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| Just takes a little levity. |
My big take-away from their 4-2 comeback win is that the Vancouver
Whitecaps can be good. It also makes some commentary on the Los Angeles Galaxy,
not much of it positive, either. As their season goes forward, just…consider
the possibility that Curt Onalfo picked up the band hand that Bruce Arena laid
down when he walked away to the U.S. Men’s National Team.
The more interesting thing about this game is how represents
a study in belief. I mean that on two levels too, as in belief within the team
and belief among the fans. When LA scored two in the first half’s middle
passage and took the lead, BC Place took on that funereal “glow” familiar to fans
of all struggling teams; it’s that awful thought, “shit, here we go again.” A
taste of bitterness would have piled on to that sentiment of dread this time
around, thanks to the ref (badly) missing a clear penalty kick call when Jelle
Van Damme dropped the incredibly-fun-to-watch Alphono Davies almost immediately
after the ‘Caps went up (uh, there's no video for this, why?).
Even if they looked snake-bit late in the first half, Vancouver
turned it all around, leaving LA with bigger questions, and of the wrong kind.
Vancouver Whitecaps
- I’ll get to the big stuff later, but there was this moment
around the 39th that I just want to flag. Cristian Bolanos almost fed Davies,
and if they can get to where Davies looks for that kind of pass, they’ll have
something. Something....deadly.
- The kind of thing that will hurt them? Erik Hurtado
deciding to try to chip the ‘keeper from midfield…only to have even the attempt
fall short. Know yer limits, kid, and find Christian Techera next time…
- Not least because LA lost Techera again and again and
again. This killed ‘em on the equalizer (so much space; is it his height?), but
the ‘Caps found a lot of ways to run through LA’s lines, none of them more than
Techera.
- Except for the first,Vancouver’s goals all came after some
substitutions – e.g. Fredy Montero for Hurtado and Tony Tchani for Andrew
Jacobson. I have two contrasting reads on that: first, while Montero might not
be the solution, he’s an upgrade over Hurtado; more crucially, Montero could
allow Vancouver to play tighter in the attack – e.g., to allow more of what I
talked about up top with Bolanos and Davies. Hurtado is a late-game sub, not a
starter.
- Second, I don’t think Tchani improved on Jacobson, so I’m
less inclined to read anything into that, but that’s at the heart of a big
question for Craig Robinson: who does he start between Tchani, Jacobson and
yesterday’s brace-grabbing hero, Matias Laba?
Los Angeles Galaxy
- For what it’s worth, I think LA’s lazy 2016-17 off-season has
plagued them thus far. They picked up a good player in Roman Alessandrini – he’s
been their biggest threat so far, and on a no-contest level (some evidence) – but their other
big pick up, Joao Pedro, looks like…well, crap. Even when they don’t take early
– or, in some cases, ever - most internationals that come to MLS typically look
like they’re thinking faster. Based on everything I’ve seen out of him, Pedro
does nothing well. There’s still time, but…
- Ashley Cole had a good game (example/cleaning up his own slop). The guy still has it. Same
for Jermaine Jones, who played a really sound two-way game. But for how long?
- Clement Diop did not – and it went beyond that stupid
first goal. Where’s Brian Rowe?
- LA has two pieces in the attack that, while sporadically
productive, they have not figured them out. Emmanuel Boateng has great speed (and nice assist),
but he sometimes feels like he’s soloing out there. The biggest questions, however,
hang over Giovani dos Santos. I heard talk that this was supposed to be his
team this season, but he played virtually no role out there yesterday. So…
OK, done with this one. I’ll write up the Timbers game
tonight, then post a big weekly Monday night. The whole thing worked for the
first time. Eeee!
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