Hello!

With the Whitecaps FC match in Chicago postponed due to the poor air quality this past weekend, I decided it would be better… err… easier to simply wait to put this together until after the match last night against FC Cincinnati.

You know, have a match to actually discuss while spreading out a little match congestion over to issues instead of one.

Yet with the news that broke last night, and was essentially confirmed this morning, waiting those extra couple of days meant that I’d have an opportunity to wish now-former Whitecap Sebastian Berhalter safe travels as he heads off to the Championship to ply his trade in Middlesbrough.

While we can debate whether the organization obtaining a $2M transfer fee is better than keeping Seba here in Vancouver until he left on a free transfer, there’s no debating the work he put in with the team over the past season and a half.

As Connor shared on Bluesky, “$2 million from $50,000 GAM is a tidy bit of business for #vwfc.”

The View

Yet before news of Berhalter’s departure broke, though much intimation of it happening was made pre-match, the Whitecaps FC found themselves getting back into action not against the Chicago Fire as expected and instead against FC Cincinnati.

Whether this played into the performance, what we saw from Vancouver was an experience we haven’t witnessed in quite some time.

Instead of robust defending and dogged pursuit when without the ball, we saw a gunslinging shootout (or as much as a gunslinging shootout can occur in soccer) where goals were traded in relative quick succession.

If you happened to be a Whitecaps FC supporter, which I imagine most of you are, seeing Bruno Caicedo sent in alone early was grounds to be excited at the match to come. Yet you’d also be forgiven if watching him put a sitter wide of the net gave you a little consternation as well.

Yet being the accommodating guests they are at times, the ‘Caps elected to spot Cincy a 1-nil lead early only to respond shortly after with a strike from Jeevan Badwal off a phenomenal cross from Bruno Caicedo.

And only a handful of minutes later, Ryan Gauld “worked his butt off” to deflect an Oliver Larraz strike into the back of the Cincinnati net for a 2-1 lead.

Maybe that early optimism is being rewarded?

No.

In what was the start of an atrocious night of defending from the side in Blue & White, only moments after the Gauld goal put Vancouver in the lead, Vancouver allowed Cincinnati’s Ender Echenique to weave his way past and through about five ‘Caps to get a cross into the middle. The subsequent shot from Kévin Denkey hit Tate Johnson who knocked it into his own net.

Tie game.

Making matters worse, shortly before the end of the first half the Whitecaps FC elected to give Evander all the space and time he needed to take a strike just outside the area, which he put past a diving Yohei Takaoka.

But what has to be the worst defending I’ve seen in a few seasons, the fourth goal (and ultimately the winning goal) from Cincinnati absolute exposed a suspect Whitecaps FC backline.

When regular contributor Jordan asked what the Whitecaps FC were doing in the From 231 Discord Server, I answered with “watching the match like us I think and honest to goodness, it truly felt that way.

The one positive out of the night, was the effort of captain Ryan Gauld. While substituted midway through the second half after potting two goals (he got his second shortly after the Cincinnati fourth), he had a clear impact through the match and looked very good for a player who’s been out of the regular rotation for some time.

And while I agree it would’ve been nice to see him stay in, especially with Vancouver chasing that equalizer late (and moreso with Thomas Müller not coming in), one has to think he’s still on restricted minutes for a few more weeks as he continues to get himself into match shape.

The Good

• Ryan Gauld. He was a definite bright spot in a match devoid of them, and looked like someone who’s already match-shape. Here’s hoping we’ll see both him and Thomas Müller in a match together sooner than later.

• Jeevan Badwal. The kid not only got himself a great goal, along with Gauld he maintained constant pressure on Cincinnati. Unfortunately, Jesper elected to take him out the same time Gauld was withdrawn.

The Not So Good

• The Defense. Tate Johnson, Matias Laborda, Tristan Blackmon, and Édier Ocampo all need to put this match behind them as a goldfish might. Never seen this collection have so much trouble all in the same match.

• Nikola Djordjevic. I get this kid is green as they can be, yet beyond a solid effort to get back in a desperate defensive role, it seemed any ball that arrived to his feet up the pitch was taken directly into a black hole.

As we look ahead to the weekend with the Vancouver Whitecaps FC taking on the Loons in Minnesota, I have to wonder what Axel Schuster might have cooking to fill the large void Berhalter’s departure creates.

The thing is, with all the uncertainty that remains with the future of the organization - remember #SaveTheCaps any chance you get - there’s a good portion of you who worry the void will be a permanent fixture.

And I hear you.

Yet I’ve come to trust in Axel and trust in team I support is all I have to give.

So Axel, can’t wait to see what you serve up.