Good Friday morning Caps fans. I hope you all are having a good end to your week and that a well-deserved Halloween break is coming into focus.
What was not spooky was the Caps’ performance on Wednesday night — unless, of course, you were San Diego FC. The Caps returned to BC Place and paddled San Diego, with a brutally efficient performance that leaves them on the precipice of winning the Western Conference.
San Diego had plenty of chances but couldn’t convert them, while the Caps made the most of what they created. And, after a run of matches where they didn’t create much, a few tactical tweaks seemed to unlock something for Jesper Sorensen’s side. Oliver Larraz and Aleksa Cvetkovic were excellent in midfield, with the latter scoring his first goals for the side. Yohei Takaoka continues to be strong in goal, with a couple of big saves, and some of the backline issues seem to be solved.
But the big headline here was a switch to something approximating a 4-4-2 — not something that comes naturally to a manager who doesn’t switch up his tactics very often. Nonetheless, the two strikers up top was a stroke of brilliance from Sorensen and helped the Caps find more space than they have been in recent matches. This option won’t be available on the weekend after Rayan Elloumi foolishly got sent off for monkeying with a free kick and picking up a yellow card. But it is something worth continuing to explore, as teams have started to wise up on how to frustrate the Caps. Having something like this in your bag to deploy and switch it up will make Vancouver harder to prepare for in the playoffs.
It was a dream night for the Caps, with St. Louis City and FC Dallas losing to give the Caps poll position for first place in the West. A win against Seattle on Sunday or against Montreal on Decision Day would give them the conference title (and a couple of draws could be enough depending on how other results go). This was a must-win game and the Caps delivered — and that is perhaps the best news of all with the postseason nearing.
Shameless Self Promotion
We run down a night of good vibes back at BC Place.
Best of the Rest
In more good news, Thomas Müller is back and ready to go.
More on possible clinch scenarios for this weekend.
How PavCo leadership sees the future of the Caps and BC Place.
The Caps will open the sprint season in Colorado, as we begin the transition to the new calendar.
MLS and USL are getting ready to rumble … sort of.