Reyna, Techera regain scoring touch
Sudden resurgence of South American snipers has Whitecaps back on solid ground
Calm, cool, clinical finishes. Slick, sly movement to lose a check and head a ball home. Well-timed runs to volley a back-post cross home.
And, of course, some shake and bake barbecue chicken.
Cristian Techera and Yordy Reyna are scoring again, and however the goals have come, the most important thing is … the goals are finally coming.
The two quicksilver midfielder/forwards were conspicuously absent from the scoresheet in the first few months of the season.
In his first 11 games, Techera had a goal and an assist on 13 shots — the lone marker coming on a penalty kick against Real Salt Lake at home, the assist counted in the season opener. In his last four games, El Bicho has registered four goals and 11 shots, including his first hat trick as a pro two weeks ago — just the second multi-goal game of his four-year Caps career.
Reyna’s start was equally quiet, whether it was nagging injuries, off-field turmoil or playing out of position, he was pointless with just eight shots in his first 11 games. Over the past four matches, though, he’s produced two goals, three assists and 14 shots.
An own goal by FC Dallas and Kei Kamara’s penalty kick in the same game were the only two goals not produced by the two South American players in the past four games.
“(They’re) amazing, you know? They’ve been playing so, so well,” said midfielder Efi Juarez. “They’re making their participation bigger, because they are scoring and they are involved in the goals, but I’m not surprised. Both guys, they have a lot of quality.
“As a team, we needed what they’re doing now at this moment. They’re people who can make a difference in any moment of the game.”
Reyna has rediscovered the mojo he showed last season, when the dynamic Peruvian playmaker posted six goals and four assists in 11 starts and 18 regular-season appearances. Five of his six goals in 2017 were game-winners; his goal against Colorado last Friday stood up as the deciding score in the 2-1 win.
Whether it’s been partnering with Anthony Blondell or Kamara at striker, the 5-foot-7, 145-pound 24-year-old has developed some chemistry with the strikers as a No. 10, the position more suited for a free-flowing player instead of being placed out wide or as an attacking midfielder.
Brazilian midfielder Felipe leads the team in key passes (33) — passes that lead to a scoring chance — but 19 of those have come off free kicks or corners. Only one of Reyna’s total of 17 — second overall on the team, just ahead of Alphonso Davies’ 14 — came off a free kick.
While he’s been setting them up — including three of Techera’s goals — The Bug has been knocking them down.
Techera is just one off his season-high for goals as a Whitecap and finishing at an astonishing clinical pace, far better than his expected goal total of 4.41. He leads the team in shots on target (11).
Remarkably, when Techera has a goal or an assist in MLS play, the Caps are undefeated in 32 games (22 wins, 10 draws), 25-0-10 if you include Champions League play.
“(They’ve been) electric,” said manager Carl Robinson. “I think Yordy and the Bug are up to speed now. They’re playing with confidence, with freedom, with smiles on their faces — and it’s not just those two.
“I think Fonzie goes into that mix as well. They’re all young and hungry … the confidence level comes with assists and goals, but the allaround performance from all
three of them has been topnotch.
“It’s remarkable (Techera and Reyna) at the moment. I think they’re in a really good run of form. If I can sharpen up Fonzie a little bit in the final third, I think he can be in the mix as well, with three or four goals and assists as well.”
Davies had a goal and an assist in the 2-1 victory over Montreal to open the season, and while he hasn’t scored since, he still ranks second on the team in assists (four) behind Felipe. He continues to lead the league in successful dribbles, picking up seven more in the win over Colorado.
Kamara came to the team with a great deal of expectation, pressure befitting a player who is just one of 10 players in MLS history to score at least 100 goals and is just three years removed from a 22-goal season with the Columbus Crew. He started well with three goals and two assists in six games, before a hamstring injury knocked him out of action for three weeks. In his six games since, he has a goal and an assist, the lone goal coming from the penalty spot, but it should be noted that he is consistently the highest-rated Whitecap in post-game statistical rankings (his 7.44 average leads the team).
“Everyone’s doing good work, even if they don’t score,” said Juarez, including Blondell in the conversation of unheralded players. “In the couple weeks before, Yordy and Bicho didn’t score either. It’s part of the game, you know? What they’re doing, how they’re helping, defending, how they’re supporting the ball … that kind of thing, people don’t see that much. But it’s important — it’s more important than scoring goals. If you’re doing your job right, you’re making space for your other teammates, and he can score. In the end, it’s a group.”