Nothing doing in Game 1
Few exciting moments in Whitecaps’ MLS season opener — but hey, at least they got a point
Neither the Whitecaps nor the visiting Philadelphia Union could get it together for a goal Sunday in the MLS season opener for Vancouver
The concept that Vancouver Whitecaps teen Alphonso Davies is worth the price of admission was severely tested Sunday when the MLS team played its season opener.
We suppose it depends on how much money you have and what your tickets cost.
The game against the Philadelphia Union was one of those tedious, tactical soccer contests bereft of goals and also largely without flair and scoring chances — the kind of game a non-footie fan might stumble upon while channel surfing, watch for a few minutes in bewilderment, then look up the dial hoping for wrestling or darts or bass fishing.
It’s not that the Whitecaps and the Union weren’t trying. Each defended fiercely and each was far more effective without the ball than with it.
But at least, unlike their last two MLS home openers, the Whitecaps didn’t lose. And the 0-0 draw allows them to maintain some of the momentum they generated last week with an impressive 2-0 Champions League win against the New York Red Bulls that propelled the Caps into the semifinals of the coveted CONCACAF tournament.
There was none of Thursday’s excitement Sunday.
“Much of my week leading up to this was spent figuring out how to shut down a 16-year-old kid,” Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin said of Davies. “That’s a credit to the player.”
Sunday’s game wasn’t a credit to MLS, but it happens. Start of a season, lots of new players on both teams, a visitor obsessed with not allowing the home team to score and the home team lacking the players or execution to break down the visitors.
Nil-nil — the butt of most jokes about soccer. There have been fabulous scoreless games, but this wasn’t one of them.
“Defensive side, I thought we were strong,” Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson said. “But we weren’t able to take one of our chances, which was unfortunate. But a lot of positives.” Spoken like a coach. The most positive player, again, was Davies.
It says something about the quality of his performance Thursday — and his boundless youthful energy — that the 16-year-old was one of the handful of players Robinson retained in his starting 11 just four nights later.
Davies scored one goal and set up the other in Vancouver’s win against New York and again looked like the most dangerous man on the field Sunday. In the dull first half, the best moments were when Davies was running with or for the ball.
Easily the best scoring chance for either team came in the 24th minute when Davies drove across the top of the penalty area from left wing before sliding a little pass to Cristian Techera, who turned nicely away from his defender before badly hooking his left-footed shot wide from about 12 yards with nothing but net and Philadelphia goalie Andre Blake to shoot at.
Philadelphia adjusted to Davies by assigning defender Fabinho to physically tackle the teen, which proved effective when referee Sorin Stoica allowed it. Which, generally, he did.
On one memorable body block, Fabinho tried to take out Davies as he galloped up the touchline, instead crushed the linesman, appeared to keep the ball in play for Davies — and still got the call. Throw-in for the Union.
With speedy Erik Hurtado occupying the central-striker role until new Whitecap Fredy Montero is fit enough to do more than come off the bench, Vancouver tried launching long balls over and around the Philadelphia defence. But they generated little danger.
What the Whitecaps needed as much as Montero was a Pedro Morales-like player to run the attack from midfield. The inside midfielders in Robinson’s 4-4-2, Andrew Jacobson and Matias Laba, have many qualities. But offensive creativity isn’t among them.
Yordy Reyna should help when his broken foot heals. In the meantime, Mauro Rosales watched from the bench Sunday.
By the 58th minute, Robinson had seen enough to make a line change up front as Montero and Brek Shea replaced Hurtado and Kekuta Manneh. At least Shea provided a target and Montero the best hope for a goal.
The game suited the Union, which had waited until the 48th minute to generate their first halfchance — a shot on the run by Alejandro Bedoya that Whitecap goalie David Ousted easily pushed past his near post.
The best save of the match was made by Union defender Keegan Rosenberry, who was standing inside the post when Whitecap Jordan Harvey’s rocket from Techera’s corner hit him on the goal-line in the 65th minute.
“Two organized teams tonight,” Curtin summarized. “But no goals.” We noticed. The Whitecaps dropped two points. The Union gained one.
“Much of my week leading up to this was spent figuring out how to shut down a 16-year-old kid.” — Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin