Issue #26 - Never In Doubt
Whitecaps FC's jaw-dropping 7-nil victory, Müller's hat-trick, Ahmed and Sabbi's dominance, and the electric atmosphere!
Hello!
What a match that was, eh? Show of hands - who had the Whitecaps FC winning? And another show of hands - who had them winning 7-nil?!
The View
Going into the weekend, I honestly felt the Whitecaps FC would be hard-pressed to get a positive result against the league-leading Philadelphia Union.
Sure I had hopes that dome-field advantage would give them the requisite nudge to do well, but the Union were the Union. And they had known 'Cap decimator Milan Iloski in the starting XI.
Well, the Union were kind of the Union. And Iloski did nothing more than get hot under the collar.
And the 'Caps ended up hanging 7 on them.
It's not that I wasn't still worried for a spell.
For instance, Daniel Rios still can't score. He had an absolute sitter in the early going, and not only did he not make contact, it didn't appear that he thought he had to.
And yes, my nerves relaxed some after Matias Laborda scored off a corner to give the Whitecaps FC a lead, but still... we'd been here before. A back-and-forth match where we rue the missed 'Caps opportunities.
The thing is, the 'Caps didn't miss many opportunities past that.
We saw Ali Ahmed give the Union backline fits all night long. We saw Emmanuel Sabbi play with a level of confidence we all knew he had, yet only saw glimpses of. Sebastian Berhalter played like a man possessed, Édier Ocampo ran for days, and Tristan Blackmon finally looked comfortable in his newfound role.
Heck, even Daniel Rios who has an allergy to goals did enough to free up space to let Sabbi, Thomas Müller, and Ahmed cook. So good on him too.
Sabbi scored two crackers. Müller got himself a hat-trick, albeit with two from the spot. But that late header? Off a header from rarely seen Giuseppe Bovalina? An absolute beaut.
And even newly-signed Rayan Elloumi notched his first career goal.
I'm still buzzing.
Fingers crossed that buzz continues into tonight's Canadian Championship match against Forge!
The Good
Ali Ahmed. Pretty sure Alejandro Bedoya will have nightmares for the rest of his career. Ali absolutely dominated that match-up.
Emmanuel Sabbi. With how he's stepped up his game over these past few matches, I can't imagine Jesper thinks to take him out when Brian White & Ryan Gauld come back. But then how do you take Ahmed out?! What a problem to have.
The Not So Good
Daniel Rios. C'mon man... you gotta score that?!
Around the Pitch
While the Whitecaps FC have had themselves a season so far, it wasn't until the arrival of Thomas Müller that we saw a collective vibe permeate across the entirety of the stadium.
Sure the vibe from the south side has always been great, as the Supporters groups bring it each and every match, but that energy didn't always carry much beyond that.
Until recently.
As someone who’s considered “well-seasoned” as Vancouver sports fans go, I remember Whitecaps FC matches (and BC Lions games for that matter) with large electric crowds filling a good portion of BC Place.
It was surreal to be part of that large of a crowd, cheering every goal scored and collectively groaning for every goal against.
While I think the Whitecaps FC still have a ways to go before we see serious consideration to regular use of the upper deck, I really do hope the team is able to harness this passion and make something of it.
The timing has never been better!
For those keeping track of the Supporters Shield standings, the Whitecaps FC are currently in the drivers seat. Should they win their remaining matches, no other side can secure more points.
Can’t believe I just typed that. In September. 😆
From my seat to your browser!
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-Chris (@lyteforce.ca)