Match Preview: Orlando City v Vancouver Whitecaps – a quick turnaround
A win! At long last! It took seven matches, but Marc Dos Santos has his first MLS victory and as everyone undoubtedly predicted it came against LAFC, who were undefeated heading into Wednesday night. The Whitecaps have only snagged a positive result against three teams so far, two of which (LAFC and Seattle) currently own the two best records in the league.
There’s no time to rest, however, as the ‘Caps finish up their first three-game week(ish) of the season with the dreaded 5,270km visit to Orlando, the longest possible trip in MLS. The Lions have had a habit for goals on both ends so far: they’ve scored 11 in seven matches – third-most in the Eastern Conference – but they’ve also conceded 13, the most in the East. Meanwhile, the ‘Caps have scored only 6 goals through seven matches – joint-worst in the West alongside San Jose and Portland – but they’ve only conceded 3 in their last four games.
Before I go any further, I must apologize to Yordy Reyna. In my LAFC preview I mentioned that I didn’t believe he could play as an out-and-out striker, only to watch him put in a great shift at that position on Wednesday. He surely has to be in line for more playing time at the position, which will hopefully be a needed push for both Fredy Montero and Joaquín Ardaiz, given that regular minutes for both of them are now truly at stake.
The backline has continued to be very strong in recent weeks. Ali Adnan was marvellous against LAFC, Doneil Henry is playing his best soccer as a Whitecap, and Érik Godoy has fitted in seamlessly. I’ve been critical of Jake Nerwinski this season, but I felt he was solid on Wednesday, and like with Reyna and Montero/Ardaiz, I hope the knowledge that Scott Sutter is waiting right in the wings will give Nerwinski the push he needs to improve his play. In goal, there isn’t much I can say about Maxime Crépeau that I haven’t already said. I’m a big fan of how he’s performed.
The most encouraging sign this past match was that the midfield had more of an impact – especially in the first half – than they had in pretty much any prior match. You could see Dos Santos’ ideas start to blossom as the ‘Caps were finally able to string passes together and coherently press higher up against their opponents. They did retreat further and further back as the match went on, but that is to be expected considering LAFC’s improved second-half attacking play, plus how desperate the team must have been to secure the win.
Moving Inbeom Hwang further back on the pitch was a good move, and I believe he must stay part of the midfield trio, as he is too good to take away from the centre of the action. And despite how I must retract what I wrote about Reyna at striker, I do feel vindicated in what I wrote about Jon Erice and Felipe; namely that they shouldn’t play at the same time. A trio with Erice as the anchor, Hwang as the skill, and Russell Teibert as the workhorse is much more dynamic and well-rounded than one where Felipe replaces one of the latter two players, and I feel that Dos Santos has to stick with the midfield that worked against LAFC.
On the wings, PC turned in a surprisingly effective performance on Wednesday, while Lucas Venuto was lively as usual but failed to deliver an end product, most notably when he flubbed a breakaway that would have made it 2-0. Lass Bangoura made his scheduled appearance as a substitute and didn’t do too much of note. I feel very ambivalent towards the ‘Caps winger corps as a whole, and I wouldn’t be particularly in favour of or opposed to any combination of those three starting against Orlando. Just don’t start Reyna out wide again.
Looking at the hosts, Orlando are currently tied for 6th in the East at 2-3-2, and are coming off a road loss that saw them snap Real Salt Lake’s four-game losing streak. Their last home game was a dramatic 4-3 victory over Colorado won on an 89th minute penalty, their first win at home this season in four attempts.
The Lions’ marquee addition this past offseason was Portuguese attacker Nani, and he has provided a good return on investment so far with 3 goals and 4 assists in seven matches. Familiar face Brian Rowe will be in goal for Orlando, and he is currently tied for the league-lead in saves, a stat that is not necessarily a sign of a strong defence.
It’s amazing how good a single win can feel. Suddenly, the air around the team (or at least the players on the field) is a lot more positive, and the Whitecaps are now just two places and four points back of a playoff spot. If nothing else, that just shows how far we still have to go this season.
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A win! At long last! It took seven matches, but Marc Dos Santos has his first MLS victory and as everyone undoubtedly predicted it came against LAFC, who were undefeated heading into Wednesday night. The Whitecaps have only snagged a positive result against three teams so far, two of which (LAFC and Seattle) currently own the two best records in the league.
There’s no time to rest, however, as the ‘Caps finish up their first three-game week(ish) of the season with the dreaded 5,270km visit to Orlando, the longest possible trip in MLS. The Lions have had a habit for goals on both ends so far: they’ve scored 11 in seven matches – third-most in the Eastern Conference – but they’ve also conceded 13, the most in the East. Meanwhile, the ‘Caps have scored only 6 goals through seven matches – joint-worst in the West alongside San Jose and Portland – but they’ve only conceded 3 in their last four games.
Before I go any further, I must apologize to Yordy Reyna. In my LAFC preview I mentioned that I didn’t believe he could play as an out-and-out striker, only to watch him put in a great shift at that position on Wednesday. He surely has to be in line for more playing time at the position, which will hopefully be a needed push for both Fredy Montero and Joaquín Ardaiz, given that regular minutes for both of them are now truly at stake.
The backline has continued to be very strong in recent weeks. Ali Adnan was marvellous against LAFC, Doneil Henry is playing his best soccer as a Whitecap, and Érik Godoy has fitted in seamlessly. I’ve been critical of Jake Nerwinski this season, but I felt he was solid on Wednesday, and like with Reyna and Montero/Ardaiz, I hope the knowledge that Scott Sutter is waiting right in the wings will give Nerwinski the push he needs to improve his play. In goal, there isn’t much I can say about Maxime Crépeau that I haven’t already said. I’m a big fan of how he’s performed.
The most encouraging sign this past match was that the midfield had more of an impact – especially in the first half – than they had in pretty much any prior match. You could see Dos Santos’ ideas start to blossom as the ‘Caps were finally able to string passes together and coherently press higher up against their opponents. They did retreat further and further back as the match went on, but that is to be expected considering LAFC’s improved second-half attacking play, plus how desperate the team must have been to secure the win.
Moving Inbeom Hwang further back on the pitch was a good move, and I believe he must stay part of the midfield trio, as he is too good to take away from the centre of the action. And despite how I must retract what I wrote about Reyna at striker, I do feel vindicated in what I wrote about Jon Erice and Felipe; namely that they shouldn’t play at the same time. A trio with Erice as the anchor, Hwang as the skill, and Russell Teibert as the workhorse is much more dynamic and well-rounded than one where Felipe replaces one of the latter two players, and I feel that Dos Santos has to stick with the midfield that worked against LAFC.
On the wings, PC turned in a surprisingly effective performance on Wednesday, while Lucas Venuto was lively as usual but failed to deliver an end product, most notably when he flubbed a breakaway that would have made it 2-0. Lass Bangoura made his scheduled appearance as a substitute and didn’t do too much of note. I feel very ambivalent towards the ‘Caps winger corps as a whole, and I wouldn’t be particularly in favour of or opposed to any combination of those three starting against Orlando. Just don’t start Reyna out wide again.
Looking at the hosts, Orlando are currently tied for 6th in the East at 2-3-2, and are coming off a road loss that saw them snap Real Salt Lake’s four-game losing streak. Their last home game was a dramatic 4-3 victory over Colorado won on an 89th minute penalty, their first win at home this season in four attempts.
The Lions’ marquee addition this past offseason was Portuguese attacker Nani, and he has provided a good return on investment so far with 3 goals and 4 assists in seven matches. Familiar face Brian Rowe will be in goal for Orlando, and he is currently tied for the league-lead in saves, a stat that is not necessarily a sign of a strong defence.
It’s amazing how good a single win can feel. Suddenly, the air around the team (or at least the players on the field) is a lot more positive, and the Whitecaps are now just two places and four points back of a playoff spot. If nothing else, that just shows how far we still have to go this season.
Read Further on AFTN.ca
