Saturday night in Portland, the Vancouver Whitecaps once again dominated the Timbers at Providence Park with a 4-1 road win.

There were moments where the Timbers tried to push the tempo, particularly early in the match, but once Vancouver settled in, they controlled proceedings and took their chances clinically. A brace from Brian White, along with goals from Tristan Blackmon and Sebastian Berhalter, ensured the points were never really in doubt.

Alright, let’s dive in.

Yohei Takaoka – 7.0

The Japanese keeper finally conceded his first goal of the campaign and otherwise only had to make one save. Could he have done more on that long shot? Possibly. Overall, though, Takaoka was very useful with the ball at his feet, and that really helped break Portland’s press.

Édier Ocampo – 7.0

Another energetic outing down the right. Ocampo balanced his defensive responsibilities well while still offering width in possession, helping stretch the Timbers’ shape. He was 3/3 on his crosses.

Tristan Blackmon – 8.5

A goal, nine defensive contributions, and 95% passing. It’s hard to ask for much more than that.

Ralph Priso – 7.0

More of a quiet performance from Ralph, but he continues to settle in well as a full-time CB.

Tate Johnson – 7.5

The young American has been so good this year. He won all six of his ground duels in this one and generally looks so unfazed by whatever opponents throw his way.

Andrés Cubas – 7.0

The engine in midfield as usual. Cubas covered ground relentlessly, broke up attacks, and allowed the more creative players ahead of him to operate freely.

Sebastian Berhalter – 9.0

Man of the match for me, scored a great goal, and basically had two assists, even though only one counted. He had 13 passes into the final third and seven tackles — what a machine.

Jeevan Badwal – 7.0

Worked hard off the ball and helped maintain Vancouver’s pressing structure, as evidenced in the lead-up to Vancouver’s opening goal. While he didn’t dominate the stat sheet, his movement and energy contributed to the overall attacking shape.

Thomas Müller – 7.0

His passing was a bit loose, but his movement definitely opened up space for his teammates quite a lot.

Aziel Jackson – 7.5

He seems to be good for a great run every match that leads to a goal or great chance, and he also has pretty nice passing vision when he gets to those spots.

Brian White – 8.5

Only a matter of time. Two goals, excellent movement, and more of the hold-up play we are used to seeing. Especially the give-and-go on his second goal, which served as the final nail in the coffin.

Substitutes – 7.0

Emmanuel Sabbi, Oliver Larraz, Kenji Cabrera, Mathías Laborda, and Mihail Gherasimencov all saw minutes off the bench as Vancouver managed the game in the second half. Sabbi looks angry this year for some reason and was pretty ineffective. Cabrera was a great facilitator on Vancouver’s last goal. Can’t think of much notable from Larraz or Laborda, and it was great to see Gherasimencov make his MLS debut.

Ok, that’s all from me. Let me know your thoughts in the comments, as always.