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!