Every week, Sportsnet.ca will chat with Sportsnet soccer commentator Paul Dolan—a former Canadian national team goalkeeper—about the big stories and issues in Major League Soccer.
What have you made of the form Patrice Bernier has shown thus far in the playoffs for the Montreal Impact?
He’s been outstanding and I couldn’t be happier for him. Patrice Bernier is a class player and person, and Mauro Biello looks like a genius in the way he has used him since taking over from Frank Klopas, who essentially cast Bernier aside this season. I think Biello used some of the fire and emotion burning inside Bernier because he wasn’t playing earlier in the year to get the most out of his 36 year old legs, and it’s working. His control in possession, his passing accuracy and his takeaways and recoveries have all been among the best from central midfielders in this year’s MLS playoffs, never mind the two important goals he has scored.
I said last week that I think this Impact team, who despite being very well organized, will most likely get through more due to team cohesion and spirit as much as anything else. Right now, Patrice Bernier embodies that more than anyone else in the team and you can just feel the players wanting to do well for their captain in what may be his last season.
Vancouver is well positioned after earning a 0-0 draw in Portland in the first leg. But were you surprised the Whitecaps didn’t show a little bit more intent to attack, especially with the Timbers missing starting goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey and defensive midfielder Diego Chara?
I was a little surprised, yes, as they had a great opportunity to take advantage of a tired Portland team and score a valuable away goal but just didn’t seem to want to take that extra step or gamble because it might have left them short at the back. I actually thought the Whitecaps did a good job in the first half of striking that balance between trying to carve out chances while being sure to quell any Timber attacks and they had two very good chances to score.
The second half was surprising in that Portland seemed the stronger side despite playing 120 minutes plus penalties less than 72 hours earlier, and not until Pedro Morales came on as a sub did we see any dangerous attacking intent from Vancouver. I think Morales can have a big influence on the game Sunday whether he starts or comes on as a sub as I see another very close affair that will take just that one bit of creativity or special talent to unlock the game.
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What do the Impact have to do in Sunday’s second leg to get a result against the Columbus Crew and advance to the Eastern Conference finals?
Defend like they did at the Azteca in April when they drew 1-1 with Club America in the CONCACAF Champions League. That game featured a master-class in defending by three players in particular: goalkeeper Evan Bush, centre-back Laurent Ciman and fullback Danny Toia. They need to use that experience to defend against a very fluid passing Columbus team that can score goals in bunches if given the space. The Impact are set up well to take advantage of counter-attack opportunities if they can defend well and have the Crew commit players forward, as the Columbus fullbacks love to join the attack leaving space for Ignacio Piatti in particular to exploit the area left by Harrison Afful down Montreal’s left side.
The threat Didier Drogba poses up front means Columbus will likely be reluctant to send too many players into the attack which could make things easier for Montreal who have only been shut out once since Drogba’s arrival. You would think they could find an away goal on the counter at some point again Sunday but they need to avoid allowing Columbus to do what Houston did to Montreal a couple of years ago when they allowed two early goals and crashed out 3-0 in their only previous playoff game away from home.
What about Vancouver? What are the Whitecaps’ keys to getting the result they need vs. Portland in Sunday’s second leg?
The coaches will give you the obvious answer but it’s true in this case: finish your chances. In a tight, low-scoring series, the team that puts the few chances they have in the net will win. There has been a lot of praise for Octavio Rivero this year and rightly so, as he is probably the hardest working forward in the league. However, he needs to not only hit the target more regularly but score more often and he was guilty of badly missing one of the few chances he had last week.
Kekutah Manneh was disappointing last week as well, always a danger to defences in one-on-one situations but never really able to get the ball under control, and he’s guilty of giving the ball away too often. I think the value that Pedro Morales can bring to the team from the start can create chances for those two players in particular but unless they test the goalkeeper I feel the pressure of not scoring will weigh on this young Whitecaps team. The longer it goes even would then favour Portland, especially if the big home crowd gets restless. An early goal is key, and should they get that I think their resolute defence can hold the fort.
