Wednesday night at BC Place, the Vancouver Whitecaps played out a 0-0 draw against visiting Minnesota United, as the away team pulled out a defensive road performance that would have made mid-table EFL League One sides proud.
I don’t think there are many profound takeaways to be garnered from this match, although it was notable that Jesper Sørensen did not elect to strategically punt the game away, and the level of intensity throughout was reasonably high, even if the football itself was not brilliant.
Alright, without further delay, on to the player grades we go.
Yohei Takaoka – 6.5
After a spotty performance against RSL, Yohei only had to make one save in this one. Not much to talk about.
Mathias Laborda – 6.5
Laborda, obviously, does not provide as much going forward as Ocampo, but he’s still pretty handy with the ball at his feet and has CB-level defensive skills. Good to see him back fully fit.
Ranko Veselinovic – 7.0
An uneventful outing for Ranko at the back, save a couple of good defensive interventions and two shots on target at the other end.
Bjorn Inge Utvik – 6.5
I thought Bjorn looked much more comfortable in this match, though his lack of passing vision and ability to carry the ball up the pitch is missed against a defensive posture such as Minnesota’s.
Tate Johnson – 7.0
This was a good match for Tate, as without much to worry about defensively he was able to join the attack and make some nice runs.
Sebastian Berhalter – 7.0
It was a bit odd Seb failed to go the full 90, when he seemed like the one player guaranteed to do so. He was good from set pieces as usual, though Vancouver was unable to find a final touch.
Andres Cubas – 7.5
Any time the Loons did try to push the ball forward in possession, it felt like Cubas was there to stop it. The defensive mid will need that form against Cruz Azul this weekend.
JC Ngando – 7.0
After starting the year so well, JC had been a bit off the pace lately, but this was a nice bounce-back match for him. He was active around the box, held up well in 50/50’s (which is sometimes a weakness), and had a bunch of final third entry passes.
Emmanuel Sabbi – 5.5
Sabbi just doesn’t look comfortable out wide, and when he receives the ball so far away from the box, it looks like he has no idea what to do with it. He really struggles to feel connected with the rest of the team and integrate in possession play.
Daniel Rios – 5.5
The Mexican striker felt like a bit of a black hole up front in this match, as the Whitecaps missed the movement and hold-up White offers through the first 60 minutes.
Jayden Nelson – 7.0
The Canadian winger was dangerous with the ball at his feet, and most of Vancouver’s potent attacks came from his side of the pitch. It seems like the final product can be a bit hot and cold for Nelson, but I think the longer he plays in Vancouver, the more we might start to see some consistency in terms of the final product.
Substitutes – 6.5
Ali Ahmed and Tristan Blackmon provided a real boost in terms of the possession play off the bench, with Ali creating some dangerous chances and Blackmon keeping the build-up sharp. White, Vite, and Adekugbe all came off the bench as well, but less to say about those three.
All in all, Minnesota deserves credit for a scrappy away performance, even if it was not the best football to watch. Equally, I think the Whitecaps will be reasonably content with a point and no injuries or mishaps in advance of the final this upcoming Sunday.
Heard someone last night suggest Laborda instead of Berhalter as a way to have both of our good right backs on the field
from a BLAH game :
1. Takaoka- solid but had little to do- we need a BIG game from him vs Cruz Azul- 6.0
2. Ngando- he was back to his former self in the MF after a month of not so much- he has to add physicality to his game in order to make consistent impacts- he will cover for Seba so JC has to make an impact– 7.0
3. Sabbi- a lost soul- he really looks bewildered with the ball at his feet- probably his Teammates are also bewildered as to what he is going to do- 4.5
4. Rios- if White gets a long term injury, we cant expect Rios to make up the difference- for large periods of the game, Daniel is basically non-existent- 4.0
5. Johnson- its a tough call for Jesper of who to start as left defender, but i am leaning to Tate because of his energy and better pace than Sam- 7.0
6. Laborda- who goes at right defender will play a critical role in shutting down Cruz Azul– Ocampo can be rash in tackling, sojourning upfield so he is caught out of position and unpredictable- Matias has my vote- 6.5
7. Jesper– if we would have had White and Ahmed as starters, we would have won the game — but i think Jesper did the right thing- Sunday’s game is the most important in our MLS history (albeit, if we do win, which coaches and players will be in the line-up for 2029??)
Salty