Whitecaps use stingy defence to post road victory
Host team enjoyed a wide territorial edge but patient visitors put on a tactical clinic
One result, two takes.
For Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson, it was about his team dealing with adverse travel and climate conditions and keeping their defensive system approach tight.
“You see every player on that pitch fighting for each other,” he said after Saturday’s 2-1 Whitecaps road win over Orlando City.
The Whitecaps played three games in eight days last week, and took seven points. Now sitting fourth in the MLS Western Conference — and just three points out of first, with a game in hand on the Seattle Sounders — they’re off for a week because of a break for international games.
The temperature hovered around 30 C on Saturday evening. That was two days after the Whitecaps spurned chartering their own plane and instead flew commercial for 12 hours to get to Florida.
Robinson mixed up his lineup, handing a first start to Aaron Maund at centre back, bringing back in Jake Nerwinski and starting two defensive-minded players in midfield: Russell Teibert and Marcel de Jong.
Tight defence would be the key. From their post-match perspective, it worked.
For Orlando City coach Jason Kreis, whose team in now winless in seven games, it was about bad luck.
“I’m a little bit of a loss for words because I’ve just never felt like I’ve been in such an unlucky situation,” he said. “We’re performing well, we’re playing well.”
One wonders if, had he been asked a day later, he’d still feel the same way, once he’d had a chance to digest some numbers.
Sure, the home team had a decided edge in ball possession.
Sure, the Whitecaps ran out a defensive-oriented lineup.
But as has been so often the case this year for the Caps, the result was as much about what kind of possession was available and what was done with it.
Take the shot stats: Orlando took 25 shots, but just four were on target. Another seven were blocked by the visitors.
At the opposite end of the pitch, three of seven Whitecaps shot attempts were on target.
Kreis admitted that, for all his side’s energy and ball control, the decision-making was poor.
“We were a little rushed to try and serve balls,” he said. “Better decisions could have been made in the attacking third, so that we’re not looking at a score line like we are right now, and we’re not looking at a stats sheet that says we crossed the ball a 1,000 times into two giant centre backs.”
In the first half, when his team had 16 shot attempts, 11 of which were from well out, he said his team didn’t get enough going in the Whitecaps’ penalty area.
In the second half, he subbed in Canadian striker Cyle Larin.
The Caps were conceding the wide spaces, Kreis said, but “we needed more numbers in the box.”
In reality, did events unfold as they did because of what Kreis’s players weren’t doing, or about what the Whitecaps’ were doing?
The Whitecaps had 54 clearances, including 16 by Kendall Waston and 11 by newcomer Aaron Maund.
Orlando attempted 48 crosses over the game, but connected on just six (though, notably, the 62nd minute goal was headed in by Cyle Larin off a cross.)
Maund, added 10 days ago at the summer transfer deadline, came in with a strong defensive reputation. His coach was pleased with the performance.
“He had a good, solid debut,” Robinson said. “I thought (Waston) was a rock, as well.”
Maund said his team’s performance was all about communication, between Waston and Maund and the two full backs — Nerwinski and Jordan Harvey — as well as with Teibert and de Jong.
“I thought it went pretty smoothly. We knew we had to talk a lot,” he said. “Communication was key tonight.”
Sure, there were a few hairy moments in their own area — and former Cap Giles Barnes did hammer a shot off the cross bar — but Robinson remained pleased with how his team played, especially given the huge lineup turnover from Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at home against the red-hot Sounders.
“You’re going to grind results out,” he said. “We had to dodge a few bullets, but we showed unbelievable character.”
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Maund said he’s going to take advantage of the international break to go back to Salt Lake City. “I’ve got to move all my things." ... Robinson said he was pleased for Brek Shea, who the team picked up from Orlando City before the season. After racing down field with the ball, Shea’s 53rd-minute chip over former teammate Joe Bendik was calm as could be. It stood up as the winner. He showed little emotion after scoring though. His coach took note: “Brek had unbelievable respect for Orlando and I give him a lot of credit for that. That shows his character.” ... The Whitecaps’ opening score was an own goal off the head of Orlando centre back Tommy Redding. The Caps remain the league-leaders in setpiece goals.
You’re going to grind results out. We had to dodge a few bullets, but we showed unbelievable character.