Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all had a good weekend and you are well rested for the start of October which is, improbably, upon us.

The Caps’ second derby of the week wound up being equally chaotic as their first, albeit with a similar end result. Vancouver shared the spoils with Seattle Sounders on Saturday night, a result that both sides will probably take.

There was no doubt about the stakes of Saturday’s match, nor the rivalry between the two teams involved. The first half was dull, even though Vancouver was probably the better side, with lots of sloppy play and good defensive work meaning there wasn’t much in the final third for either team.

The second 45 minutes, however, were box office. A three minute period saw Vancouver score, only to immediately concede two and find themselves trailing. Mathias Laborda pegged things back, infuriating Sounders fans who (rightfully) felt he should have been issued a second yellow card at the start of the second half. The scrapping and physical play carried through until the bitter end, even as neither side could find a winner.

The point secures the Cascadia Cup for Vancouver, a big achievement in a year in which all three teams will make the playoffs. The Caps now have pulled ahead of Seattle for the most cup wins all time, which isn’t anything to scoff at either. And the result guarantees a top four finish in the Western Conference.

The good news for Vancouver is that Ralph Priso deputized admirably as a centerback. What he lacked for in aerial prowess he made up for in some well timed tackles and a massive goal line clearance to seal the point late in the match. And his passing and distribution helped tee up some nice moves forward.

Ali Ahmed was bright again, especially in the first half, and Sebastian Berhalter made a real difference off the bench. So did Brian White — up until he had to be subbed off with another hamstring injury, the severeness of which has yet to be determined. That is a massive blow ahead of another busy week and once again puts the Caps behind the eight ball injury wise heading into the playoffs.

Both sides fought well in this one and, more than probably any other match recently, this had the look and feel of a playoff game. Vancouver still need to find that extra sharpness, particularly in the final third, to ensure they are consistently dangerous in the postseason. But a point at Seattle is always a good thing and was ultimately well deserved.

The final derby will come Wednesday in the Canadian Championship final. While the Caps will be the heavy favorites in this one, this is easily the biggest match in Vancouver FC history and will be treated as such. It goes without saying that the Caps can’t overlook their opponents in this one, something they did very well to guard against in the semifinals. While Vancouver’s ambitions this season land higher than Cascadia Cups and Canadian Championships, securing those two trophies is still vitally important. One down, one to go.

Shameless Self Promotion

We break down Saturday night’s stalemate in Seattle in our post match analysis.

Best of the Rest

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