On Wednesday, the Vancouver Whitecaps begin their push for a first ever Canadian club championship title with a visit to Commonwealth Stadium where they’ll face NASL side FC Edmonton.
The tournament has largely been a disappointing one for the Whitecaps defined by near misses, with the most recent heartbreak coming in the final last year against Toronto FC.
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Toronto FC vs. Montreal Impact (live on all four Sportsnet channels at 7:30pm ET/4:30pm PT) and FC Edmonton vs. Vancouver Whitecaps (live on all four Sportsnet channels at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT) in the first leg of the Canadian club championship semifinals.
Due to a strong 2012 Major League Soccer season, the Whitecaps enter this year’s tournament as the No. 1 seed, and that’s given them a favourable first-round matchup against second-tier opposition. This means that coach Martin Rennie will likely give some of his fringe players and youngsters a chance to get some competitive action.
But given the way things have been going in MLS lately for the Whitecaps, and the multitude of lineups the Scottish tactician has trotted out in recent weeks, who exactly is on the fringes is to some degree unclear.
One would expect goalkeeper Brad Knighton to get his first competitive action after being unceremoniously dropped as the club’s starter ahead of this season. When things were going poorly for the team as a group last season, Rennie dropped No. 1 Joe Cannon. If that thinking is favoured once again, having Knighton used to game action is essential.
At the back, one would imagine the senior trio of Alain Rochat, Lee Young-Pyo and Andy O’Brien – all 30 years or older – will get the night off. The youngest regular defender, 26-year-old Brad Rusin, could remain but there’s also a chance the likes of Johnny Leveron and Adam Clement will make their competitive debuts for the team. At the fullback positions, expect Jordan Harvey to slot in on the left and Greg Klazura to fill in for Lee on the right.
In midfield, it’s anybody’s guess as to who will play. Rennie has done a lot of lineup juggling in recent weeks and given the dire performance on Saturday in a 2-0 away loss to FC Dallas, it’s difficult to imagine much loyalty will be shown to the most recent starting 11.
Still, one would expect Nigel Reo-Coker to get the night off, as playing him would likely be seen as an unnecessary risk – especially with an MLS match, once again against FC Dallas, coming up this weekend.
The Soccer Show with Nigel Reed: Tune in to Sportsnet 590 The FAN’s every Thursday at 8pm ET to listen to The Soccer Show, Canada’s foremost soccer weekly co-hosted by Nigel Reed and ex-NASL champion Bob Iarusci. For more details and to listen to past shows, CLICK HERE
It makes sense for Gershon Koffie to play, as he’s had a rough few weeks performance wise and Rennie has opted not to start him for three games running now. Playing against weaker opposition could be just what the Ghanaian needs to kick start his season and rebuild some confidence.
Rennie isn’t a particularly sentimental coach, but one would imagine at least one Canadian presence in the starting lineup given this is domestic championship. That could lead to yet another start for Niagara Falls native Russell Teibert, who has impressed in recent weeks with three consecutive starts.
If Matt Watson is in Rennie’s plans, the Englishman could see further game time as he tries to build match fitness, and that could also hold true for Tom Heinemann. Both players appeared short of full fitness in their first starts of 2013 over the weekend.
What this tie could do for the Whitecaps is build confidence, especially if they can score multiple goals in a competitive match for the first time since their opening day MLS match against Toronto FC.
Starting Darren Mattocks up top is a must for this, as the Jamaican has looked dejected at times this year and if he can score a goal or more on Wednesday, it could get him playing with a little more joy and bring some of that swagger back.
Realistically, FC Edmonton simply doesn’t have the resources to compete with even a quasi “B” Whitecaps team over this tie, but they will benefit from Vancouver’s poor recent form, after the club has failed to win any of its last five matches.
Last season, Omar Salgado used the semifinals of this competition to stake his claim for a spot in the first team with a swashbuckling performance in a 2-0 away win over Edmonton. So if there’s any player on the fringes of the squad willing to make an impression on Wednesday, it could lead to more starts in MLS, especially given the club’s recent struggles.
Sportsnet World Online: Now you can watch all the best international soccer from wherever you are live on your computer. Sportsnet World Online is a new online only service that you can subscribe to, and there are many different subscription options. For more details and to subscribe, CLICK HERE
