Welcome back to the Canadian MLS Roundup for week fourteen, as we take a look across the three Canadian MLS teams, assessing their form and any relevant story-lines from the week.
Vancouver – Salt Lake (3-2)
Some matches feel like they last a year, because nothing happens, and some feel like they have a year’s worth of action condensed into them. At 4 minutes in this one, Salt Lake had scored twice against a Whitecaps team that felt completely off balance and out of tune.
This is the point where many teams crumble. The Whitecaps were able to shake things back off though, and the Berhalter-White combo scored from a corner at 20 minutes. A few minutes later, the renewed attack on the Salt Lake goal provided a penalty and it was 2-2.
From there the game settled down a bit, as the team tactics became a bit more of what we are used to seeing, extending into a second half where both sides racked up a number of opportunities, while the Caps stayed in relative control of things. Pressure does eventually tell, however, with Pedro Vite firing in a very casual looking shot in the final minute of regulation time. The Whitecaps had done it again, but it was a bit of a horror show to start.
As an aside, we should probably appreciate that Salt Lake got no less than 5 yellow cards in this scrap. Not that it helped in the end.
CF Montreal – LAFC (2-2)
Another home game, another hope. Montreal opened the match quickly, with Giacomo Vrioni scoring in the 5th minute, setting the stadium ablaze. After this shocker of an opener, the game settled into a bit more of a typical tempo, with both teams contesting the space but Montreal continuing to drive against the LAFC back line.
A penalty kick at 22 minutes brought them to a 2-0 lead, the first league game since February where they have scored twice.
It really did feel like things were coming together, much more than they have in the past, but LAFC was still able to score shortly before half time, closing it at 2-1. Montreal had presented themselves well, with better coordination at the front end (and less relying strictly on Owusu to close the deal) but LA is not a team that will take a loss lying down.
Unfortunately, the second half felt like the steam went out of the balloon a bit. It was less parking the bus and more feeling like they were coming to the end of the gas tank, with LAFC bearing down and firing off a number of precise shots, while Montreal tried to hold their ground. As we see many times, this never lasts, and Olivier Giroud would equalise things at 2-2. If it was not for the efforts of Jonathan Sirois in the goal, it is very likely this would have been another defeat.
Then again, 2-2 is the same result Vancouver got out of LAFC at the start of May.
Toronto FC – Nashville (1-2)
Toronto, long searching for results, threw themselves against Nashville, but came under heavy pressure almost immediately, as the visitors pushed hard to try to break through the Toronto defences. The Reds were able to weather the initial attack and start making some efforts of themselves, though the first half would only see them count two shots, neither of which were all that convincing.
That is not to completely dismiss the efforts though: We have talked about the limitations of the Toronto attack strategy before, and the match showed a much more concerted effort to bring more players up in attack.
The second half saw Nashville score quite early, leaving Toronto to chase after a result. To their credit, they went into it with gusto, producing a series of credible opportunities as much of the last quarter was fought out near the Nashville goal. However, Nashville is a team you cannot let up on for even a moment, and Sam Surridge scored again in the 88th minute, securing the match.
Long serving Jonathan Osorio was able to fire it in a couple of minutes later, salvaging some dignity out of the affair. 1-2 to the visitors when the final whistle blew, though without some busy work along the back line (not to mention some serious leaping saves by Sean Johnson) it could easily have gone far worse.
What’s Next
For Toronto, 13 points leaves them second worst in their conference, and 26th in the Supporters Shield.
The midweek game will put them against Philly (current Eastern Conference leader) and then Charlotte on the 31st. Both will no doubt be uphill struggles but they gave Nashville (current Conference third) a sweat, so maybe Fraser can pull one off of here. The home fans would certainly appreciate the gesture. Of course TFC are in a bit of a bind: They can hold their own defensively but once the opposition scores, it is very unlikely they can pull ahead. But you cannot win games only through defence. We will see if they can untangle the knot throughout the week.
Montreal gains a point, which does little to get anywhere in the standings though in the Shield, they are 3 points behind St Louis, allowing them to at least speculate on what gaining ground might look like. Wednesday has them against the Big Bad (according to MLS commentators) Inter Miami, while Saturday is New England. New England is a stingy team that neither scores frequently nor concedes frequently, while Miami has had a famously leaky defence, but also the third most goals in the Conference.
I’ve maintained that Montreal is a better squad than the results show. Maybe we will see something interesting out of these two games?
With 31 points, the Whitecaps remain firmly on top in the West, 1 point ahead of Philly, with Cincinnati lurking another point behind that. They will face Minnesota on Wednesday, before the Sunday showdown against Cruz Azul. The last matchup with Minny was a stellar 3-1 for the Whitecaps. Is fatigue catching up, or is Jesper-ball as potent as always?