Sunday night at BC Place, the Vancouver Whitecaps drew the visiting Houston Dynamo by a final score of 1-1, a frustrating final scoreline given the magnitude of the occasion and the generally dominant play the Whitecaps demonstrated over the course of the match.

Overall, though, it was a night of football that was headlined by the introduction of Thomas Müller. A crowd of over 26,000 took in the occasion, packing out the lower bowl and creating quite the atmosphere, especially after Müller joined the match in the 61st minute. If Sunday was any indication of what the atmosphere will be like inside BC Place the rest of the season, I think that would be fantastic.

In any event, with this match against Houston, the Whitecaps showed why they are one of the best teams in MLS, but also why they could use some final tweaking before pushing for an MLS Cup this postseason. Simply put, if Vancouver wants to chase silverware, this is the kind of match you have to finish off, especially at home.

Ok, without further delay, on to rules and standings we go.

Yohei Takaoka – 7.0

The Japanese keeper made a couple of sharp early saves, including preventing a possible own goal. The late Dynamo goal was certainly not his fault, but you would have hoped he’d have stronger hands to get something on the Artur shot.

Édier Ocampo – 6.5

The young fullback brought a lot of energy, tallied 3 key passes, and was active defensively (5/10 duels), even if he didn’t look great on the wide play that led to Houston’s goal.

Belal Halbouni – 6.0

Belal was up and down in his first MLS start of the season. He took a silly yellow card after being bossed off the ball, and he also had several loose passes. That said, he has raw tools (speed, strength, on-ball skill) that make you excited about what he could be. All in all, the Whitecaps need more CBs because he’s not ready right now.

Tristan Blackmon – 7.0

The American defender was great in the first half, as he continues to be one of Vancouver’s most important players. It’s hard to replace his combination of aggressive defending and pinpoint passing.

Mathias Laborda – 6.5

I’m used to seeing more impact from Laborda roaming forward than he brought in this match. He put in a good defensive shift, though, and has a knack for shutting down the other team’s most influential players (McGlynn, Ponce, in this case).

Andres Cubas – 7.5

I thought Cubas was tremendous, particularly with him picking up a yellow card early on. He was the key reason why Houston created so little with how much possession they had at times.

Sebastian Berhalter – 7.0

The young American really started buzzing in the second half as Vancouver spent more time on the ball, and Müller opened up more space for him to find passing lanes. I’m excited about what this midfield can do with all the potential attacking combinations in front of them going forward.

Jayden Nelson – 7.0

Nelson can be so good and yet so frustrating at the same time. He gave noted Whitecaps killer Griffin Dorsey more than he could handle in this match, yet there are still moments where you want to see him release the ball and find a passing option.

Jeevan Badwal – 6.0

Badwal took the brunt of Houston’s challenges on a couple of occasions, but stood in there and did a good job finding outlets in transition. The primary complaint I have with Badwal is that he does very little to impose himself in the normal run of play; he only really seems to get involved when the ball happens to fall to him. That will come with time.

Emmanuel Sabbi – 7.0

Sabbi did not have many touches, but he was quite impactful when he did get on the ball, drawing several fouls and being denied by the woodwork on one of his shot attempts.

Brian White – 7.0

White converted his penalty and had another good look in front of goal, but otherwise was a bit quiet as Vancouver held much less possession in the first half. Even so, it was a solid showing, as White is up to 13 goals in MLS play.

Substitutes – 6.5

Ok, we made you read through a lot before talking about Thomas Müller. In his opening minutes, it looked like the speed of the turf and chemistry (or lack thereof) was a bit of a problem. That being said, he was quick to adapt, and the Whitecaps looked quite dangerous once they found a bit of a rhythm, even though it did not lead to a second goal. I think Müller can provide quite a lot of on-pitch leadership and coaching for the Whitecaps, and that could be great for Vancouver’s young attacking players.

Beyond Müller, it was great to see Ali back on the pitch, while Kenji Cabrera made his MLS debut. No real notable moments from those two, but excited for both of them to be involved going forward.

Daniel Ríos had a bit of a howler, as he scrubbed a chance in front of goal for Müller, and generally looked a step out of sync. Bjorn Inge Utvik was alright when not under pressure, but he and Halbouni struggled once Houston started making a final push.

Alright, those are my thoughts from the match against Houston. Let me know yours in the comments, as always.

(Image: Chaehyun Lim)