Hello!

Happy Thursday! Hopefully everyone who subscribes that has a school-aged child (or is school-aged child adjacent) is surviving Spring Break.

If you’re curious why this issue arrived a couple days late, it’s likely that you missed my message on Bluesky & Threads. Which in itself does have me wondering if there was a better way - short of dropping a quick note into you inbox - to provide updates. If you’ve got any ideas, I’m all ears.

That said, the late arrival of this issue also gives me an opportunity to discuss the Round of 16 CONCACAF Champions Cup tie the Whitecaps FC had with the Seattle Sounders in its entirety, so you’ll notice The View will be structed a bit differently.

Fingers are crossed that we’ll be back to our usual schedule next week. And fingers crossed that I’ll be in BC Place this weekend to watch the Whitecaps! While I still have sensitivity to light & sound, I plan on bringing some ear plugs with me to help mitigate the sound issue a bit - would you recommend I use the pink, orange, or purple set?

The View - CONCACAF Champions Cup

After the performance we saw from the ‘Caps last season, and the run of play leading up to the first match last week, I’d argue that most of us looked as the Round of 16 tie as simply a stop along the way to another deep run in the Champions Cup.

Heck, most of the concern surrounded the fact Seattle got a bye into the Round of 16 while the Whitecaps had to play-in to it.

Little did we know the Whitecaps FC would make two absolutely brutal defensive miscues to hand Seattle a solid 3-0 victory to set the stage for a pair of parked busses down in Spokane.

The thing is, prior to the first Sounders goal the Whitecaps carried the play for the most part & looked to be the better side - save for the lack of any real offense. While Jesper did make a handful of changes from the team that beat Portland only a few days earlier, (four for rest, one due to suspension), the depth players that found themselves in the match early did what depth players did last season… ish.

Again, zero shots on target. Ish indeed!

But the first of those defensive miscues - one where Mathías Laborda back-passed to nowhere - led to an against-the-flow 1-0 lead for Seattle into half-time.

While Jesper did look to shake things up with a half-time substitution, the Sounders second goal sunk the team. Whether you think it was offside (it sure looked like it) or not, the Whitecaps have struggled to play the trap as a defensive unit - which can punish you something terrible when you don’t execute.

And that third Sounders goal? Woof. I’ve seen some give Takaoka stick on his effort, which I agree could’ve been better, but no one had a better seat to watch that goal than Édier Ocampo who seemed to forget he had defensive responsibilities.

Whitecaps FC 0 - Sounders 3.

While I’ll admit to have conceded the tie at this point, watching the Whitecaps put on a clinic this weekend (more on that below) did give me and many others pause to consider that anything was possible.

But heading into Spokane - where the Sounders hosted the ‘Caps due to World Cup upgrades at Lumen Field - down three was going to be tough.

Equally daunting was overcoming the defensive fortress Seattle built most of the night. While the Whitecaps FC were kind enough to commit a couple early defensive miscues (because why not), they persevered and settled into the match the minutes ticked by.

Problem was, the minutes continued to tick by and what opportunities they did get often found themselves over top of the net.

So was I excited and thinking there might be a chance when Jeevan Badwal scored in the 24th minute? Certainly! Was that belief somewhat misplaced? Maybe.

But the Whitecaps FC had done crazier things before, and gosh darn it, it would be all sorts of epic if they were to do it to the Sounders.

The thing is, Seattle understood the assignment. Giving up one goal? No big deal. Giving up two goals? Not ideas. Giving up three goals? Oof, but still in it. So they simply parked a pair of busses in their defensive end and hampered every opportunity the ‘Caps took to get the ball into the middle of the area.

And as the match got on, the fortress got stronger. And eventually Seattle got an opportunity of a counter to flip the switch and suddenly they were up 4-1 on aggregate.

Game, set, match? Pretty much.

Seattle ended up tacking on a second of the match, to give themselves a 5-1 aggregate lead but that was simply to enhance their stats as they continue their journey.

The ‘Caps journey was done.

The Good

• At least the end of the run means less match congestion?! Is it wrong of me to consider this… a good thing?!

The Not So Good

• Defending. Absolutely atrocious in the first match, and somewhat unsteady in the early going of the second (until the end when they went all out to try and score 4).

The View - Minnesota United FC

With me still dealing with the concussion, I elected to make the “smart decision” and stay home. Going in my stead was my wife & daughter. To help me summarize my feelings after this match, I give you the words of my father-in-law who sent me a quick note Sunday night:

Good game to attend [Chris’ wife].

Bad one to miss Chris.

Gosh darn concussion!

Having only a few days to tend to the wounds inflicted form that 3-0 loss to Seattle the Thursday prior, there was strong belief from the faithful that the loss would serve as a wake-up call and serve the Whitecaps well.

Guest contributor Jordan Minamimaye suggested that Seattle match gave him early-2025 vibes where the Whitecaps lost to Chicago, and in turn followed that match up with a stretch of stellar play. Couldn’t argue with that.

In retrospect, it certainly woke them up.

Vancouver had their way with Minnesota from the opening kickoff to the final whistle. Six goals from four different players. Opportunities for Mihail Gherasimencov and… checking my notes here… Sebastian Schonlau (I was beginning to wonder if he’d ever get a chance on the pitch)!!

And did I mention that nearly all of this took place with Thomas Müller on the bench?

The Good

• AZ. The kid was absolute fire on Sunday and caused Minnesota absolute fits. He also drew the first of two PKs.

• Sebastian Berhalter. Seba continues to impress and served notice that he remains the same player he was in 2025. Got himself a brace.

• Brian White. Speaking of getting themselves a brace, Brian White looked ecstatic after his first goal and absolutely relieved after his second from the spot.

• Mihail Gherasimencov. Kid got not only got the call to be part of the Starting XI, but played a full 90 and defensively sound soccer. While he’ll remain a depth piece, as we saw from last year you can’t have too much depth.

The Not So Good

• I wasn’t there.

I know I mentioned it earlier, but there’s a part of me that’s okay with an exit from the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Sure I want my team to win at every level, but if I were to force to choose I’d choose the star on the jersey above all else (well, maybe the Canadian Championship too).