The Vancouver Whitecaps succumbed to a frustrating first away defeat of the season as they lost 2-1 at Columbus Crew.
Whilst defeats are annoying, I doubt that Jesper Sørensen will be too concerned by this game. Even though they had just lost 5-1 to Inter Miami and were 6 without a win, the Crew are still one of the best teams in MLS, yet even with a plethora of attacking absences Vancouver still put in a solid display.
However, Vancouver did not shine as much as they did against Seattle. They gave up nearly 60% possession, which is unusual as the Whitecaps often excel on the ball, and they lost in the xG battle despite out shooting their hosts. It was the type of game where Vancouver could have benefited significantly from some pace in the attack, but with all their wingers absent that was lacking.
Everyone who played has had many better games already this year, and hopefully will have better games, but that just makes the result a frustrating one.
With that being said, lets dive into my player ratings from the action.
Yohei Takaoka – 6.5
There wasn’t a lot that Takaoka could do about either of the goals, but he’ll still be disappointed to have conceded twice.
He didn’t have much to do, but he did what he had to well to keep the game close. A dramatic late reflex save to deny Russel-Rowe a third goal was excellent but ultimately in vain as Vancouver could not get back into the game.
Edier Ocampo – 6
Ocampo’s attacking spark was significantly limited compared to the Seattle game, partly because Vancouver collectively were frequently defending but also because Ocampo was pushed back by the attacking runs of Herrera and Lappalainen.
He played much better when he moved over to the right-hand side, and one of his trademark bombing runs saw him get in behind the Crew backline, only to see a shot whistle just wide of the post.
Tristan Blackmon – 5
Blackmon has been brilliant over the course of the season, but his performance in that first half was probably the most frustrating display he has put in to date.
It was an awful ball back to Veselinovic to gift Columbus possession in the final third, and Daniel Gazdag and Diego Rossi are always going to capitalise on that mistake to take the lead. He then gathered a yellow card for tripping Herrera after he had gotten beyond him, and that meant that he was walking on eggshells for a large proportion of the game.
He did recover after that, especially when Tate Johnson came on, but by then the damage had been done. This was probably just a rare off day, and I am fairly confident that Blackmon will be back to his usual self next time out.
Ranko Veselinovic – 6.5
Another player who’s hard to judge, as yes Vancouver conceded two goals, but there was nothing Ranko could really do about either of them. He did some brilliant covering to prevent Farsi going in on goal, and made a couple vital defensive interventions, but beyond that there was nothing particularly standout about his display.
Bjørn Inge Utvik – 6.5
Similar to Veselinovic, as most of the Columbus attacks were down the opposite side of defence. He was solid when called upon and played a couple of nice balls up to Rios, but that is all I can really say about his performance.
Mathias Laborda – 7
In the first half, Laborda was clearly willing to show his energy. He showed pace and attacking drive to set up the goal, and was good going forward, but unfortunately Aliyu had his number for the opening goal.
He defended well after that, as more and more of the Crew offense shifted towards the other side. His quick thinking to hold his run made up for some poor positioning that nearly sent the Crew away for 3-1, but thankfully he caught them offside. He was substituted just after the hour mark as Sørensen wanted more attacking threat down that side.
Ralph Priso – 6.5
Had some shaky early moments, but he grew into the game well and quickly became his combative, hard-working self. He was substituted with about 20 minutes to go as Sørensen sought to add more attacking power to get something from the game.
Andres Cubas – 6.5
Vancouver always look solid when Cubas is in midfield, and the combative Paraguayan once again demonstrated his importance to the team. He persistently won the ball and harassed the Crew midfielders and was unlucky to be on the losing team. His strike from downtown had velocity but was slightly too high as it sailed over the crossbar.
Pedro Vite – 6
This season Pedro Vite has been a joy to watch, and so tonight was slightly frustrating as he did not consistently live up to his usual standards. His outside of the foot pass to set Laborda away for the goal was sensational and throughout the first half he played very skilfully as he drove the Whitecaps forward, yet he became less and less significant as the game wore on.
I don’t feel this is Pedro’s fault though, as this season he has excelled playing a little bit deeper with a front 3 ahead of him, but in this game he was one of the forward players. A lack of forward runners meant that his progression of the ball was always going to be slowed down, and that generally slowed the Whitecaps down.
The frustrations are summarised perfectly by two free kicks towards the end of the game. If the deliveries had been accurate then Vancouver could have caused Columbus all sorts of problems, but they ended up coming to nothing.
J.C. Ngando – 7
I felt that Ngando had a very similar game to Vite, but he gets a higher rating as a reward for scoring. His positioning saw him deflect Rios’ strike into the back of the net for a well-deserved first MLS goal, and he impressed with his progression of the ball, but beyond that he seemed to struggle with being one of the most forward players of the team.
Again though, with Ahmed, Gauld, Sabbi, and Nelson all out, it meant that the Crew defenders could focus on marking Ngando out the game, which rendered him far less effective than he has been at times this season.
Daniel Rios – 7
One positive to take from this game is that Daniel Rios has found his shooting boots, which will be crucial if the Whitecaps are to get through this period without Brian White as unscathed as possible.
Whilst his finish (I know it was given to Ngando but it was Rios’ strike) was less emphatic than the one against Seattle, Rios’ ability to shoot from range is proving to be a crucial goal scoring weapon for Vancouver.
Substitutes
Despite being 19 years old, Tate Johnson brings a calming presence to the Whitecaps backline. After he came on at left-wing-back, Columbus appeared much less threatening in attack, and their 3 blatantly offside goals were their only opportunities from that point onward. Similarly, Jeevan Badwal impressed following his imperious showing against Seattle, as he showed drive and intensity and tried to encourage his team forward.
Young attackers Johnny Selemani and Rayan Elloumi were both also sent on in an attempt to snatch something from the game, and both talents looked bright and were desperate to make a difference. Unfortunately, the effort was in vain, but it was nice to see the youngsters make their MLS debuts and get decent minutes under their belt.
Those are my thoughts from last night’s action. As always, we would love to hear your views down in the comment section below.
The Whitecaps are next in action on 25th June as they take on MLS newcomers San Diego FC in a vital clash at the top of the Western Conference.