The Whitecaps continue their road trip, after a quick stopover in Vancouver, in the Eastern Time zone as they face their Canadian rivals TFC. While it is a chance to pick up more points on the road against the worst team in the MLS, the Caps will want to make up for the loss earlier in the year when they gave away the Voyageurs Cup.
Once again there is doubt that Joe Cannon will start in goal for the Caps as he looks for his ninth cleansheet of the season. Helping him will be MLS all-star Jay DeMerit and Martin Bonjour with Lee Young Pyo and Jordan Havey on the wings. Marshaling the central midfield for a third straight time will be the pairing of Gershon Koffie and Alain Rochat.
Aside from where Rochat plays, the biggest question is whether Barry Robson starts for the third game in a week or does Michael Nanchoff see his first start of the season. On the other side will be either Davide Chiumiento or Camilo while Sebastien Le Toux will play behind the returning Darren Mattocks. (Editor’s Note: Chiumiento has since been sold to FC Zurich)
Since Mariner has come aboard to coach the club, TFC plays a straight forward 4-4-2 with Frings and Kovermans being the main benefactors of the change. Expect once again for the Whitecaps to avoid chasing the ball and concentrating on keeping their shape against Toronto. The one thing that gave Vancouver fits whenever they faced TFC was the pace of Plata but luckily for them the Ecuadorian has returned home on a loan.
When the match starts the Caps will most likely try to test the pace of the backline for TFC as they will try spring Mattocks on a questionable backline. Even it is unsuccessful the atteampts to Mattocks will at least force TFC to play a deep line which will give the Caps more space in the midfield to work the ball towards the net. Another thing to look for is if Le Toux will be able to find his touch around the net with it being his second start in the middle of the pitch.
A chance to redeem their loss to TFC has to be a big motivating factor for the Whitecaps players and normally would be possible against the lowest ranked club in MLS. However, there seems to be something that is consistently hanging over the Caps when they play in Toronto. If they can shake that and get a win the pain from losing the match in the Championship Finals will sting a little less.
WHO’S ON FORM
Last season the young Gershon Koffie would normally have a couple of good games but then have a stinker where he would consistently turn over the ball and play poorly in the midfield. It has been different for the Ghanaian this season where he has been very solid in the midfield and has been able to make his decisions quickly without panicking when pressured by the opposition.
There are some questions as to whether Danny Kovermans is fit enough to start against the Whitecaps on Wednesday. It would be blow to TFC as the Dutch striker is arguably the hottest striker in MLS having scored six goals in his last five starts before the match against Philadelphia on the weekend. He is a load for the opposing defenders to deal with when holding up the ball and makes great runs to the net.
(image courtesy of Bob Frid)
