Anyone’s pulse still racing?
It was a wild affair on Saturday night in Frisco but, no matter how ugly it might have been, the Whitecaps survived and advanced.
It is a shame that what could have been an entertaining, absorbing match turned into WWE Smackdown but Vancouver won’t be complaining. Nonetheless, it makes for a tricky game to evaluate. The Caps didn’t really click until the very end and some of their best players struggled to really make much of an impact on the match. Did I mention how Vancouver won’t care?
Here are the match ratings from a chaotic end to the opening round of the playoffs.
Yohei Takaoka: 7.5
Started the match with a bang after not having much to do in the first match, stopping a blistering Petar Musa free kick. Came up big again later in the first half, but there was nothing he could do to stop Musa 1v1 and keep Dallas off the scoresheet. Taka was confident in the air and didn’t have a ton to do until the penalty shootout, when he held serve.
Tate Johnson: 6
A tough match for Johnson, who exited at halftime with a shoulder injury following a heavy collision. I thought Johnson hung in there beforehand, albeit with some difficulty building out of the back and really progressing things moving forward.
Ralph Priso: 7.5
Had a couple of positive interventions early when Halbouni slipped up and while Dallas targeted Priso a lot (and he played his part in Musa’s goal), he hung in there well. His passing remains an asset for this team and something that sets him apart on the backline in Tristan Blackmon’s absence. His persistence was rewarded with the goal at the end to keep the Caps in it. While I was initially concerned about Jesper Sorensen’s big call to start Priso in this game, it is somewhat fitting that he became the hero.
Belal Halbouni: 7
A rough first half for Halbouni, who looked shaky early and then kept Musa onside for Dallas’ opener (before playing with fire on a Bernard Kamungo chance minutes later). He adjusted at halftime to better cope with the threat from Musa and Farrington and wasn’t tested nearly as severely.
Edier Ocampo: 6.5
Ocampo still needs to cool it with the rolling around after being fouled, but I he seemed to embrace the tone of the match and the physicality required. While he had some moments going forward, I would have liked to have seen him be more effective on the overlap, particularly in the second half, as the Caps picked up momentum
Sebastian Berhalter: 6.5
It was a tough performance to assess from Berhalter, who had moments of real individual quality but also never seemed to look cohesive with everything else Vancouver was trying to do. Seb was often forced to drop deeper to try and get things going, but it never quite came off. He was instead at his most dangerous in a more advanced position, moving things side to side to catch Dallas out of position. His set-piece service blew hot and cold but came through when it mattered.
Andres Cubas: 6
Cubas lives for a physical slugfest, which was why it was almost surprising he wasn’t booked until the 71st minute for a tackle that could have easily drawn another colored card. He created a couple of chances but Dallas adding an additional midfielder definitely limited Cubas’ effectiveness at slowing down the opposition.
Ali Ahmed: 5.5
Credit to Ahmed, who pretty quickly picked up on how Dallas was defending him (much tighter than in game one) and realized that there was space inside for Johnson or Mueller to run into. But Vancouver didn’t have enough possession to take advantage. And I think Ahmed’s decision making let him down as the match wore on and it just never quite clicked for Ali tonight.
Thomas Mueller: 6.5
Much like Cubas, Mueller had some really great flicks and moments to open up the wide players and then looked like he wasn’t on the same wavelength as his teammates at other times.
Emmanuel Sabbi: 5
Had a couple of half-chances in the second half and one big one in the first that he dragged wide. Otherwise, Sabbi really struggled to keep any momentum going from his sterling performance in game one.
Daniel Rios: 5
Had some good moments holding things up early, but then struggled to help facilitate any sort of forward progress. He thrives on touches in the box and had only one when he had to be taken off for Rayan Elloumi with a knock early in the second half.
Mathias Laborda: 6.5
I would’ve expected Laborda to get a start, and while I wasn’t surprised to see him subbed on, I don’t think people expected it to be at left back. He did enough to lock down the left side of the pitch, and while Laborda didn’t offer as much going forward as I would have expected, he did a solid job filling in.
Rayan Elloumi: 6
Added an element of danger in the box (helped by the Caps growing into the game) that Rios lacked. But his finishing let him down at the death when he had a gilt-edged chance to win the match, and he looked a bit rattled by the physicality of the match.
Ryan Gauld/Kenji Cabrera: 6.5
I thought Gauld and Cabrera both would change this match more comprehensively but neither player actually was directly responsible for creating a clear cut chance. Gauld worked hard defensively and baited Dallas into some (more) fouls but he still feels like he is feeling out his new role on this team.
Jayden Nelson: 7
I don’t typically formally rate guys who come on as late as Nelson did, but I thought he was quite dangerous and arguably should have been introduced a bit earlier. He would have won it for Vancouver in regulation but for a fantastic save from Michael Collodi.
Some crazy comments about Muller. Taking into account the injuries we have had and the fringe players we have had to bring into the team, without Muller’s on field influence in games we would not now be looking forward to the LA game.
Simple as that.
Musa started his run from his own side of centre so criticizing Halbouni for keeping him onside is wrong.
I’m afraid that Müller may be concentrating more on “coaching” his teammates while he’s on the pitch rather than playing his own position. He’s a great player with a dynamic personality. No one disputes that fact, but the team has a very effective coach. I find him to be distracting.
When the team faces LAFC in a few weeks, there is no room for distraction. It’s going to be imperative that the ball be kept away from Son and Bouanga. The guys should be listening to Jesper without the possibility of confusing or mixed signals that may come from Müller. The game is going to be tough. The media has dubbed LAFC the “Superteam”. Our guys are going to feel a lot of pressure before the game even starts. It will be critical that they are all working from the same playbook.
*We* seem to be forgetting the team was doing great before Müller’s arrival. They didn’t need saving. He should focus on being an enhancement and a compliment to the squad. He’s one of eleven.
AGREE TOO MANY CHIEFS AND NOT ENOUGH IN——-
Players looked confused for sure the last two games….they listen to their coach ….they listen to Muller and try to please him…..and they listen to what their own brain is telling them = confusion! ….Hopefully Gauld starting games shall help or cause even more confusion?…..A couple of weeks training and rest shall most likely address and resolves any concerns
The caps looked confused in beating Dallas 3-0????
Good points. This was a concern of mine when Muller first joined us. But things have turned out rather well with Muller doing his thing. It’s difficult to assess when the on field coaching becomes a negative. My thought is lead by actions not words.
I think this was nothing about Muller. He’s been brilliant. He has put so many balls on a platter for the team mates. He’s not coaching them he’s urging them to press. Gegenpress. Which is exactly waht Sorenson has coached them. Had nobody here watched a Bayern Munich game ? That’s the style we are playing and he was there his entire career. He supposed to be out there pushign the plan. This game was just about Dallas being coached to hit them physically every chance they had. If it wasn’t for Muller we would have lost this game. It was him knowing exactly where to out the ball ( once again ) that gave us the win. The ref lost control of this one a little because it was pretty rampant on the fouls. We were. lucky not to have more people injured. You have to watch the whole game again to see that not just the re play.
Man my big thumbs here not getting corrected for some reason so sorry about that one. I just get annoyed when people talk about Muller without knowing who and why he was brought in. We got one of the best players that ever played who plays exactly the system we play and who loves the city and takes every moment that comes to push our team and meet the fans.
your comment that started a good discussion>……POSTED BY ANON….” I’m afraid that Müller may be concentrating more on “coaching” his teammates while he’s on the pitch rather than playing his own position. He’s a great player with a dynamic personality. No one disputes that fact, but the team has a very effective coach. I find him to be distracting.”
Yeah ok. Peter Rose. LOL
Have you been at any of the games or watched them seeing Muller literally do Muller and place a ball out of nowhere for a goal scoring opportunity ? They all know where they are playing with Jesper and by the body language they are loving having him around. Having a guy like that is immense on the field. The Caps did have a Captain in Berhalter pushing people but Muller is next level for that. Yeah I am anonymous because I’m not dissing anhyone or trolling. Though man I wish you played soccer LOL
And it would have been a total game changer having him ‘coaching’ on the field for the final in Mexico.
Oh sorry I was working 14 hours today its not Peter Rose you were just saying its good to have him LOL. man I need to stop looking at Caps fan posts. Immensely sorry. THat can go to whoever thought he was not a huge addition and inspiration on and off the field! Many apologies Mr Rose. Man I feel bad for that.
This.
Are we talking about the guy the won the golden boot at the WC in 2010 ? He should not coach on the field!
Yep. Radio Muller!
Very interesting perspective, Ano.
A WIN IS A WIN, EVEN IF ITS UGLY – perform that way vs LAFC and its LIGHTS OUT for the Caps-
the ratings are about right, but i would have given Berhalter a 5.5 as he was poor at passing and set pieces that he often kicked over every Caps head … but he did get the 1 set piece right that led to Priso’s goal
i dont think Muller had an off-game- it was the players around him
with 3 weeks until the game vs LAFC, lets see how Blackmon does to get ready for the game and does he automatically start ahead of Halbouni, probably next to Laborda; same goes for White who slots in automatically if ready; Gauld is still moving at a 60% rate, but if almost 100%, he has to start ahead of Sabbi
Salty
Maybe the field in dallas was a little smaller than what berhalter is used to so maybe thats why he kept overcooking the corners.
If Blackmon is 100% ready then perhaps he starts in place of Priso. Priso becomes the insurance if Berhalter or Cubas need replacing. It’s a coin toss who starts at left back. Perhaps Tate gets the nod with Laborda being the insurance sub on the back line. Laborda certainly is more of a goal scoring threat and that may be needed in the latter half of the game. This game could be a 120 minute affair so the use of subs becomes critical.
Jesper was spot on when he said it’s hard playing the same team 3 times in a row. Dallas didn’t give up much space or allow time on the ball. They had 180 minutes practice onfield with the Caps plus two full weeks of video.
LA plays more on the front foot and leaves the bus outside in the parking lot instead of inside the 18.
I expect a completely different game plan with Brian White and Tristan Blackmon in the mix. Laborda owned Boanga last match and no amount of video can help him. If Laborda plays the same game on him, and with Cubas and Sebbie clogging the channels, we can keep the two center backs tight to Son.
This is a great assessment.