Good Friday morning Caps fans, and happy Friday the 13th. Hopefully, there are no bad vibes for today, and you get your weekend off to a good start.
It was an ugly start to the Caps’ CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal, as they laid an egg on Thursday night against Seattle in one of the sloppiest and worst performances ever under Jesper Soresnsen. The 3-0 defeat likely dooms their hopes of advancement, barring a miracle in Spokane next week.
It was a disaster for Vancouver on pretty much every level. The defensive organization broke down too easily, compounded by some atypical mistakes from pretty much everyone on the backline. The midfield lacked the same bite that we are accustomed to seeing with Andres Cubas when Seattle did win the ball back.
The attack certainly had its moments and probably deserved at least a goal for its efforts. Two shots were cleared off the line, and Thomas Mueller hit the crossbar in the dying moments of the match, so there definitely was some bad luck on the Caps’ side here.
But Seattle deserves credit as well. They smartly clogged up the center of the pitch, maintained their defensive shape, and denied the Caps much room to operate centrally. This would have been alright, except that the wingers, Emmanuel Sabbi and Kenji Cabrera, weren’t able to create much. It was telling that the team looked much more lively once AZ came on with 10 minutes or so remaining in the match.
Sorensen may have overplayed his hand with the level of rotation in the starting XI. Or, maybe, the CCC isn’t as much of a priority this year, given the volume of competitions Vancouver is playing in. But there was enough quality with the players on the pitch to do better in this game. I’m not sure if the complacency and lack of focus came from overlooking Seattle, playing a better opponent, which unveiled some shortcomings that the Caps’ first four opponents didn’t, or simply an off night. In any event, it leaves the Caps with a mountain to climb next week.
Vancouver has historically played some of its best soccer following difficult moments. There is no reason to think this won’t be any different, and I don’t think last night’s result should change how we feel about this team’s prospects this season in the league. But, barring a miracle, it will be a hugely disappointing way to exit CCC and will need to be a wakeup call for this team moving forward.
Shameless Self Promotion
I took a stab at summing up my thoughts on Thursday’s disappointment in the post-match recap.
Best of the Rest
Tristan Blackmon was fined for embellishment after tumbling in the penalty area early in the second half against Portland. Fair enough.
It isn’t looking good for Alphonso Davies joining up with the Canadian Men’s National Team in March after sustaining another injury.
Oscar Pareja is the first MLS manager to be out of a job in 2026, exiting Orlando City after six years in charge.
MLS’ deals with gambling companies ring a bit hollow after the league handed down two lifetime bans for betting on matches.
we cant pick just one player for the performance- this was a TOTAL Team flop, except for Muller who hit his 4th post this season (he could already have 6 goals if not for the posts)- even if Cubas had have played, the outcome would have been the same
i think this was a one-off and look for a significant change on Sunday
Salty
Further to your Oliver Larraz comment…he reminded me of the bad old days when Rusty T. always ended up passing backwards – lack of vision and no plan. He is looking like a downgrade. We need another Sorenson rehab miracle!
Was it just me or did Oliver larraz seem like he was slowing us down? He kept taking 2 or 3 touches on the ball when he really only needed one. It felt like a big reason our buildup looked unthreatening and lacklustre. It’s not so much that he was losing possession due to overdribbling, but that he killed our momentum by not circulating the ball fast enough.