Good Friday morning Caps fans. Hope you all are having a good week and that you are gearing up for a well-deserved break this weekend.

Well, I won’t lie and say it was the most comfortable performance, but the Whitecaps got the job done against Cartaginés, seeing off the Costa Rican side in a 2-0 win at BC Place on Wednesday.

I didn’t watch the first half, which meant I missed, well, not a ton, aside from Brian White’s penalty miss that seemed to be an ominous sign for how the tie might play out.

Things went better after halftime, and the Caps looked more like I expected. It wasn’t totally smooth sailing, but second-half goals from Kenji Cabrera and Sebastian Berhalter helped take care of business. The second half was encouraging, but this was a third straight match in a row in which the Caps didn’t put together a convincing display. This was still not the resounding victory we saw from most other MLS sides on home soil.

The problem still seems to center on the attack, which doesn’t have the same verve and danger that it did last year. This game featured a lot of sloppy moments that will need to be cleaned up against better opposition. Brian White’s slow start, despite some gilt-edged chances, hasn’t helped, but given his track record (and history of starting slowly) this isn’t cause for concern. You can look at the first three matches in a different way: The Caps have been unbeaten without any goal involvements from White or Thomas Müller. Surely that streak won’t last forever.

Jesper Sorensen would still likely be the first to admit that this needs to pick up the levels. Cartaginés fought bravely but are still likely to be among the weaker sides on paper that the Caps will face this season.

Looking ahead to Saturday, the Caps get Toronto FC on Saturday in an early-season derby day. The good news is they get to play TFC before the reported new signing, Josh Sargent, beds in. TFC struggled in week one against FC Dallas, but has more talent on paper than either side the Caps have played to date.

The best news of the week, however, is that two central pieces will be in Vancouver this year and beyond.

Tristan Blackmon inked a contract extension through 2030, while Andres Cubas will remain with the Caps through 2028. Both players have been linked with moves elsewhere, and it is encouraging that they have committed their futures to Vancouver. Cubas will not be a DP under his new deal, which will give the Caps significant flexibility either to sign another DP or go 2-4-2 and get an influx of GAM. Either way, keeping some continuity with the squad is a huge deal. I’m starting to get nervous that progress hasn’t been made with Sebastian Berhalter on a new deal. But these extensions came out of nowhere, so perhaps all hope is not lost, and we will get a surprise Seb contract extension announcement at some point in the future.

Shameless Self Promotion

Caleb runs down how everyone fared in the second leg. And we take a look at what Maxime Crepeau’s fresh start in Orlando might mean for the Canadian National Team.

Best of the Rest

More on the big contract extensions for Cubas and Blackmon.

Sickos looking to watch MLS NEXT Pro matches this season will be able to find them on the league’s website.

MLS will allow teams to sell ad space on the lower third of the back of the jerseys, starting the NASCAR-ification of team kits.

A look at why the World Cup in Vancouver might harm vulnerable residents as the city cleans up for visitors.

Should we make anything of Wilfriend Nancy and Eric Ramsay flaming out in Europe?