Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are having a good week and that the weekend is slowly starting to come into focus.

I’m still processing Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Portland and remain somewhat unsure of what to make of it.

It was a game befitting of a night where the Whitecaps were missing eight starters when the opening whistle blew. The first half, perhaps unsurprisingly, was messy and Portland absolutely battered Vancouver. Some of the young players looked a bit hesitant and the Timbers made them pay in transition, feasting on 1v1 matchups against Tate Johnson and Giuseppe Bovalina, who did not look comfortable at all in his first start of the season. Yohei Takaoka was basically the only thing keeping things in check and it was a bit surprising that Portland’s lone goal came from a Kamal Miller screamer, rather than the dozen other chances they had.

But the introduction of Ali Ahmed changed things, giving the Caps a much stronger threat going forward and more of a two-way presence on the wing. Indeed, Vancouver will look at the second half and say (somewhat incredibly given the first 45 minutes) that they deserved to win. Their cause wasn’t helped by Dario Zuparic remaining on the pitch after kicking a prone Rayan Elloumi but even 11v11, the Caps did enough to win.

Brian White atoned for missing a golden chance by burying a corner kick late in the game to ensure Vancouver at least had a point for their efforts. And while I don’t think there’s much point reading a lot into a game with this many starters missing, the finishing quality will need to be better in the playoffs.

Still, personally, I think a 1-1 draw in this one is fine, even though it puts Vancouver up against it in the Supporters Shield race (particularly on a night where Miami thumped NYCFC 4-0). The first half was the worst soccer we’ve seen since the LA Galaxy match (and maybe since the CCL final) and it is a testament both to the mentality of the players and to Jesper Sorensen’s inventiveness that they fought back to be the better side.

A point also is a boost in the race for the Cascadia Cup. While a win would have clinched things outright, any sort of result against Seattle on Saturday will ensure the cup is in Vancouver’s hands. A loss by fewer than a three goal margin would also suffice but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

With the possible return of Thomas Mueller to the squad, a likely start for Ali Ahmed and Brian White and the return of Andres Cubas and Edier Ocampo from suspension, this team has plenty of quality to get something out of Saturday’s match, despite Seattle’s quality. Wednesday proved that, no matter the adversity, this team will be difficult to play against and, with the playoffs looming ever closer, that is perhaps the most encouraging quality you could ask for.

Shameless Self Promotion

If you’re also still trying to sort out the seesaw-like performance in the midweek, our post-match analysis has you covered.

Best of the Rest

A great chat with the always engaging Jayden Nelson.

Yohei Takaoka’s future in Vancouver remains unclear — but he is getting some interest from the Japanese national team.

The Canadian Premier League officially has its newest team in Laval and I’m a fan of its branding.

Rayan Elloumi and Jeevan Badwal didn’t crack the top U-22 players in the league (no shame there) — here’s who did make the cut.