Welcome back to the Canadian MLS Roundup for week eleven, as we take a look across the three Canadian MLS teams, assessing their form and any relevant story-lines from the week.
Vancouver vs. Salt Lake (2-1)
This was a home game pitting a triumphant Vancouver team against Salt Lake, a team struggling after losing some key players in the off-season.
The game opened with Vancouver in good form against a very sticky and defensively difficult Salt Lake side. We saw a lot of long passes forward trying to accelerate the pace of play, with Jayden Nelson in particular doing a lot of rushing to cross it into the box, hoping to unravel the RSL side. Of course, when that doesn’t work there is the option to just solo the entire defence yourself, and Nelson did just that at 20 minutes, scoring the first goal.
With a statement made, the Whitecaps kept Salt Lake pinned back for much of the half, with the rare instance of them clearing effectively and counter-attacking being contained by the Whitecaps defensive swarm. Match statistics for the first half showed 59% possession and 15 shots taken, while Salt Lake struggled, with just 4.
The second half continued to see the Whitecaps dictating the pace, with Salt Lake being challenged to find their footing under the attack. It is a testament to their structure as a team, that they were able to withstand the barrage, as Vancouver kept trying from every possible angle, with Pedro Vite making several attempts. An opening for Vancouver presented itself with a penalty kick at 67 minutes, but it was saved, denying Daniel Rios a chance to get a goal credit. However, only moments later, a corner kick from Sebastian Berhalter allowed Tristan Blackmon to score, doubling the lead to 2-0.
In the final quarter, Salt Lake began to find themselves a bit more, with several frantic shots and a penalty kick at the death allowed them to salvage their honour at the 95th minute, ending the game 2-1 to Vancouver.
Montreal vs. Philadelphia (1-2)
Montreal was back at Stade Saputo with a home crowd eager for something to feel optimistic about.
Those hopes looked to be dashed when Philadelphia managed to score in the first minute, as Indiana Vassilev was in position to receive a cross at the end of a long charge up the field. The Montreal defence was completely off balance, but the team spirit was not, as the Canadians threw themselves into a series of frantic attacks that by in large didn’t subside until about the 30 minute mark, when Philadelphia began to get some initiative back.
While a lot of the Montreal field work was good, a lot of passes would go wide or be intercepted, and actual shots was a bit more hard to come by. Of particular note was English player Tom Pearce, fighting on the far left flank on multiple occasions despite nominally being a defender.
Only 2 minutes of stoppage was allotted in the first half, but in the literal last seconds, a tussle near the penalty box allowed Giacomo Vrioni to kick the ball in, a huge boost for Montreal to go to the half with the score tied. To say that the crowd was ecstatic about a home-field goal is an understatement.
The second half opened up strong, with Montreal going on the attack at full tilt, and continuing to work the Philadelphia defences with chance after chance. Philadelphia is not an easy team to score against, as their defence is well drilled, and does not leave many openings (with only 10 goals conceded in the season before this game).
The high water mark came around 69 minutes, as Prince Owusu rushed up the left flank and seemed to find himself lacking support. Hesitating, he was quickly surrounded by defenders and dispossessed of the ball, which also felt like it marked the exhaustion of Montreal’s initiative.
With tempers flaring and fouls adding up, the crucial moment came at 83 minutes, as Mikael Uhre scored in spite of a pretty good save attempt, ending the match at 1-2 to Philadelphia. Heartbreak for Montreal once again.
Toronto vs. New England (0-2)
Neither team has been very impressive this season, but with Toronto at home, this was a big chance for three points.
Throughout the first half, it looked like Toronto was trying to get their offense going, with more energetic pushes, particularly with Theo Corbeanu working on the left flank.
Unfortunately, the New England defensive work proved to be impenetrable, as Toronto passes and crosses often found themselves intercepted, and Federico Bernadeschi found his shots blocked.
New England secured an early lead as a pass from Ilay Feingold found Carles Gil in the 11th minute, and it was 0-1 Revs. This also felt like it gave New England a boost of confidence, and as the half wore on, Toronto was forced to defend fairly frequently, with Sean Johnson putting in some impressive saves.
Midway through the first half, a breakdown in the Toronto system allowed Leo Campana to make a straight run and get a clean shot away, putting New England up a pair.
Despite the score, the first half had positives for TFC, as they narrowly edged out possession, and had 7 shots, with 2 on target.
The second half continued the back and forth affair, with Toronto trying to find their footing in the final stages of the attack, while New England balanced a very confident backline. In the end, no more goals were forthcoming.
While the Toronto offensive efforts had expended plenty of energy, with 18 shots in total for the match, the final touch continues to elude them.
We have previously talked about how a lot of the Toronto attacks ends up unsupported. I think there was a lot more efforts this game to have other players push up as well, but the coordination between those players is not quite right.
What’s Next
Vancouver remains at the top of the table, 2 points ahead of Columbus and 4 points ahead of Philadelphia and Cincinnati. In the Western Conference, it is even more breezy, as Minnesota is a full 7 points behind.
The next challenge is Sunday, as the Whitecaps take on LAFC. The ‘Caps should feel confident here, but of course everyone is asking themselves how long the streak can continue. Those with an eye on the Supporters Shield rankings may want to also keep an eye on Columbus v Philadelphia this weekend, as these are the direct rivals for the Shield (and it should be a killer game in any event).
For Montreal, hopes were dashed as an energetic effort failed in the last moments. The saving grace is that despite the lowest goals scored in the league, their defence has kept them above of LA Galaxy. A match up against New York City FC lies ahead, which will be a stiff challenge. Doubly so as NYCFC has won 4 of 5 home games this season.
Toronto is on 7 points, which is close enough that a decisive win could bring them above Houston and Atlanta. Is that likely? Houston is facing Seattle, and Atlanta is facing Chicago, so there is room for opportunity. Toronto’s next competition is DC United, a team with a very leaky defensive record. It will not be easy, but nothing worth having ever is, I suppose.