Issue #10 - It Ain't Always Pretty
The Vancouver Whitecaps FC were anything but pretty down in Austin, Texas yet found a way to steal a point.
Hello!
Thank goodness the Whitecaps FC are taking on Valour FC in a midweek match tonight, because it sure looks like they play better with fixture congestion. 😆
The View
Going into Saturday's match against Austin FC, I'd argue that many of us saw this as a potential notch in the win column.
Both Sam Adekugbe & Mathias Laborda were back from injury, the 'Caps had another full week off to train, and Austin lacked a distinct ability to score at home.
And let's be honest, the last time these two sides met it was completely one-sided.
Yet as it is written in the world of sport, anything can happen on any given matchday.
From the opening kickoff, something didn't seem quite right with the squad from Vancouver. Sebastian Berhalter's first set piece was anything but set. Édier Ocampo, who looked somewhat improved defensively, struggled with his distribution. And the normally unshakable Andrés Cubas looked shaken, often rushing his first touch.
Despite this, and the chances that Austin FC were continually afforded (and couldn't capitalize on), it never truly felt that Vancouver was out of this match by any means. Even with a late first-half goal - one that was called back for offside by VAR - I didn't find myself doubting the possibility of Vancouver finding a way to win.
Oh except for that. The no shots thing.
If you missed it a few weeks ago, Sporting KC beat LA Galaxy 1-0. More impressively, they did that with zero shots on goal!
So maybe that’s what Vancouver thought they could pull off?!
Regardless, the struggles they faced in the first half continued well in the second. Distribution was horrendous. Decision-making with and without the ball was questionable at best. And giveaways to Austin were aplenty.
Thank goodness Austin isn’t a clinical side.
Other than seeing Sam Adekugbe & Mathias Laborda return to the pitch in the second, and Yohei Takaoka carrying on his stellar play from the match previous, there really wasn’t much else to celebrate in the second half.
Other than the Whitecaps taking a point out of Texas. And while any result is a good result in my mind, it really did feel like Vancouver stole it.
Start the car, I guess.
The Good
Midweek matches. Seriously. The Whitecaps have looked much better when schedule congestion requires them to give everything and then some.
The Not So Good
Whatever that performance from the Whitecaps FC was on Saturday. Maybe I’m being hard here, as they did secure a draw, but I’m greedy these days.
Around the Pitch
The new season of Welcome to Wrexham debuted last week, so we got our first glimpse of the the Whitecaps FC friendly on the big screen.
We also got to hear Vancouver’s own Ryan Reynolds reminisce about trips he made to BC Place back in the day.
Yet we also got to hear him brag about the Wrexham win in what Reynolds described as “a stomping.”
No longer my second favourite Ryan. He falls below Ryan Gosling into third place now.
So why even bring this up?
It’s because I really enjoy the show.
I can appreciate that many do not like the “Hollywoodization” of the sport. And Welcome to Wrexham definitely pushed the needle in that regard.
Yet I also enjoy how I’m learning about this little Welsh community, seeing how passionate their supporters are, and how important the team has always been to everyone who lives there.
And while the entertainment value of the show will vary, especially if none of the above resonates with you, it’s hard to argue with the plan Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have for the team.
They want to be a worldwide brand, and this TV show is going a long way to establish that. And that brand growth seems to directly correlate to increased funding of the squad on the pitch.
Maybe the new owners here might consider doing the same. 😉
One shouldn’t discount the quality in the Canadian Premier League, but considering how CF Montreal are playing this season, it sure looks like Vancouver will have a serious run at securing their fourth Canadian Championship this season.
Hopefully I didn’t just jinx them.
From my seat to your browser!
If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing on social media or forwarding it to someone that you think would love it just as much! ❤️
-Chris (@lyteforce.ca)