Good Monday morning, Caps fans, and happy March. Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are gearing up for the workweek ahead.
It was back to business as usual on Saturday, with the Caps smashing Toronto FC in a derby win that was powered by three first-half goals. This was more of what we have come to expect from this team, as they left nothing in doubt and had the match effectively wrapped up by halftime.
TFC started the second half brightly, but by then, it didn’t really matter, and the Caps saw things out well. It was great to see Thomas Müller on the double and to get Brian White off the mark. But credit should continue to go to the backline of Tristan Blackmon and Ralph Priso, who were once again rock solid and got their fourth straight clean sheet to open the season. Jeevan Badwal continues to be a revelation, who slotted in and really ran the show. And the comfortable scoreline helped rotate in Cheikh Sabaly for his Whitecaps debut.
This match should help remind everyone that, while there remain things to iron out, this team’s floor is much higher than it was in past seasons. Is it sustainable to score three goals a match off of set pieces? Nope. But to be able to put up a 3-0 win without having to get out of second gear is a testament to the quality of the squad. Things look a bit more concerning for TFC, who feel more than one Josh Sargent away from contention. After years of slow starts for the Caps, it’s nice to have that sort of problem be someone else’s.
Shameless Self Promotion
We recap Saturday night’s demolition of TFC. And the Whitecaps 2 side opened their campaign with a 4-2 loss on Sunday night. Caleb dives into what to make of their offseason moves.
Best of the Rest
A snapshot of the Caps’ roster situation, including confirmation that the Caps are taking the extra GAM and the 2-4-2 model, at least until summer.
MLS will keep trying to make the All Star Game a thing, with another trip to the well of the MLS/Liga MX format.
The youth movement across MLS hit a fever pitch this last weekend, particularly in RSL and New York.
Canada opened the SheBelieves Cup with a comfortable 4-1 win over Colombia.
A look at Canada’s investments in grassroots soccer and whether they’re on the verge of paying off.
whether Jeevan Badwal can sustain this level of play for the season will determine whether or not he can look for a move to europe- but even if he does, the question is- will he take the option of moving at age 19-20 or will he work on his game to get a more optimum move in 2027 when he is 20-21- he has been the best surprise this season… i especially like his fitness level and how he is always looking for spaces to move to in order to receive the ball and move forward with a pass or dribbling, looking to cut through the opponent’s defence- he is the new Ralph Priso (who is also playing like he finished the 2025 season as a solid CB)
the question for Jesper is– how do you keep Priso and Badwal out of the starting line-up in most games? now onto Cabrera, AZ and Sabaly
its been an incredible upgrade under Axel Schuster- we are a professional Club at a professional quality level
Salty