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On top of writing for RedNation, I am an extremely avid soccer player living in Vancouver, BC. I love the sport to death, whether I am playing it or watching it. Personally I am more of an attacking player and by no means am I an expert on goalkeeping. However, knowledgable about the position or not, it is not hard to see that the keeping situation in Vancouver is an interesting one.
Joe Cannon began the season for the Whitecaps and fared well in games one and two but after that the Caps struggled in league play as we all know. That is where Brad Knighton saw his opportunity to steal the starting spot, and that is what he did. Knighton was spectacular in his first month on the job, from a general supporter's point of view of course. Of course he had his slip-ups here and there like most keepers do, but overall Knighton did the job and did it well.
However, during Brad Knighton's stint as the Whitecaps' starting goalkeeper, Danish keeper David Ousted was brought in from Randers FC of the Danish SuperLiga. Ousted is an extremely talented, agile, athletic and vocal keeper. Knighton told the media that he was not worried about the Ousted, but that he was solely using it to push him to work harder and perform better. This was music to fans' ears although he was not completely able to live up to his word.
Following two or so sub-par performances from Brad Knighton, Ousted finally received the chance he was looking for to get his first start. Some may say that he was thrown into the deep end by Martin Rennie as his first start came away to the Portland Timbers. As everyone knows, Jeld-Wen field may be one of the toughest, most intimidating places to play in all of MLS. To most Whitecaps fans' surprise, Ousted actually performed quite well. The match finished in a 1-1 draw and the only goal that got past the big Dane was an unstoppable header from Ryan Johnson.
Like I said, I would be out of my element to get too deeply into the technical aspects of Brad Knighton's and David Ousted's play. One thing that has become apparent to me is that Ousted is much more vocal on the pitch than Knighton. It is like adding a second captain to the side as he is a great leader for the Caps' side. If the back line is becoming lazy or not defending properly, David Ousted is the first to correct that. The Danish keeper also comes across as much more athletic than Brad Knighton, as well as more experienced.
In the end, I think it is about right that David Ousted has begun to solidify the starting goalkeeping job in Vancouver. Brad Knighton had his time but realistically, he was always likely going to lose his spot at some point in time.
Ousted has played in the Danish SuperLiga, which is a growing league in Europe, meaning the level is quite high. He brings energy to the side and is always able to make that one big game-saving stop to keep the Whitecaps in the game.
Speaking for myself, I would like to see David Ousted as the starting keeper come playoff time, as the position is absolutely vital in the make or break matches that characterize the postseason. As a fan of the Vancouver Whitecaps, I have more trust in him as a keeper and I think he can legitimately take the team to the next level.
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