Good Monday morning Caps fans. Sorry for the late send (this is more like “lunchtime with the Caps”), but I hope you all had a lovely weekend and that you have a good week ahead of you.

Another week, another 1-1 draw in California. This one, though, came in a big match for both the Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes, who sit atop the Western Conference table. The Quakes were down two of their best players, but clearly were up for what wound up being an absorbing match on Saturday.

The Caps weren’t at their sharpest in the first half, worn down by a physically dominant Quakes side that was able to successfully wall off the center of the pitch. The Caps’ wide players weren’t able to unlock things and instead relied on a lot of hopeful long crosses.

Things changed, however, as San Jose began to tire in the second half. Emmanuel Sabbi’s arrival at halftime also helped, and the Caps began to win more of the physical duels. By the time Sebastian Berhalter pounced on a deflected shot in the box, an equalizer had been coming for some time.

The Caps weren’t at their best but once again could credibly claim to be the better side. San Jose have been so good this year that a road point is a good result. The backline and Andres Cubas were dominant and largely kept the Quakes at bay, aside from a let off early in the match that led to Preston Judd’s goal. It wasn’t quite what Jesper Sorensen was hoping for but this was a fine performance and a fine point.

Next up is a big week, as the road show heads to Texas for matches with FC Dallas and Houston. Hopefully Thomas Müller will return for at least one of those games, with the German’s absence keenly missed in California. Dallas have been solid this year and won’t be a pushover in the midweek. Four points from these two matches is probably the break even point at which you’re probably happy.

Shameless Self Promotion

More on Saturday night’s bruising, entertaining match.

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