PORTLAND, OR – Vancouver Whitecaps FC suffered their first loss of the preseason on Sunday afternoon, falling 3-2 to Chicago Fire in their Simple Invitational opener.
Here are three takeaways from the match:
NEW LOOK MIDFIELD
Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said he’d use this week’s games in Portland to experiment with formations and personnel.
And that’s exactly what he did on Sunday.
With Matias Laba back in Argentina for the birth of his first child and Russell Teibert day-to-day with a calf injury, the ‘Caps lined up in a 4-1-4-1 with Deybi Flores as the lone holder, Pedro Morales and Christian Bolaños playing centrally above him, and Cristian Techera and Kekuta Manneh on the wings.
So what did Robinson make of it?
“At times, we did quite well at it,” he told reporters. “I think it takes time. It’s not going to happen overnight. And we haven’t worked on it at all, if I’m honest … Deybi is a young boy. Playing him there in that role on his own is always going to be difficult, but I thought he did a decent job.”
In terms of the team's overall performance, Robinson aptly summed it up by saying:
"It was a good workout for us. Lots of good things, lots of things we need to work on."
MIDFIELD MAESTROS
As a result of this new formation, we saw Morales and Bolaños side-by-side in midfield.
That’s a lot of skill and a lot of experience. If these two can develop some chemistry – and we saw some glimpses on Sunday – then watch out.
“Listen, they’re both top players,” Robinson said. “They’ve got a good understanding. I think they got in each other’s way sometimes … but I want good players in that locker room. If I’ve got good players in that locker room, you’ve got a better chance of trying to win a game or two. My decision will be based upon what’s right against different teams. Whether that’s playing a 4-4-2 at times with [Blas Perez] up top, whether that’s playing a 4-2-3-1, or a 4-1-4-1, we’ve got options now which we probably haven’t had before.”
YOUNG CANADIANS
The ‘Caps played four Canadians on Sunday and had five more on the bench. They were all under the age of 23 and six of them were teenagers.
Hopefully, that’s a sign of things to come for this club.
Let’s focus on the two who started for now: 21-year-old fullbacks Sam Adekugbe and Fraser Aird. Both are speedy, modern day fullbacks who love to get forward.
And they contributed towards both of Vancouver’s goals.
First, Aird whipped in a cross to Bolaños, who made a fantastic run from midfield, which led to a Fire own goal. That’s the second straight game an Aird cross has forced an own goal.
Then, Adekugbe made a nice run down the left and found Cristian Techera at the back post with a perfect low cross (they actually nearly combined earlier in the game, too).
Having those two threatening from the flanks is only going to make the ‘Caps harder to defend, but Robinson knows he also has a pair of more experienced fullbacks at his disposal in Jordan Harvey and Jordan Smith. Asked about the fullback battle, the ‘Caps manager said:
“At the moment, I’m not thinking about it. But I want there to be fullback battles. I want there to be battles all over the field. I’ve tried to assemble a squad that’s got competition for places, because if I’ve done that it brings out the best in players.”
Sunday’s match fell exactly two weeks ahead of Whitecaps FC’s season opener against Montreal Impact. The ‘Caps have two more preseason matches to go, Wednesday vs. defending MLS Cup champions Portland Timbers and Saturday vs. NASL side Minnesota United FC (both live on whitecapsfc.com and TSN 1040 radio), before opening the 2016 MLS regular season on Sunday, March 6 at BC Place.
Single match tickets are on sale now.
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! 2016 Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are on sale from $39/month all in. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
