VANCOUVER — The 2013 Major League Soccer season has started as good as one could expect for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Two matches, two wins. Who can complain?
It hasn’t all been rosy, though. Losing captain Jay DeMerit to injury on opening day put a sour taste in everyone’s mouth, and the finishing hasn’t been as cutthroat as some would like. In goal, there have been the usual whispers about Joe Cannon’s kicking, and up front, Darren Mattocks has looked unusually quiet in the early going with no goals and little in the way of scoring opportunities.
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But these are minor complaints; the sort of complaints people make about winning teams.
When you win two in a row and someone has a go at a goalkeeper’s ability to keep the ball in bounds, you know you’re doing something right as a team.
With a new look possession-first system, the Whitecaps are also a lot more palatable for the neutral. The introduction of Nigel Reo-Coker and the subsequent shift of Alain Rochat back to left fullback have been big parts to this transition, as has the arrival of Daigo Kobayashi.
But one could argue that the two teams Vancouver have faced so far (Toronto and Columbus) are hardly MLS’s finest. This weekend the test becomes a little more serious for two reasons. One, the Whitecaps faces MLS Cup finalist in the Houston Dynamo, and two, the ‘Caps are playing their first road game of the campaign.
However, if you’re expecting the possession-based style to translate to the road, don’t hold your breath. While the Whitecaps will surely play that way if a team allows them, coach Martin Rennie deadpanned a simple, "no," when asked by a reporter this week if his team would play a more open style on the road this season than last.
If there’s a desire to play more entertaining soccer at BC Place, that showmanship won’t become a travelling circus, of that we can be sure. On the road, Vancouver will sit and wait patiently for counterattacking chances, and in all likelihood favour a more direct style.
The short passes that have become a hallmark of this team over its first two games will surely make cameo appearances, but the long ball will enter the equation more regularly.
If there’s a positive for the Whitecaps in all this, it’s that a counterattacking road game suits Mattocks to a tee. With his speed, teams defend a high line will run the risk of being caught out.
Equally, from counterattacks down the wings, the Jamaican’s aerial ability becomes a lot more deadly if defenders are rushing back to mark him rather than defending from a static position as they have been while out-possessed by the Whitecaps in the team’s opening two matches.
The stats back this up as well: of the eight goals Mattocks scored in 2012, six came on the road. The Jamaican is quite unusual in that regard but incredibly useful given the difficulty of scoring away from home.
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One of the big questions will be who comes in for designated player Kenny Miller. The Scotsman has led well in DeMerit’s absence and has brought a work ethic to the frontline which has been contagious and seemingly spread through the team. Miller will miss this weekend’s match due to a call up for Scotland and that means a swap will need to be made.
Erik Hurtado might be the favourite — he’s come on as a substitute on the wing late in games while the team has held leads, so Rennie obviously trusts him. Fellow rookie Kekuta Manneh is also a contender — he started on opening day so is obviously highly rated in the Whitecaps camp.
Newcomer Paulo Jr., who only linked up with the team last week after visa delays, could also get the nod. The Brazilian was a bit part player on a very strong Real Salt Lake squad and Rennie feels he can get more out of him if he’s given a bigger role in Vancouver.
Unfortunately for Rennie one of the players who won’t be in the running to stand in for Miller this weekend is Omar Salgado. The El Paso, Texas, native aggravated his longstanding foot injury during a friendly with the University of Victoria over the weekend and his comeback has thus been delayed.
The first road game is always challenging, but going in full of confidence on the back of two home wins will make the task this weekend feel very achievable, regardless of who is in the starting 11.
Martin MacMahon is a Vancouver-based writer who covers the Vancouver Whitecaps FC for MLSsoccer.com. Follow Martin on Twitter