Only two weeks into this brand new MLS season and it has already been an eventful one for the Vancouver Whitecaps. They began the season with a two game homestand against Canadian rivals Toronto FC and then against the Columbus Crew in the following week. So far, we have seen many different things occur, including a serious injury to Jay DeMerit, two beautiful goals, many players making their MLS debuts and two tallies in the win column for the Caps.
The Injury
In the season opener on March 2nd against TFC, Jay DeMerit took a fall which was innocent looking at first, but ended up being very serious. DeMerit ruptured his Achilles' tendon, sidelining him for an estimated six months. Following the match, the American skipper underwent successful surgery and is expected to make a full and complete recovery.
With the depth that has been added to the Whitecaps squad, especially in the back line, DeMerit's absence will not have too great of an effect on the side. For Martin Rennie, new signing Brad Rusin was the first-choice candidate to step into the vacant centre back role. Rusin has performed extremely well in his two appearances for the Caps, coming on as a substitute against TFC and getting the start against the Crew. He is excellent at shutting down opponents and with his towering frame, he will always get his head on the ball, whether he is attacking or defending.
The Debuts
Many players have already made their Whitecaps and MLS debuts as well. Let's start with the two players picked up by the Caps in the 2013 MLS Superdraft. Kekuta Manneh was the first of the two to make his MLS debut, getting a spot in the starting eleven against Toronto FC. I thought Manneh had an average performance against the Caps' Canadian rivals because he seemed extremely naïve and often tried to do too much when it was not necessary. The second of the Whitecaps' Superdraft picks, Erik Hurtado, also made his Whitecaps and MLS debut against TFC, coming on as a substitute later in the match. Hurtado was also very naïve in his first game, most noteably missing a golden scoring opportunity when he hesitated to shoot and took an extra, unnecassary touch in the box. At the end of the day, I still thought he had a better performance than Manneh, he made great runs down the wing and created a few good scoring chances.
New signings like Daigo Kobayashi, Brad Rusin, and of course Nigel Reo-Coker also made their Vancouver Whitecaps and MLS debuts in Week One as well. Daigo Kobayashi has made an instant impact on the pitch and also on the fans as his footwork and ball movement have been unmatched by MLS opponents thus far. To add to the impact he has already made, he scored a beautiful goal against the Crew with a strike from the better part of 40 years out from goal. Reo-Coker was another new signing to make his debut against TFC. His leadership, experience and composure put a stop to the Caps sloppy play and helped them go forward and score a phenomenal goal to win the match. Having him on the pitch will be essential later on in the season to keep the less experienced players calm and collected so they can play to the best of their ability.
Undefeated Start To The Season
The Whitecaps have jumped out to an early, 2-0 start to the season. With a narrow 1-0 win over Toronto FC and a brilliant 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew, the Caps will hope to keep the good results rolling after their bye week. It is too early to make any assumptions on how the rest of the season will go but these two victories will be good indications as to the best starting eleven and how the team should play. Once Rennie finds an effective lineup to send out on the pitch, it will be best to avoid tampering with it, if possible.
The Whitecaps will hope to add a third win to their tally when they head down to the state of Texas to take on the reigning MLS Cup finalists, the Houston Dynamo. The match kicks off on Saturday, March 23rd at BBVA Stadium.
(image courtesy of whitecapsfc.com)
