Saturday night in Los Angeles, the Vancouver Whitecaps played out a 1-1 road draw with the LA Galaxy. This was only the second time the Whitecaps have dropped points through ten games, so let’s have a bit of a dive into the individual showings.
Yohei Takaoka – 5.5
Yohei was only forced into one save, so it should have been a tidy day for him, but one loose pass at the back led to LA’s goal. The keeper’s play on the ball is so valuable for what the Whitecaps do, but it also feels like he’s been unnecessarily risky at times, and it cost the Whitecaps at that moment.
Édier Ocampo – 6.5
The young fullback was solid, though the Galaxy were often attacking away from him on the other side of the pitch. He’s been steady for Vancouver, and his defensive game continues to grow.
Tristan Blackmon – 7.0
He had some nice long balls and runs up the pitch, while maintaining his proactive defensive stance. He also had to use his pace to recover a couple of times against Paintsil, and did well in those spots.
Mathías Laborda – 7.5
Laborda has a gift for timing his runs, and his chemistry with Berhalter is a reliable weapon. He has also settled in much more while playing centrally, but it could be fun once Ranko Veselinovic is available, and he can also play wide again.
Tate Johnson – 8.0
The amount of big names Johnson has already battled 1v1 at this stage in his career is so impressive, with him most typically coming out on top. He challenged Pec very well in this match, giving him little room to operate. Oh, and then he also led the team in chances created, with 5.
Sebastian Berhalter – 7.5
More imperious work from Seb in the middle of the park. He had 18 passes into the final third and the service that led to Vancouver’s goal was top quality. He did have a bit more trouble in the duels, winning just 2 of 7, and picking up a yellow card.
Andrés Cubas – 6.5
Cubas was solid once again in the middle, but has to stop picking up so many cards, as the Whitecaps need him to be available. Jesper made a good point to me after the match that often Cubas’ aggression and the way he enters challenges make them look worse than they actually are, but I think this one was a clear yellow on the replay.
Emmanuel Sabbi – 6.0
He had a great look early but otherwise was quiet. Overall, he seems to have upped his game from the early season, which is good to see.
Jeevan Badwal – 6.0
Some decent flashes from Jeevan, but I still think he looks better as a winger than as a true 10.
Cheikh Sabaly – 6.5
He was not super active in the attacking third, but he was great tracking back against Pec, and provided some excellent support for Johnson. Hearing from Jesper post match, I think that is why he started over Caicedo.
Brian White – 6.5
He had a low volume of touches, but he did lead the team with 5 shots, and had two good looks on crosses into the box. I still think he needs a winger with pace to really get him more involved in the buildup. Otherwise, he looks a bit stagnant out there.
Substitutes – 7.0
Some nice moments from both Caicedo and Cabrera off the bench, while AZ frustrated and looked out of sync. It’s crazy how quickly he’s gone off the boil, while with Caicedo, every moment he’s on the ball 1v1 is electric. I’m sure more starts will come soon.
Ok, that’s it from me, let me know your thoughts in the comments, as always.
well, we could have both Laborda and Johnson as POTM- solid and energetic performances by both players- 8.0s, maybe a 8.5 for Mattias for his goal (isnt he so good on set pieces)
we all knew that at some time Takaoka would make a kick-out mistake- and this was the time- 5.5
Sabaly- he is the second best wide player we have- he plays a more complete game than Sabbi – Jesper is nudging Caicedo up the pecking order to be #1 which will come soon – Caicedo is always looking for spaces to be available for a pass- all were 6.0, maybe a 6.5 to Bruno and he will be the wide player with pace and trickery that will make Brian White happier when he does play more
AZ has to know his time with the Caps is shortening- he seems like – as you say wisely- out of sync with his teammates on the field- seems like he can never finish a play and makes runs that go nowhere
Salty
TJ is my new fav
1 Bruno needs to start Saturday.
2 only weakness on this team is full backs getting caught upfield
and our lack of MF depth .
3
I don’t think it has to be a Bruno start, although nothing wrong with that but keep in mind the wide starters will usually be subbed around 60 minutes. Sometimes sooner and sometimes later. The problem for me is AZ who doesn’t cut it as a starter or a sub. So Badwal should be the right side starter or sub. But who plays in the Muller spot? Cabrero seems like a good option. Larraz or Ngando could be the late sub in that position. What’s going on with Gauld??? I’m kind of concerned about the lack of a White replacement or striking partner. The Caps didn’t really start playing until they conceded the goal and when the subs came on. I liked how Sorensen managed the 2nd half so he gets an 8