoon in Minnesota, the Vancouver Whitecaps picked up a big 3-1 road win over the Loons, pushing Vancouver’s lead at the top of the Western Conference to seven points.

This easily could have been a match where the Whitecaps let their grip slip ever so slightly on the league table, as with a massive second leg coming up on Wednesday in Miami, there was always going to be some distraction overhanging what otherwise would have been a marquee matchup at the top of the West. Even though Jesper Sørensen rotated most of his squad and gave season-first starts to Jeevan Badwal and Giuseppe Bovalina, Vancouver still looked like the better team for most of the match, and there was a period early in the second half where Vancouver looked completely unstoppable.

Ok, without further delay, let’s have a look at the player grades.

Yohei Takaoka – 6.5

Outside the late goal conceded, the only true Minnesota threat came from set plays and crosses. Takaoka’s distribution was not quite as sharp as normal, but I think some of that is down to chemistry with new players, or lack thereof.

Giuseppe Bovalina – 7.0

It was a really up and down showing from the young Aussie, as he had an assist but was also running around a bit clueless on Minnesota’s only goal. In general, the physical and technical abilities are there, but the pace of the game still looks a bit fast for him, and he’s often thinking about where to be and what to do, rather than playing on instinct. That will come with time.

Bjorn Inge Utvik – 7.0

The fact I didn’t notice Utvik much is exactly what you want from a centreback in relief duty. If there was something I did pick up, it was that he misjudged a couple of crosses and lost some aerial duels, but he was also better with the ball at his feet than normal, so that pretty much cancels out.

Ranko Veselinovic – 7.0

The Serbian seems to have embraced the leadership aspect of his role, and he did a very good job shepherding a group that had not played together at any time this season.

Sam Adekugbe – 6.5

First, it was great to see Sam back. That said, it looked like he was still finding his footing and was not particularly up to pace. The disjointed nature of the first half was not ideally suited for him, but I think he’ll start to find his crosses and possession play as he gets comfortable again.

Ralph Priso – 6.0

The young Canadian picked up an early yellow card and was pretty invisible, before being substituted at halftime. We’ve seen this with Ralph before, he needs the support of top midfielders around him to really show his best football.

Jeevan Badwal – 7.5

The teenager certainly showed he could handle the pace and physicality of the game, as he won 8 of 9 ground duels, and also popped up near the edge of the Minnesota box in possession, as he looked to help create chances. The attacking instincts might take some time to develop, but it’s hard not to be excited about what the youngster can offer long-term.

JC Ngando – 8.0

In a pretty boring first half, Ngando’s trademark turns after receiving the ball in the midfield kept me entertained. His shifty moves are a joy to watch. Then, JC really came alive in the second half, as he was an important part of the buildup to all three Vancouver goals.

Jayden Nelson – 6.5

Nelson is a funny player to watch at times, because you can see he is putting absolutely everything he has into the performance. This was a day where the final product didn’t really work out for him, but it was a solid showing nonetheless.

Daniel Rios – 7.0

I am liking Rios the more I see him play. He’s definitely capable of having a positive impact on the game even when it feels like he’s not that involved: His presence in the box draws defenders constantly, and his quick turn to find Ngando on Vancouver’s second goal was an underrated play.

Emmanuel Sabbi – 7.5

After being a bit quiet in the first half, Sabbi came alive in the second, especially with Vancouver already feeling themselves with a couple of goals to their name. He almost scored an incredible scissor kick, and forced another very good Dayne St. Clair save.

Substitutes – 9.0

In many ways, this match truly started for Vancouver when some of their best players came off the bench.

Sebastian Berhalter had an instant impact, adding more intent to the Vancouver midfield and scoring a great opening goal from distance, adding to his impressive form in recent weeks.

Pedro Vite was also sublime, as he notched two goals in short succession, and looked like he was just doing whatever he wanted for a 15 to 20 minute stretch.

Ali Ahmed looked much better than he did against Miami, terrorizing the Loons down the left wing, assisting Vancouver’s third goal (Vite’s second).

Tate Johnson, who replaced Adekugbe, also brought more energy and intent to Vancouver’s left side, and it looked like Minnesota had no way of answering the change of pace that Vancouver brought early in the second half.

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Alright, those were my thoughts from an impressive and perhaps unexpected road win. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, as always.