Inevitably, there are games in Major League Soccer when a squad’s depth is tested.
For the Vancouver Whitecaps, Saturday’s 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers was one of those games, and coach Carl Robinson’s men largely passed the test.
The biggest hole was at centre back, where both regular starters were unavailable. Pa Modou Kah missed out due to a calf complaint, and the towering Kendall Waston was on international duty with Costa Rica at the Gold Cup.
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Perhaps equally significant, although not necessarily a new development, was the continued absence of captain and creative talisman Pedro Morales, who continues to battle a calf injury. This game marked the fifth match he’s missed due to the problem.
Even Russell Teibert, who made the squad and came on a substitute, apparently told his coach before the game that he wasn’t 100 percent following his participation in the Gold Cup with Canada, prompting Robinson to go with Gershon Koffie in central midfield.
In a TV interview just before kickoff, Robinson twice referenced the fact his team was beat up, just to emphasize his team’s situation. But, the players who stepped in acquitted themselves well.
The play of the centre back pairing of rookie Tim Parker and sophomore Christian Dean sticks out as particularly impressive. Going to Providence Park is something that even the best and most experienced defenders in the league can struggle with, but Parker and Dean were solid and looked composed throughout.
The two have played alongside each other a number of times with the side’s minor league Whitecaps FC 2 outfit which plays out of the University of British Columbia this season, and looked comfortable at this higher level as a partnership.
Proving himself equally capable as an understudy at the other end of the pitch was Nicolas Mezquida, who played in the No. 10 role which is Morales’ by default. In Morales’ absence, Mauro Rosales had been getting the nod, but following last week’s defeat to Sporting Kansas City, Robinson switched things up, shunting Rosales out to his natural wide right position, and dropping Cristian Techera from the lineup in favour of Mezquida.
Mezquida brought his typical energy and bite, which played a big part in Vancouver’s strong first half showing.
Ultimately, it was a wonderful goal from defensive midfielder and Designated Player Matias Laba that salvaged the point for the Whitecaps. Laba’s skills don’t generally lie in the offensive third of the pitch, but his game-tying strike was one that any offensive midfielder would envy.
It was an important goal in a rivalry match, but it was more than just vanity on the line. In what is becoming a tight Western Conference, splitting the points on the road is a very good result especially given Vancouver’s roster situation.
There was also a bit of redemption at play as Laba struggled to deal with a Dean pass, and that turnover led to the Timbers’ goal. Dean’s pass certainly did Laba no favours on that play, but scoring the equalizer certainly will make that play less consequential.
As happy as the Whitecaps will be to leave Portland with a point, there will be a feeling from some that a share of the spoils wasn’t enough. For large spells, especially early on, the ‘Caps looked the more likely to score. Kekuta Manneh in particular had a few moments of magic. In one play, he worked his way into a breakaway with some fine dribbling, only to see his left footed effort denied by Adam Kwarasey, who did well to come off his line quickly and cut down the angle.
Later in the first half, Manneh did one better, rounding Kwarasey, only to see his ensuing shot cleared off the line from Nat Borchers.
This match also saw two red cards, although both were so late in the game as to have no meaning within this contest. Jordan Harvey was dismissed for a late challenge in stoppage time, and Canadian Will Johnson, who captains Portland, ended up getting a red card for receiving two separate yellows in a post-match argument with the referee.
That means Harvey will miss Vancouver’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes next weekend at BC Place. That should result in the left-footed Dean playing a second straight match, filling in at left fullback, although an outside alternative could be Teibert, who has played in that position under previous coaches.
Martin MacMahon is a Vancouver-based writer. Follow him on Twitter