VANCOUVER — Saturday’s 2-2 draw between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Seattle Sounders was a treat for the neutral, but it felt like an opportunity missed for fans at BC Place.
Out-chancing the visitors, the Whitecaps will be scratching their heads at not having claimed three points on the night. A questionable penalty call made against Jay DeMerit which led to the game tying goal from the spot will be the big talking point, and that’s unfortunate given there was so much quality displayed from both sides in a feisty and competitive Cascadia contest.
Once again, however, the Whitecaps will be happy with the performances of some of their young talents.
Hurtado flying high
Erik Hurtado was near unplayable at times on Saturday, putting his pace and power to full use as Vancouver’s lone striker. He gave Seattle’s defenders little time on the ball, and made three of them look like statues on a brilliantly taken individual effort for the 1-1 goal.
The strike marks his third in three games in all competitions, and he looks as if he’s going to create something dangerous every time he starts running with the ball.
In his second season, Hurtado continues to show greater composure in front of goal, and in possession generally. He still has the ability to take people on, but he’s choosing his moments more intelligently now, knowing when to hold the ball up or pass it off to a teammate, and when to run at his markers.
This is all making him more unpredictable, dangerous and difficult to defend against.
King Koffie
There are games where Gershon Koffie looks as if he’s too good for Major League Soccer. He mixes them in with a lot of games of solid but unspectacular play, but when he’s at his best he can take over a game.
Saturday was one of those nights, as the Ghanaian could have scored a hat trick had it not been for a goalpost and a strong late save from Stefan Frei in second half stoppage time.
For those wondering why Nigel Reo-Coker has lost his midfield spot, Koffie’s performance this weekend will answer a lot of those doubters. Technically gifted and capable of scoring goals from distance, the 22-year-old can be one of the stars of MLS if he can put together those sorts of performances consistently.
His goal on the night was a brilliantly taken shot from distance after an ill-advised clearance from Frei right up the middle. Koffie controlled the ball well, and was decisive and composed in getting his shot off quickly into the gaping net to put Vancouver 2-1 up.
Creating chances
The Whitecaps continue to show an ability to create chances at a rate that was unmatched last season. There’s no natural elite finisher on the books right now, but as an attacking unit they’ve become very difficult to defend.
That was on full display on Saturday, as a very strong Sounders side struggled to contain a dynamic, speedy and interchangeable Vancouver offense.
Finding a striker to provide some finish must be a priority for coach Carl Robinson, but he has to be delighted with his side’s ability to consistently generate opportunities against elite MLS clubs.
Still, despite the strong performance, there were areas of concern.
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Is Reo-Coker right?
With Steven Beitashour away with the Iranian national team, Robinson had little choice but to play Nigel Reo-Coker at right fullback.
The Englishman wasn’t terrible at the position, but his marking on Seattle’s opener was atrociously bad. If you can’t win the header, fair enough, but defenders must at least jump with their man to throw them off.
Instead, Reo-Coker stood off and allowed a free header. If that goal didn’t go in, it could have been a different outcome.
DeMerit controversy
Let there be no mistake about it, the penalty called against Jay DeMerit was surprising, atrocious and ultimately cost Vancouver three points.
But DeMerit allowed at least the possibility of a poor call by jumping far too early for the header, making contact with his marker before heading the ball. It wasn’t the right call from the referee, but DeMerit’s early leap gave the referee the opportunity to make the dubious decision.
Apart from the penalty, there were other issues for the 34 year old, who was beat several times one-on-one.
Wing play
As good as the Whitecaps were down the middle, Kekuta Manneh and Sebastian Fernandez didn’t offer enough from the wide positions, and were unable to make the same sort of impact they have in other outings.
That pair has the quality to change games, but neither was able to make a meaningful contribution on the night.
Martin MacMahon is a Vancouver-based writer. Follow him on Twitter