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The Whitecaps ended their three game road trip on Saturday with a positive result. It wasn't the best that Vancouver has to offer, but the end result was a good building block for the team as it heads back home.
The Good
Joe Cannon and the Defensive Midfielders.
Joe Cannon was hands-down the best player on the pitch for the Caps. He had his best game of the season and definitely showed his shot-stopping abilities in the dying minutes of the game. He commanded his box extremely well and was an excellent leader for the team. Cannon was calm and composed in the box all match and was a major factor in the Whitecaps getting a point away to the Quakes. Joe also received man of the match honours from his performance in this game, and he definitely deserved it.
I thought the defensive mids, Davidson and Reo-Coker, played well against the Quakes too. They were solid on most occasions and got stuck in numerous times. They both kept possession brilliantly throughout the game and were both prominent in the build up to the Caps only goal. Not to mention Reo-Coker's EPL-like tackle on Sam Cronin late in the game. Controversial as it may be, it is hard to say whether it was malicious or clean.
The Bad
Chance Creation and Hurtado.
One thing the Caps did poorly was create scoring chances, normally this is not a problem but in this match it was. I believe this was due to the lineup change, especially because of the Hertzog and Mattocks swap. Hertzog did not do well as a target man in my opinion, as it is evidently not his style of play as a striker. Overall, the amount of chances created was much lower than it should be and has been in the past.
Erik Hurtado did not have a very good game in his first return to Buck Shaw Stadium since college. He did not do an acceptable job of staying onside and it almost seems like he is too fast for his own good. Near the end of the game, he was called offside on a play that would have sent him away to the races. On this play, there was absolutely no need for him to be in an offside position. He must work on holding his run a little longer because this could be crucial later on in the season.
The Ugly
Rochat and Defending In The Box.
Alain Rochat did not have a very good game against the Quakes, and was a part of the reason why they took the lead early in the game. He played a lazy pass to Jun Marques Davidson which ended up in a turnover of possession, resulting in a goal for the Earthquakes. For a player like Rochat, who is extremely consistent and normally solid in the back, poor performances like this cannot happen. This game is definitely one to forget for Alain Rochat.
Another dilemma the Whitecaps had was defending in the box and clearing the ball out of danger. This was the cause of all the ruckus in the Caps' box in stoppage time. Speaking for myself, and everyone else who watched the match, it was quite nerve-racking when the Caps were not able to dump it down field. Sure, they got away with it this time, but in the future this might not be the same story. Come playoff time, the Whitecaps must be more solid when they must defend properly in the box or this could be one of their biggest downfalls.
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