Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all are settling in for a good week and that your weekend saw you enjoying some lovely summer weather.
Well, Sunday’s match was one of the most bizarre I’ve ever seen as a Caps fan … but Vancouver won’t be complaining. I have to retract my comments saying the match should be postponed because enough first team players healed from their GI problems to force Seattle into two DOGSO red cards and put up three goals in the process.
Seattle look as if they are in for a long Club World Cup but all the credit has to flow to Jesper Sorensen and the makeshift lineup he put out, as the mentality was fantastic. Even before Nouhou Tolo and Jon Bell were sent off, the Caps had plenty of possession and arguably had the better of the chances in the first half, capped off by Jeevan Badwal’s first goal as a professional. Their level dropped immediately after the red cards (probably as they were totally unsure of what to do) but a Daniel Rios belter put them out of sight.
Lots of credit to go around but I thought Edier Ocampo and Mathias Laborda settled in to really make the most of the three-at-the-back system Sorensen settled on. I’m not sure if this formation is something we’ll see more of going forward (one imagines it was a band aid to get through this match) but it did a couple of important things. First, it allowed Ocampo to do more of what he is good at (driving forward 1v1) and less defending. Second, it forced Seattle to do something they aren’t good at, which is play against a parked bus. And third, it gave Tristan Blackmon ample time and space on the ball and encouraged more direct play, which Emmanuel Sabbi feasted on.
Blackmon was spectacular, underscoring why he should be on the shortlist for defender of the year. His defensive duties were on point but it was his two long balls that drew the red cards, or else Seattle would have likely conceded more than a single goal 11v11.
The win puts Vancouver firmly in the drivers seat for Cascadia Cup and earns them a vital three points ahead of a stretch of games where they will have to figure out how to get results against top teams. It also allows Caps fans to clown other supporters, instead of themselves being clowned. Given where we all were a week ago, that counts for a lot.
A week after losing 5-0, there were lots of questions about how Vancouver would respond. This match clearly shows Sorensen and the players are ready to lock in for the second half of the season. Time to buckle in for the ride.
Shameless Self Promotion
We have the post match analysis from a gritty performance on Sunday night.
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