Good Monday morning Caps fans, hope you all had an enjoyable weekend and that you are gearing up for a good week ahead.
Vancouver wrapped up their lengthy homestand in style on Saturday, dispatching the Colorado Rapids 3-1. Much like many of their wins this season, the final score could have been (should have been?) even more emphatic.
Nonetheless, this was a strong performance. Cheikh Sabaly turned in perhaps his best match yet for the Caps, rewarding Jesper Sorensen’s loyalty in starting him over Bruno Caicedo. Sabaly grabbed a goal early and could have (should have?) had more. But while his finishing wasn’t perfect, Sabaly’s pressure and work rate was excellent and forced several Colorado turnovers. It is this, combined with some nice runs off the ball, that will mean he continues to see plenty of match time for Vancouver. Sabaly’s start didn’t prevent Caicedo from continuing to look dominant off of the bench, nabbing an assist after seeing a goal chalked off for a handball.
Brian White, meanwhile, was firing on all cylinders. Thomas Müller was at his best with a beautiful assist on Sabaly’s goal and a number of other great passes in the first half. And while the high-energy Rapids asked plenty of questions of the Caps, the backline mostly held up and Yohei Takaoka came up with a great double save late to preserve the two goal advantage.
In the end, the Caps mustered and 7-0-1 record for their homestand, with the lone loss being to San Jose, who barely sit above them in the Supporters Shield table, though Vancouver still have a game in hand. While they weren’t playing a murderers row, they did defeat five teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. That includes Colorado, who have looked rejuvenated under Matt Wells and have a distinctly Caps-like brand of soccer. Plus, this is MLS, where good teams lose to bad teams all of the time. To pick up wins at home is a huge boost.
Saturday night also was a terrific launch for the Save the Caps movement, generating substantial buzz around the league (including a mention on MLS 360). It is a shame that there won’t be another home match to show out for until August, at which point the Caps’ fate may be sealed. But watching another packed home crowd on Saturday night, lifting Vancouver to another win, it was impossible to imagine this team anywhere else. Bon voyage lads — we’ll see you in August.
Shameless Self Promotion
We run down the takeaways from another big night at BC Place. And Spencer, our Pacific FC and Canada reporter, ponders what to make of the Canadian Women’s National Team’s performances in the April FIFA Series.
Best of the Rest
A couple of stories focusing on the Save the Caps movement at Saturday’s match and how the players feel about the show of support.
The Whitecaps 2 picked up a PK shootout win against Colorado Rapids 2 on Sunday, with Ranko Veselinovic and Sam Adekugbe logging a half of action.
Somehow things have gotten even worse for Sporting Kansas City after their 3-0 drubbing by Vancouver a week-and-a-half ago.
Vancouver FC conceded a late equalizer but still managed to get their first points of the season over the weekend.