MAJOR TEST IN MINNY
Caps can’t let up against Loons
The Vancouver Whitecaps bought themselves a little breathing room with last week’s win over Real Salt Lake, but players know they could be right back under water if they suffer a relapse Saturday against Minnesota United FC.
“Last Friday’s win doesn’t mean anything if we can’t get another win this weekend,” said fullback Sean Franklin. “We know how important this game is. We’re going there to get maximum points. This week in training has been good, the mentality has been good, and we have to carry it into this weekend.”
There had been mass discontent in Whitecaps land after the Major League Soccer squad dropped three in a row — including an embarrassing 6-0 loss to Kansas City — but the 2-0 win over RSL slightly calmed an inflamed supporters population.
Franklin has suffered through choppy waters before during his decade-long MLS career.
“I think every team goes through a little rough patch in the season. It’s a long year, 34-plus games, and there are going to be times where we’re not at our best,” he said.
“It’s how quickly you’re able get out of it and move on. I think with this group, we did a good job of bouncing back and putting a 6-0 loss to bed. We got back to work, got a win, and now we’re ready to keep going.”
Minnesota is eight games and seventh months past its expansion season, one in which they gave up a league-record 70 goals, but they’ve displayed flashes of competence this season, including a win over the Houston Dynamo last weekend.
They’ve concentrated on improving their defence, this week trading for Minnesota native Eric Miller, a former state Mr. Soccer winner and the Colorado Rapids’ defensive player of the year last season. He’ll join a back line that includes Kiwi Michael Boxall, the Caps’ first pick in the 2011 supplemental draft Boxall, cut loose by the Whitecaps in 2012, joined the Loons halfway through last season and had an immediate impact.
As per ESPN’s Austin Lindberg, Minnesota had a goal differential of -24 before he arrived. The remainder of the season, it dropped to -6.
“We’ve shown that we can beat a lot of high-quality teams in this league and I think if we have a base to build on, I think this year we can be a bit more exciting than maybe people expect from us,” Boxall told Lindberg.
“I think the very minimum has got to be playoffs and be a team that other teams do not want to play in the playoffs.”
Offensively, the Loons are midpack in goals scored, but have received a boost with the arrival of Colombian Darwin Quintero, the first designated player in team history. He has two goals and an assist in his three games with the club.
“They’re a good team — we know their strengths. It’s going to be a tough task for us with Quintero … a tall task,” said Franklin, whose team has won twice in five games on the road this season.
“If we keep the mentality we had this week, and everybody buys in and does their job, and is being there for the next player when things go wrong, I think we can go there and get maximum points.”
The Loons have been preparing for Vancouver with passing and positional drills, as the Caps’ reputation as a quick-hitting counterattack team is at the forefront of their minds.
“They have a lot of pace on the team and have good weapons,” Minny coach Adrian Heath told reporters this week. “We are going to have to play well. We are going to need another big performance to get three points on the weekend.”