Real Deal?
Damn, this Vancouver Whitecaps team looks sexy. I’m not going to sit here and lie saying that I always believed, forever had faith and knew they’d fix their wrongs but as per the first two games of the season, the Caps brass and players have earned their money.
Overlooking today’s fantastic away result versus the Houston Dynamo, I’d like to look back on the home opener where circa. 27,000 fans packed BC Place to the proverbial rafters. The atmosphere was electric, beers were flowing and the product on the pitch impressed.
Kei Kamara and Alphonso Davies rightfully gained the plaudits but one man really stood out to me. That man was Russel Teibert. I have always been a fan of Tiebert – he is a composed, deep-lying midfielder who knows how to navigate a football pitch. He played as almost a third central defender but was demanding of the football and played pinpoint cross-field balls that put the Montreal Impact on the back foot time after time (Cindy Lauper). He reminded me of Andrea Pirlo - a big comparison. I don’t have statistics on his performance but cannot remember one occasion where he gave the ball away – anyone?
The Whitecaps definitely look the business after their first two results and Carl Robinson’s rotation policy has worked. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves and think they're going to march towards victory without tribulations. The MLS season is long and gruelling, it’s easy to accumulate a few losses due to bad decisions and I’m still not sold on Robinson being the right man to bring the club success.
With that said, it's important to celebrate success. Let’s hope the Caps maintain momentum and make a run towards the MLS Cup in 2019 - that would be fun.
