Good Friday morning Caps fans. Hope you all are having a great week and that you have a great weekend lined up.
The Whitecaps’ return was worth the wait, as they made the most of their cameo at Swangard with a 4-1 win over Cavalry to kick start their Voyageurs Cup campaign.
As I said in the preview, this was not a gimme match. Cavalry has the benefit of having played through the World Cup break and is playing at a high level. The Caps, meanwhile, were without not just their last two World Cup players, Sebastian Berhalter and Andres Cubas, but also Emmanuel Sabbi and Cheikh Sabaly, leaving them a bit thin.
None of it wound up mattering. There was a bit of adversity after Vancouver conceded off a long throw on the stroke of halftime, making the game 1-1. But a rush of goals midway through the second half put things out of reach, with Rayan Elloumi likely putting the tie to bed with the fourth goal late on.
It was terrific to see Ryan Gauld back out on the pitch. He looks like he will need a bit more match time to sharpen up but it was still a solid performance that showed more than a few flashes of the old Gauld.
Despite the cobbled together nature of the lineup, there were some other standout performances. I thought this was one of Oliver Larraz’s better games for the Caps and Mihail Gherasimencov looked excellent at left back. Brian White was largely absent in the first half but came out firing in the second and picked up a goal and an assist.
We’ve seen plenty of these ties that have been harder than they have to be. Cavalry had some transition moments that they wasted in the first half that definitely could have tested the Caps. But it was a professional display to push on and secure a comfortable win. Vancouver will now have the chance to rest some players on Monday before traveling on to Chicago to begin the second half of their MLS campaign.
It was awesome to see Swangard buzzing with excitement and I think the Caps should consider hosting more of their cup matches there. What would have been a rather empty BC Place (if it were available) turned into a packed, energetic Swangard and I think that was a lift to the players on the pitch.
Shameless Self Promotion
We run down all the takeaways from an exciting Wednesday night.
Best of the Rest
More on Gauld’s return from injury.
Will the good vibes from the World Cup be enough to help the Whitecaps?
Thomas Mueller was slapped onto the MLS All Star Game, meaning the Caps will have two players taking part in the festivities.
It wasn’t as dominant but CF Montreal stuck their noses out in front of their Voyageurs Cup tie with Vancouver FC.
i like your idea of using Swangard for games that wont come anywhere near filling the lower BC Place Stadium bowl- i remember when 6 000 at Swangard had an electric feel to it- i was a season ticket holder from 1986 to 2010
and knowing that Ryan Gauld is on the way back to be able to play full-time is the best off-season news- its like adding a DP player and he will be needed should Berhalter get sold to a euro club
its unfortunate that our pitbull MF, Andres Cubas, isnt on the all-star roster- he was dynamic in the WC, but he isnt flashy and goes largely unnoticed
looking forward to our first home game on August 1 vs LAFC- has the potential to be a cracker with a full lower bowl and maybe into the upper bowl
Salty