Friday night in Vancouver, the Whitecaps cruised past a reeling Sporting Kansas City side by a final score of 3-0 at BC Place.
Vancouver’s dominance was evident throughout the match, and as evidence of that, Kansas City did not manage a single unblocked shot attempt until the 93rd minute of the match. In total, SKC had just three shot attempts, for a total of 0.13 xG.
Dominant defensive play has been a hallmark of Vancouver’s early-season form, which sees them at the top of the league table; however, it was also refreshing to see a renewed dynamism in attack, with Emmanuel Sabbi and Bruno Caicedo providing a new, more direct look on the wings.
Ok, without further delay, let’s have a look at the player grades:
Yohei Takaoka – 7.0
It’s difficult to say much about a match where he was so unoccupied. That said, he’s always a standout on the ball, and was pretty sharp there.
Édier Ocampo – 7.5
Sabbi is a really nice fit for Ocampo on the right, and they worked well together throughout, both in attacking combinations and in pressing to recover the ball after losing it high up the pitch. SKC couldn’t handle that quick pressure.
Tristan Blackmon – 7.5
Proactive defending, Blackmon’s hallmark, meant that SKC very rarely felt settled or managed to get Dejan Joveljić anywhere near the box. He also had 13 passes into the final third.
Mathías Laborda – 7.0
The Uruguayan is such an effective box crasher, and there is no better example than Vancouver’s first goal. Laborda was also strong in the air, clearing away SKC’s long balls.
Tate Johnson – 6.5
The youngster was isolated once or twice defensively and gave away a couple of fouls. He was also less involved in the Vancouver buildup than Ocampo, but he does have the ability to tuck in and provide important support when Vancouver pushes forward.
Sebastian Berhalter – 7.0
Nothing crazy for Berhalter in this one, but Vancouver’s double pivot absolutely suffocated SKC and was a big reason why the match was under control the way it was.
Andrés Cubas – 7.5
A similar comment to Berhalter here. He was tireless in the 50/50s, and the Whitecaps maintain a perfect defensive record when he is on the pitch.
Emmanuel Sabbi – 8.5
It was great to see Sabbi back to what he does best in this one. Vancouver being a little more balanced and unpredictable afforded that extra yard of space, which was so valuable for the Whitecaps attack, and Sabbi took advantage of this to great effect. I think it’s really that simple, Sabbi is always going to pop into good areas and create some chances, but it’s tough to convert those if the attack is stagnant.
Thomas Müller – 8.0
I would have a similar comment about Müller. With the wingers feeling a little more balanced, Müller had more space to operate and looked a lot more comfortable. His setup for Vancouver’s second goal is exactly what you want to see from him.
Bruno Caicedo – 8.5
Boy, is it fun to watch Caicedo striding down the wing. I think we all had a sense that Bruno would be electric in 1v1 situations, but he’s shown a diversity of skill set that has really impressed. So many youngsters with pace just run full speed at their defenders or toward the byline, but Caicedo has shown patience and vision I did not expect. He uses his pace as a threat, and that leaves space for him to play in a cross, like he did against NYCFC, or fire off a shot, like he did in this one against SKC.
Brian White – 6.5
A funny match for White where he almost had no role in the Whitecaps’ attack. He did a good job occupying SKC’s centre-backs and had a couple of decent hold-up moments, but otherwise, not much to report, with just 14 touches.
Substitutes – 6.5
The match was basically over when Vancouver’s subs came on, so I’m not going to overanalyze anything we saw in these low-leverage minutes. Going through the notebook, I think Kenji Cabrera has a big job on his hands to get minutes right now. Somewhat inverse to Caicedo, he needs to start being a little more direct and force the issue, otherwise he might be stuck on the bench. Rayan Elloumi has been starving for minutes and looks out of sync in comparison to what we saw last season. I would not have minded him starting against SKC, as it felt like the perfect time to get him going. Finally, nice to see Djordjevic make his debut, and maybe we’ll see some more of him in the Canadian Championship.
(Images: Mark Zhuang)
I love Taka, but I think he takes unreasonable passing risks in front of the goal. To this point it hasn’t mattered, but come playoff time, some of this moves could prove fatal with solid competition. To this point he’s been extremely lucky. It won’t last forever.
Got to disagree. It’s the outfield players who are putting him under pressure. Takaoka has shown he knows when launch the ball forward, especially to Ocampo, who is usually unmarked. Takaoka knows what he’s doing. It’s more Cubas and the back line conceding possession in dangerous positions
We were watching him and it looked like he was just having fun, almost like the risks are just to challenge himself, keep him sharp.
it is a concern that Berhalter’s contract ends this coming December 31- the question is why-
1. wants to make a move to a Euro Club which might be his soccer dream- if he does want to go, this year is the year to do it- and it has to happen this summer in order for the Caps get something back; January 1- NADA– if he makes the USA WC Team, then the World gets to see him and if he plays well, then doors will open
2. Axel is drawing him into staying for a significant contract- right now, Seba is earning $380K USD which is ridiculous- he should be a DP of $1.5 mill USD
i think its going to come down to his involvement in the WC- do well and Door 1 is looming
Sabbi- definitely his best game as a Cap so he earned the high rating- the question is… does he have the discipline and drive to play that way game-to-game– not so sure
Kenji Cabrera- he is falling down the pecking order- for me, he is the disapointment on the Cap Team- he looks lost, has little confidence and rarely makes an impactful presence- he is behind Caicedo, Sabbi, Sabaly, and AZ
Rayan Elloumi– i havent seen any skill set that says he will be a budding striker in the MLS- he doesnt have terrific pace, heading ability, dribbling skills or a powerful/quick shot- i just dont see how he fits into the Team
Brian White- YES he should have 10 goals this year, but 6 goals in 8 games for a striker is pretty darn good – how he misses some sitters is a mystery
Bruno Caicedo- we all see it– he has a HIGH ceiling and once he is more skillful with the final pass (which is learnable), he will be the talk of the Team and possibly, of the League
as a side note, AZ seems to have fallen off of Jesper’s planning- are we seeing an attitude problem??
Salty
Bit presumptuous to say that there’s an attitude problem with AZ. Reality is that he’s only on loan, and caicedo/sabbi/sabaly are playing better than him. Probably not much else to it
Elloumi’s first MLS goal was one of the best headers you’ll ever see. He is probably slightly above “average” in every category you mentioned imho.
Crazy comments on an 18-year-old these days. I always take note of these comments and I remember the same on Alphonso, Ahmed, Badwal.
There is basically no question that Elloumi has all the tools to be really, really good. Development isn’t linear. Will he reach his full potential? No one knows.
I agree with Salty on Elloumi, but he is still very young so he can maybe develop still into a starting MLS striker. He lacks pace and dribbling though and his shooting leaves a lot to be desired
Kenji is more of an attacking mid than he is a winger, his minutes will come when Mueller isnt on the pitch (one way or another). That being said I do agree he needs to be a bit more direct.
Speaking of being cruel, is it time to find a 1-B striker to fit between White and Elloumi?
It’s laughable in one sense to look at an affordable striker who sits second in the Golden Boot competition after a quarter season and feel disappointed, but he hasn’t filled me with confidence yet this year with the number of sitters he’s doinked, like Friday night’s header from one yard out.
Meanwhile, Elloumi is mired in a confidence sapping sophomore slump for the ages. It’s fine to rely on all hands to gather points in the soft underbelly of the season but when everything comes down to one shot in one game at the end of the year, striker is a position I would want to have total confidence in.
I really don’t see what people are seeing negatively with Elloumi. He scores at the end of the game if not for an extremely good reaction save from the goalkeeper.
I’m actually extremely high on Elloumi. His hold up play is very mature and extremely effective. He has a doggedness about him that reminds me of Davies in that, when he gives up the ball, he is immediately ready to go fight for it again. At 18 he already takes most boxes for me and I see a very bright future ahead.
I’m only wondering about success at the end of this particular season. If white goes down or goes cold, that’s an enormous weight to put on a teenagers shoulders even if he was performing well and scoring now.
I have no idea how long Axel Can sustain this team. Several mainstays are in their late 20s and beyond. If this is the year for a championship, I’d like to have more security at the striker position.
I feel like we should give Cubas a little extra for not getting yellow card this match.
Here, here. Or is it “hear, hear?” I never understood that expression. Anyway, I second that emotion.
Also, apropos of general midfield excellence, Berhalter leaving on a free would be criminal, after everything we’ve been through together. Somebody get on this story and make it make sense. Because maybe the ‘Caps can DP him or maybe they replace him (Badwal? Another signing?) Or maybe they sign and trade him, like Vité. But Seb departing without the team gaining a thing from the development relationship they’ve shared would be… cruel.
Yeah, I hope they can come to an understanding for him to sign for another year just to get that transfer leverage. It really would be a shame if we fail to cash in off of this. Of course it would be great if we found a way to keep him, but if it turns out that he wants to leave, it would be nice to get something for our troubles.
Berhalter is gone guys, need to let that one go. Agree, from the club’s perspective, get rid of him in the summer window in order to capitalize on a fee and not just lose him to free agency at the end of the year. He does not want to stay in Vancouver. He wants to try Europe
The guy has an EU passport and the drive to go higher but he may never again get what he has in Vancouver in terms of playing time, lifestyle, club culture, “stardom” and so forth. “Playing in Vancouver on a DP contract is not nothing,” as Ryan Gauld might say.
I’m certain he’s gone. I’d just like him to sign a deal before he goes so the ‘Caps can win from his ascent as well.