Three Things: Houston were a problem, as Whitecaps woes laid bare ahead of Dallas visit

Wednesday night at B.C. Place was a top of the table clash in MLS’ Western Conference. The Houston Dynamo moseyed on into town on a four-game winning streak in which they had not conceded a single goal. Somewhat unsurprisingly, they left on a five-match winning run, in which they still hadn’t given up any goals. The Whitecaps’ faithful, who showed up in good numbers for a midweek League fixture (more on that later), would have been hoping that their side would have received a boost from their first League win since the World Cup break over the Sounders on Sunday. Not only did they defeat a depleted Seattle squad, but they also claimed their record-extending ninth Cascadia Cup thanks to a 2-0 scoreline. Neither lifting regional silverware nor scoring more than one goal for only the second time in MLS play since May in Middle Cascadia were inspirational enough to help the ‘Caps find the back of the net versus the Texan club.

Technically they did have the ball in the back of the Houston net in the second half. 18-year-old match winner from the weekend, Rayan Elloumi, slid on to the end of a penetrating low cross from Emmanuel Sabbi on the left flank, to seemingly burst the Dynamo’s defensive bubble. It felt like the perfect way for Elloumi to continue to build his confidence and make up for a couple of earlier poor decisions in this match. However, VAR invited Referee Ricardo Montero to have another look at the buildup play. He ultimately ruled that Andrés Cubas had fouled Héctor Herrera to win possession for the ‘Caps and thus called the goal back. It felt harsh live in the stadium, but on further review it is more than understandable to see why the officiating crew came to the conclusion they did.

This meant that Houston’s first half goal from Argentine left back Franco Negri sealed the result in favour of the visitors. It was a well taken strike from a few yards outside the box. It may have been eerily familiar to the home fans, as once again their hopes were dashed by a quality finish from distance, against the run of play (think San Jose in March). Taking nothing away from Negri, who hit his strike so sweetly, but it ended up being one of the few really dangerous shots on target from either team on the night.

Here are three things that stood out from an underwhelming result and performance from the ‘Caps, as another match-up with a Texas side, FC Dallas, awaits them on Saturday evening.

Man of the Match Performance

At least a handful of times throughout the course of the 90 minutes, either Michael McColl or I would lean over to each other and say something along the lines of, “That play is another reason Mati is the Man of the Match for me.” It is likely that some of you at this point would like to point out that Negri got the ball for his goal off of the foot of MathÍas Laborda. You wouldn’t be wrong, but that would fail to take into account that Laborda had knocked the ball away from Cap-killer, Mateusz Bogusz, right at the top of the ‘Caps penalty area. For a split second it looked like another brilliant defensive stop from the Uruguayan. One could blame the lack of defensive support for not picking up Negri’s advanced position for the goal itself.

Either way, Laborda proved to be the best player on the home side. He contributed going forward with two shots and one key pass. However, it was his play at the back that once again showed his quality. He had one tackle, three interceptions, three clearances, four aerial duels won, and two blocks. One of those blocks came in the first half and was a goal line clearance while the match was still goalless. It ended up being the best play of the night by a Whitecap.

Laborda continues to be a massive part of what makes this team what it is. Over the last few podcasts, we (especially Michael) have talked about the importance of Vancouver extending the South American’s deal, which is set to expire this off season. He also adds a key attacking threat on set pieces, one which has seemingly being negated with Sebastian Berhalter’s departure. For all his excellent defensive play, the Whitecaps need to find someone that can bring that other side out of him again with better deliveries than he has been getting, and that needs to start against Dallas.

Pulled Off At Half Time

If Jesper Sørensen had any hair on the top of his head, there is probably one player who would make him want to pull it out more than any other this season. Cheikh Sabaly arrived at the club in February with not much fanfare, while still bringing hope to Whitecaps’ nation that another attacker had been added to the squad that could either take some of the weight of the goal scoring duties off the shoulders of the Brian White, or at least provide him with quality service. Those expectations grew a bit with the annual Spring release of salaries within the League, that found Sabaly listed at $1.1-$1.4 million USD (dependent on bonuses), which put him as the fourth highest paid player on the roster. With only two goals, one assist and six shots on target in less than 700 minutes so far this campaign, the tough questions need to be asked. Is Sabaly at the standard to play in MLS or more specifically is he of the quality to play at the Whitecaps level within MLS?

It doesn’t appear that way and it isn’t only the numbers. He is predominately being used from his preferred position out on the left flank. The issue with that is that it has become obvious to all opponents who scout him that he has every intention of cutting to the inside on virtually every possession. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but only if you then create shooting lanes or incisive passes from your movement to the inside. Sabaly hasn’t been doing that consistently enough. It feels like he has only seen the amount of time he has due to the injury situation at the club.

The counter point to all of this, potentially, is that he needs more time to settle at the club and get more used to the League. The problem is patience is not something always afforded to professional footballers in the modern era. Alex Schuster wasted little time in moving on players in the past that turned out to not be at the standard required by this ambitious Whitecaps Club (Schonlau and Pupe being prime examples). What is the future of Sabaly and does it lie in Vancouver? Whitecaps supporters will be hoping he comes good in the final months of the season, but it feels unlikely to play out that way at this moment.

“Archive Derby”

The announced attendance for this match was 22,849, which was a really solid turnout for a midweek encounter with a less fashionable side like Houston (their present form notwithstanding) being the opponents. It was also the first time the Whitecaps wore their Archive Kit. A League initiative that saw eight clubs partner with adidas on uniforms that connect with their history. Houston was a part of the collection too and wore an all-white kit with their old logo from their glory days of winning MLS Cups (I’ll refrain from a rant on the Dynamo being a relocated club that is really the San Jose Earthquakes). The Whitecaps chose to honour the 40th anniversary of the Vancouver 86ers era of the club. Their royal blue kits with yellow shorts have grown on me and looked especially good when matched with walk out jackets.

It wasn’t just the new kits on display though, the ‘Caps marketed the match as an 80’s themed night and had 86er head bands and played 80s music throughout the evening during stoppages. Back in my days as an active supporter, these nights were more often than not an annoyance to me. However, looking at them from a different perspective, I now see the value in them, especially when pulled off in meaningful ways like VWFC did on this occasion.

So, kudos to the ticketing, marketing, and stadium ops departments for all of their efforts in this and their role in continuing to grow the game in the city of Vancouver and the province of British Columbia. For all of the awesomeness of this summer’s World Cup, we all know that club football is in the midst of critical moment and engaging with and inviting in as many people as possible plays a vital role in the long-term bigger picture. Keep up the good work!

Check out Tom and Caroline’s photos from the night over on AFTN’s Flickr page or below: