Issue #3 - A Single from the Six
Whitecaps FC face a busy week ahead after settling for a draw against Toronto in MLS action. The view from 231 was muddled due to rain on the window.
While the Whitecaps FC only walk away with a draw in Toronto (no joke - it is April Fools after all), they have little time to dwell on the potential three points missed with a busy week at home against Pumas in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Quarterfinal on Wednesday and Colorado FC on Saturday.
The View
When it comes to rivalries, the Whitecaps have a few.
There’s the Cascadia matches against Seattle and Portland. There’s the new-ish rivalry against perennial playoff match LAFC. And there’s the Canadian rivalries against Toronto and Montreal.
Yet of all of those teams, there’s something special about beating Toronto FC. And dare I say it, just a bit more than even beating Seattle or Portland.
So with the ‘Caps headed into the Six the clear favourites, it feels somewhat a let down they didn’t walk out of Toronto with all three points.
While the squad did see Ali Ahmed, Andrés Cubas, and Brian White, return from international duty to the Staring XI, they were still without an injured Ryan Gauld and Sam Adekugbe. And for reasons related to fatigue (I guess), elected to start a returning Pedro Vite on the bench.
This gave Tate Johnson the tough assignment of marking Bernardeschi (something the kid did well, especially with Triston Blackmon in support), and kept J.C. Ngando on the field.
So for sake of argument, the A- squad (or maybe B+?).
We saw the same style of attractive play from the Whitecaps, where they generated opportunity after opportunity. And we saw the same dogged defensive play, one where the opposition is harassed into frustration. Yet we also continued to see the same lack of finish from the team in blue & white, which resulted in an xG close to two for a score line result of zero.
At some point, one has to expect the team to suddenly figure out how to capitalize on this plethora of opportunities they generate match-in and match-out. Sure it might require an existing player to elevate their game, or one to return to form from injury (paging Emmanuel Sabbi).
Yet if anything is clear, continuing to squander opportunities against weak sides at the start of the season often has the potential come back and hurt near the end.
The Good
Tristan Blackmon had himself a match. While he’s had matches with much more flash, he had complete control in the back line and I can’t think of a moment where he didn’t do his job, let alone well.
Sebastian Berhalter continued his strong play filling in for an absent Ryan Gauld. He’s clearly looking like a player who belongs in the starting XI, instead of the reliable depth player on the bench in previous seasons.
The Not So Good
The Broadcast Cameras. I understand there’s little you can do to control the weather, yet how often were we forced to watch the match as if we were stuck in the car watching our kids play in the rain?
The Weather. I get the desire many have to have a schedule akin to what we see in Europe, yet Saturday’s mixture of rain and freezing rain would be outright balmy compared to typical Canadian Winter weather.
The injuries to Andrés Cubas and Mathias Laborda. After the match Jesper Sørensen suggested both were doubtful for Wednesday’s match against Pumas, something that I’m okay with. What worries me is whether they’ll be back in form for Saturday’s match against Colorado. And considering how training staff were supporting Cubas’ arm after his injury, I have concerns he won’t be.
Around the Pitch
There is no shortage of opinions on the MLS streaming deal with Apple. Whether it’s the lack of matches available outside of the deal itself, the power Apple has over MLS scheduling, or the continued force feeding of all things Messi to name just a few.
But today’s view is on the broadcast itself.
Love it or hate it, the Apple brand is about simplicity. From the barebones match visuals, the simple score bug, and the “vanilla-is-the-finest-of-all-the-flavours” consistency, Apple TV+ is fully Apple.
Yet despite the desire to maintain all this simplicity and consistency, I feel there is so much more Apple and Major League Soccer can do to enhance to broadcast experience we receive.
And they need only look at Amazon’s approach to NHL on Prime for ideas.
Should you tune in early to watch an NHL broadcast on Amazon, you’ll be treated to a variety of rotating camera views that showcase the pre-game warmups, the crowds, and the concourse.
For the game itself, you get pre and post-game analysis from a panel (who happens to be on site) as well as compelling stories on either a player or a team involved in the game. Plus the customary intermission interviews and post-game comments from coaches and players.
Now I can appreciate Amazon is doing this one night a week, whereas Apple - just for this week alone - needs to sort this out fifteen different times across the continent.
Yet there appears to be some ideas they can put into play that shouldn’t require too significant of an investment. Pre-match camera angles? Just use the existing broadcast within the stadium. Half-time and post-match interviews? Put to use a pool reporter or one of the two team’s own content staff.
Low-hanging fruit that would create enhanced value to what should be considered (at least in the eyes of Apple and MLS) as a premium experience.
And imagine all the extra Messi content they could package up!
Extra Time
J.J. Adams has some thoughts on how Canada Soccer approached Alphonso Davies’ condition prior to his season-ending injury. It’s a good read if you haven’t looked it over yet.
While I won’t have my regular view from 231 for the Pumas match (my household budget covers my season tickets, but not the extra matches), I will be back in BC Place for Saturday night.
See you there?
From my seat to your browser!
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-Chris (@lyteforce.ca)