Hello!

With the Whitecaps FC back in MLS action this week (in fact tomorrow), it was good to see them dress a fairly strong lineup in both legs of the Canadian Championship draw against Cavalry FC. Equally good was watching the 'Caps successfully kick off the campaign to defend their championship title.

Yet what I found most exciting were the reports earlier this week that the Whitecaps FC have put forward a proposal to the Province to take over operations of BC Place. Obviously this doesn’t mean our efforts to #SaveTheCaps are complete, but one has to think the franchise doesn’t pitch that type of idea if they don’t plan on sticking around.

So all-in-all, the past week has been a good one - let’s hope the week in front is equally as solid.

The View

Raise your hand if you were excited to see Ryan Gauld not only return to action, but start the first leg against Cavalry? ✋

Raise your hand again if you were excited to see Ranko Veselinović not only start both the first AND second legs, but also put in a full match performance in both? ✋

And raise your hand if you expected Sam Adekugbe to be on the bench in that second leg?

Yeah, same. Caught me a little by surprise that one.

Oh... and how awesome was it to see the Whitecaps FC take the pitch at Swangard last week?! No surprise there - it's home.

Speaking of which, let's talk about that first leg.

If I were to summarize the match, the Whitecaps FC did what they were expected to and were the better side on the pitch. We saw the 'Caps carry possession throughout the match, with relatively decent distribution. And we saw second-half goals from Thomas Müller, Ryan White, and Rayan Elloumi to slam the door shut after a Cavalry own-goal in the first half.

What we didn't see, which could be explained by the lengthy break in action combined with a "new, but old" backline being put together, was cohesive defensive play which made life difficult for Cavalry. Instead, we saw the 'Caps cling to a lead through half-time in a match where it felt like one of the many opportunities they were affording the side from Calgary could wind up past Isaac Boehmer in net.

So was the 4-1 result expected? Yes. Was it easy? Kind of. And what it did was put the 'Caps at ease going into Spruce Meadows, with a casual eye beyond to the match tomorrow against Chicago.

But let's touch on that second leg for a moment.

Taking a page out of the first leg, the 'Caps lacked sound defensive structure and found themselves stretched too far up the pitch and vulnerable to the counter. Thankfully none of these issues resulted in much more than an elevation in blood pressure for supporters of both jerseys, but it's definitely a concern if this unsettled play manifests itself into MLS action.

Arguably, the Whitecaps getting a 1-1 draw against Cavalry was a fair result if you were a 'Caps supporter and an extremely unfair result if you support Cavalry FC. Between numerous missed opportunities, and outright thievery from Boehmer in net, the Whitecaps only found themselves down 1-0 midway through the second half. Until Mihail Gherasimencov levelled the match up on a solid strike from just outside the area.

For those hoping to see another Vancouver derby, with the Whitecaps going through 5-2 on aggregate, you'll be disappointed - CF Montréal defeated Vancouver FC 4-2 on the strength of two 2-1 victories.

The Good

• Isaac Boehmer. He was called on more often than I would've liked against the CPL side, but not only did what he needed to to keep his team in both matches, he was likely the man of the match in Calgary.
• Whitecaps FC Training Staff. Essentially running a MASH unit over the past season and a half, it's great to see the return of Gauld and Veselinović, and the potential return of Adekugbe. Will be nice that Jesper Sørensen will have too many players to choose from shortly.

The Not So Good

• J.C. Ngando. In fairness, Ngando hasn't seen much of the pitch this season and could be forgiven for being as rusty as he was in both legs. Yet his decision-making on the pitch was suspect, distribution lacking, and far-to-often found himself occupying space on the pitch than being involved.

Around the Pitch

Since the start of this calendar year, I've made an effort to improve my health through a number of lifestyle changes - one of which is fitness. Each night I pop my airpods in my ears, and hit the pavement (or treadmill) for a good thirty minutes or more.

And during those thirty minutes or so, when I'm not listening to the podcasts I have in my rotation, I fire up a "Time To Walk" through Apple Fitness+ and enjoy the conversation and music from whichever "guest" strikes my interest.

Like Thomas Müller.

The premise behind the “Time to Walk” series on Apple Fitness+ is someone famous goes for a walk somewhere personal to them and shares a story or two about their life, their personal journey, their feelings, or something topical to the walk itself. And following the story-telling, they share some music that resonates most with them (sometimes related to the story told, and other times just something they dig).

And should you wish to listen to all that - whether with Thomas or someone else - you need to pony up for a subscription. Apple gotta make a buck, y’know?

The cool thing is that Apple also makes the "story" part available through their podcast service (which you don't have to pay for), so if you're at all interested in a short story from Müller about his start as a footballer, to his time at Bayern and the German national team, to his arrival in Vancouver, here it is:

As we look towards the match in Chicago, with the chance that newly signed Robert Lewandowski could make an appearance, one might suggest the 'Caps are in tough.

But not me.

Our Bayern Munich alumnus is better. 😆