Good Monday morning, Caps fans. I hope you’re having a good start to your week and enjoying the spring-like weather we finally have.

It was a wild ride on Saturday night but, somehow, someway the Caps pulled out a 3-2 win over Portland. And boy, is there a lot to unpack here.

The Timbers looked a bit better than they did in the return fixture, with the arrival of Jose Caicedo seeming to galvanize the midfield and help give them a bit more solidity.

But this was a game where the Caps should have still been well clear at halftime. Cheikh Sabaly had a hat trick of great chances that he could not finish. Generally speaking, the wingers lacked that extra bit of quality and either were trying to gild the lily with a final ball or struggled to create the dangerous movement that opened up a Brian White or Thomas Müller in the box. I actually think Sabaly was the more dangerous of the wingers on the pitch, as he worked with Edier Ocampo to get himself into space in the first place. But neither he, nor AZ Jackson or Emmanuel Sabbi, could provide the decisive moment.

Therefore, Vancouver only had themselves to blame when Portland smashed and grabbed a 2-1 lead heading into halftime on the backs of another worldie and some sloppy defending.

The second half was pretty much one-way traffic, but the Caps still seemed like they weren’t quite on the same page, and it felt like they were going to drop a third straight match in all competitions.

And then, a gift. I do think the handball penalty was correctly given but, if the roles were reversed, I’d have been frustrated. There isn’t much Antony could do about a misstruck shot blasted at him, but if you hold your hand above your head and the ball hits it, you’re begging for a penalty call.

The Sebastian Berhalter winner was also a bit fortunate (a deflected cross and a banger of a finish isn’t going to happen every match), but it was the result of a fantastic bit of defensive effort from Berhalter. The Caps have proven they can outwork an opponent and, as we saw on Saturday, sometimes that gives you the extra little bit of quality to get across the finish line.

Vancouver can’t rely on escape jobs like this in every match. The introduction of Bruno Caicedo was a huge positive, as he was taking players on and causing chaos in the same way Ali Ahmed did. If Caicedo can continue to show out as he did on Saturday, he can help unlock things out wide that have been missing in recent matches.

But, at the same time, let’s not overlook the fact that the Caps did dominate large stretches of this match. The xG on FotMob, including the penalty, wound up at 3.05-.51. It’s tough to argue that Portland were on the receiving end of a grave injustice by losing this one. Still, NYCFC will pose a stiffer test next week, and there won’t be any room for leaving things late against a team that sits second in the East.

Shameless Self Promotion

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