Three Impressive Caps From Opening Day

After the solid 1-0 opening day victory over Toronto FC, I couldn't help but realize that the Whitecaps had some solid performances from certain individuals which I wasn't expecting. While I don't mean this in a derogatory way, but often in the past, the Whitecaps have been a team which had a couple of notable players, with the rest being "team-players". Yet after seeing the Whitecaps in action the past weekend, there were plenty of impressive individual performances which deserve to be noted.


1. Kenny Miller

At the start of the game, I really had no idea what to expect from Miller. I hadn't seen any Whitecaps preseason action at all, and while I was hopeful, I didn't want to overestimate his influence. With DeMerit's early injury, and the armband being passed to the Scotsman, it seemed all set up for him to lead the Whitecaps forward. In that miserable first half of the game, Miller emerged as a single shining point, constantly active, and always a nuisance to Toronto's back four.

Well timed runs down the left and right wings opened up space and provided an option going forward. The few times the Caps managed to swing something near the box, Miller was prowling around in the right positions. In fact, throughout the first half it seemed like he was orchestrating the few excursions towards TFC's net, always switching sides while also contributing to help cover back. It was great to see such a hardworking start from Miller, and considering his great performance I'm suddenly expecting a lot from Kenny Miller.


2. Nigel Reo-Coker

The inclusion of Reo-Coker on this list is a must. While Kenny Miller was what kept it together for the Whitecaps in the first half, Reo-Coker ensured the Caps had solidity in the midfield and could maintain possession for more than a couple of passes. While I already made this point with Miller, what impressed me (probably more than it should've) was the work ethic from Reo-Coker. I really wasn't expecting too much from him, maybe sit in front of the back four and plug a few holes, yet Reo-Coker seemed to be everywhere.

From well-timed tackles transitioning into setting up the forwards with experienced vision and passing, having Reo-Coker in the middle of the park just made me feel safe. What's more, it seems like it took no time at all for him to mesh well with the other midfielders, and hopefully he'll become a kind of mentor for Koffie.


3. Gershon Koffie

It's impossible not to include Koffie in this trio, especially if you simply consider that he scored the winning goal. While it might sound a bit cheesy, it was exactly that which impressed me from Koffie's performance, the goal. I might be reading too much into this (and I usually am), Koffie's surging run forward to blast the ball into the net wasn't something I expected from him. A player with plenty of tactical discipline and smart positioning, I feel like the Koffie from last season would've stayed back, especially considering that the team already had Reo-Coker, Kobayashi, and Young-Pyo Lee joining the forwards.

While I could praise him for scoring the winner all day, Koffie also did what he does best: controlled the tempo of the match with calm control of the midfield. While perhaps he was a little more reserved and quiet compared to Kobayashi and Reo-Coker (both much more experienced than Koffie), when it mattered Koffie made sure to give the fans something to cheer about.


So who impressed you from the opening match? Who was the biggest surprise from the win? Were these the three most impressive Caps? Share your thoughts and comments below!

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Koffie Ensures Opening Day Win

Koffie and the Caps celebrating the winning goal

As a new season begins, the Whitecaps begin to ease into a steady rhythm of what will hopefully be victories. A 1-0 win over Toronto FC showed two different sides to the Whitecaps, with plenty of good and bad news to go around. Ultimately amongst Jay DeMerit's early injury and the disorganized first half the Caps had, Gershon Koffie's winner shines alongside the new signing of Nigel Reo-Coker who asserted his dominance in the second half of the match.

The first half of the match is one Whitecaps fans are eager to forget. Just seven minutes in DeMerit was assisted in hobbling off the field (replaced by Rusin) from what seemed to be a problem with his achilles (not a good sign) after having either put too much stress while jumping, or perhaps landing awkwardly on it. The entire team seemed fairly shell-shocked as the captain's armband was passed to Miller. That would be one of the few successful passes the Whitecaps managed to string together in the whole half as Toronto continuously pushed forward with Earnshaw always managing to be dangerous. The few forays the Caps had were mostly led by Kenny Miller making runs on the wings, yet rarely having someone to connect with.

Jay DeMerit being helped off the field

There was movement from the forwards, yet the Whitecaps were never able to properly retain the ball. The speedy Manneh would too often lose the ball amongst two defenders rather than pass it off to a teammate, and the few times the Whitecaps did try to pass around the ball, they were inaccurate and just  lead to long balls being hoofed up the field. Toronto FC on the other hand kept a cool head the entire first half, constantly using Earnshaw to weasel through the Caps defence, and never committing too many men forward in their attempts on goal.

The second half was where the Whitecaps finally managed to wake up. Rennie took out Manneh, who while vivacious was not helping retain possession and subsequently control of the match, and slot in Nigel Reo-Coker. The difference was noticeable, especially with Kobayashi playing more around the center of the midfield to help spread the ball around. It was a completely different team that had finally woken up, and after putting pressure on Toronto FC for about ten minutes, some fantastic build-up play was finished off with Koffie blasting the ball into the net.

The 59th minute goal was a gave the whole team a boost as the Whitecaps continued to create scoring chances. Kobayashi finally managed to set the pace of the game alongside Reo-Coker who is already showing to be a fantastic signing for the midfield. At the 76th minute Kobayashi was taken off (apparently he's not quite at full fitness levels) and replaced with Hurtado. While the 22 year-old showed off his dribbling and quick pace, he had the same difficulties Manneh had in the first half losing the ball too often with a few stray passes. Later on in the match Hurtado got a chance in front of goal, but an extra touch cost his shot to be deflected by a TFC defender.

The Caps went on to pressure Toronto well throughout the rest of the game, making up for the bleak first half display and thoroughly earning the 1-0 victory. The midfield had finally gelled with Reo-Coker in there keeping everything in order, and the team had completely forgot of the first half in which they lost their captain and suffered so much. It wasn't quite the most dominant of displays, but the Whitecaps did what they needed and showed a surprising amount of solidity in their second half display.

What were your thoughts on the Whitecaps and their opening victory? Who was the man of the match? Do you think they can keep up the wins? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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