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Posted by
Matthew Low,
March 10, 2013
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@LowMatthewJ
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Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 1 Columbus Crew
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The Prelude to Battle
Everyone knew that if Vancouver were to take their second win of the season, they would need to put forth a much better performance than what we saw in the opener against Toronto.
The week got off to a bad start after it was announced that captain Jay DeMerit would be gone, likely for the remainder of the season. Fortunately for Vancouver, they were in much better position in terms of defensive depth than last year and DeMerit’s absence hurt more in the leadership department.
Luckily Vancouver had a number of options for the honor and with questions surrounding who would wear the captain’s armband with DeMerit out, head coach Martin Rennie quickly confirmed that it would be rotated throughout the squad, with Kenny Miller getting his turn first.
With Columbus coming into town, the Whitecaps’ attention would surely be focused on Federico Higuain. The Argentine striker is a capable scorer and playmaker and could be counted on to cause Vancouver’s defense problems.
The Opening Forty-Five
You couldn’t be blamed for not remembering most of the first half, if it weren’t for a single moment of brilliance.
With Koffie winning the ball just inside Columbus’ half, his pass found Mattocks who took the ball forward. He delivered the ball to Kobayashi and with plenty of space around him, Kobayashi fired an absolutely beautiful curling shot past the outstretched fingertips of Andy Gruenebaum; 30-yards away from goal nonetheless.
It wasn’t until just five minutes remained that Vancouver actually began manufacturing clear-cut opportunities. Once again it was Kobayashi’s touch on the ball, this time releasing Rochat into the box. He expertly cut the ball back to Miller whose shot was well parried by Gruenebaum. The rebound fell kindly to Nigel Reo-Coker, but with an open net in front of him, he ballooned his shot over the bar.
Whereas Columbus had controlled the play after Kobayashi’s opener, Vancouver really started to come on in waves late in the half. Most of their opportunities unsurprisingly came through Reo-Coker and Y.P. Lee. The two combined well to release Lee into the box, however Miller was unfortunate not to add to the Whitecaps’ lead on a number of occasions.
Vancouver’s final chance came off a corner delivered by, you guessed, it Kobayashi. Brad Rusin showed promise in the box heading the cross straight at goal. He was unlucky not to have opened his MLS account as the ball bounced between the post and Gruenebaum before being cleared away by Columbus.
Instead of heading into half time with a three or four goal lead, Vancouver had to be content with a 1-0 score line, as they walked off ruing missed chances.
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The #WhitecapsFC look unreal. Miller and the boys in #BeastMode - amazing match atmosphere @Southsiders @CurvaCollective @raincitybrigade
- @AlbiJr |
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The Second Half
Vancouver was made to pay for those misses early in the second half in a matter of seconds. With Brad Rusin down and injured after a clearance, a lane was opened up for Ben Speas. He took advantage of it to send Jairo Arrieta in and his low shot fooled Joe Cannon to immediately silence the crowd.
B.C. Place didn’t stay quiet for long however. Kenny Miller’s industrious work ethic was finally rewarded. The captain showed good instinct in attacking Glauber who had just received a pass, and Miller’s pressure caused him to cough up the ball. In one-on-one with Gruenebaum, Miller finally beat the Crew keeper to restore Vancouver’s one-goal lead.
Both sides traded chances after that goal, as Vancouver looked to pad their lead while Columbus searched for the equalizer. Rochat and Miller combined nicely to put a cross into the box, but Darren Mattocks’ header was sent straight at Gruenebaum. At the other end, Arrieta had a good chance to tie the game from close range, but pressure from both Andy O’Brien and a rushing Cannon kept the score level.
Vancouver’s offense got a kick-start midway through the second half with Camilo and Erik Hurtado getting subbed on for Mattocks and Kobayashi. Both had immediate impacts and Hurtado was unlucky not to strike his first goal; he was called offside after coolly slotting home an unselfish pass from Miller as the two were in alone on goal.
Despite a number of balls delivered into the box, everything was dealt with nicely be Cannon, Rusin and O’Brien. Never in the final moments did it feel like Vancouver’s opponents might steal a point from the match in its late stages and the Whitecaps would see this one out 2-1 for their second straight win.
The Final Word: Whitecaps attack looks dangerous in another winning effort
“That was probably the most number of chances I’ve ever seen us get at B.C. Place” – Martin Rennie, pleased with what his team created.
What an improvement over last week’s home opener. Vancouver conceded a goal, but with a little more clinical finishing, they easily could have run away with the match. The attacking prowess shown in this match has to be promising considering that once they start finishing their chances, Vancouver could be one of the highest scoring teams in MLS.
Daigo Kobayashi is quickly proving to be one of Vancouver’s more influential players. Ignoring his long-range goal for a moment, his playmaking instincts are simply magical; whether it’s a cool flick or well-weighted pass, Vancouver can consistently count on Kobayashi to distribute the ball.
Then there’s his opener. What. A. Strike. When’s the last time any other Whitecaps player scored from 25 or more yards out? You’d likely have to go as far back as Gershon Koffie’s goal against Chicago in Vancouver’s opening season. Adding a threat like that to the line up makes the Whitecaps a much more dangerous team in the way that defenders will have to allow Kobayashi less space to operate in, which should in turn open up more space for the likes of Mattocks and Miller.
“He’s been one of our best players since preseason and the start of the season. He’s done fantastically well.” – Martin Rennie, on Kenny Miller’s 2013 season so far.
He may be a soft-spoken captain, but Kenny Miller’s performance was captain-worthy. Last year, many fans were quick to criticize the Scottish striker, but he’s quickly shown how much of a difference having a preseason makes. At times he looks like Sebastien Le Toux, one moment defending a full backs’ overlapping run, and the next he’s running down centre backs in an attempt to win back the ball. His work ethic on the pitch has been impressive, however his final touch is still lacking at times; he could have easily had a hat trick with a number of opportunities that weren’t finished.
“It makes it a lot more easy. As we continue to develop and make the right runs at the right time to create chances, when we do get them it’s just about being more clinical and taking our chances when we get them” – Nigel Reo-Coker on the offensive support from the full backs.
One of the most impressive aspects of Vancouver’s game this season is how quickly Nigel Reo-Coker and Y.P. Lee have played together. On countless occasions since they’ve been on the pitch at the same, we’ve seen Lee lay off the ball to Reo-Coker, only for the central midfielder to send the ball back over top to release the full back.
It’s a tactic we’ve also seen used between Miller and Alain Rochat, but Reo-Coker and Lee’s ‘partnership’ has been the best example of the full back’s usefulness creating chances.
We saw it last season where either Rochat or Lee would make threatening runs down the flank, but the difference this year is that now they have the midfield support to execute plays more precisely and create more chances.
If O’Brien, Rusin can continue to provide solid defense and Cannon or Knighton provide safe goalkeeping, it’s not out of the question for Vancouver to become one of the top team’s in the league with their re-tooled offense
Whitecaps Line-up
Cannon
Rochat
O’Brien
Rusin
Lee
Davidson
Koffie
Reo-Coker
Kobayashi (’77, Hurtado)
Miller; Mattocks (’67, Camilo)
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