Busy week poses challenge for Caps
Three matches in eight days for Vancouver, including Saturday’s 2-0 win over Los Angeles
Will Carl Robinson mess with success?
That’s the intriguing question ahead of the Whitecaps’ first mid-week game of the season.
The MLS-leading Caps (4-1-0) are coming off one of their best games in this league — a 2-0 win over the L.A. Galaxy — and they’ve won four straight for the first time.
Vancouver puts that streak on the line Wednesday at B.C. Place against the Columbus Crew (1-2-0). But there’s also a Saturday game in San Jose to consider.
So how best to go about getting six points from their second and third games in a week?
“We’ve got to think, ‘Do we freshen things up?’ said assistant coach Gordon Forrest, who won media duties Monday.
“But the fortunate thing we do have is a fantastic roster. We’ve got a number of players that can come in and out of the team and we want to win every game.
“We’ve still got a few decisions to make. We’ve looked at a few formation thoughts and player thoughts, but we’ve got good options.”
There weren’t any hints Monday at B.C. Place. All the players did a walk-through of a tactical plan for Wednesday. Then last Saturday’s starters jogged around the field while the reserves scrimmaged eight-aside.
Among Robinson’s considerations for Columbus will be the risk of too much change.
The Caps were clicking as a team on Saturday like we’ve rarely seen. And there were several standout individual performances. Six players were legitimately in the man of the match conversation.
Robinson will also have to decide whether his priority is to win home games or to beat Western Conference opponents. Both is the obvious answer, but he’ll have to give thought to which game this week is more critical.
Goalkeeper David Ousted had an answer Monday.
“We’re at home,” he said. “We need to show this is a fortress. If we can win our home games, then we’ve got a good chance of getting into the playoffs.”
It’s early in the season, and the Caps haven’t had to travel since Orlando, so fitness shouldn’t play into it much on Wednesday.
Octavio Rivero was grabbing at his hamstring a bit Monday, so perhaps he’ll get a rest despite being the hottest striker in MLS with four goals in five matches.
Darren Mattocks, Robert Earnshaw or Erik Hurtado could draw in.
The rest of the starting lineup looks healthy.
Robinson, though, already made his case for resting Pa-Modou Kah in Orlando, so it’s likely that Diego Rodriguez will slide in for the 34-year-old Kah at centre-back against Columbus.
Rodriguez is coming off a twogame suspension for grabbing Aurélien Collin’s mid-section while defending a corner in Orlando.
If Robinson wants to tweak the lineup further, he won’t have Mauro Rosales (ankle) or, likely, Gershon Koffie (knee) to choose from. Both practised lightly on Monday, with Koffie closer to a return.
Midfielder Marco Bustos (foot) is also out.
With a trio of strikers itching for minutes, Robinson could also consider using Wednesday to try out a 4-4-2 diamond formation for the first time this season.
That would get two forwards on the field and also give Robinson an early-season look at how flexible his team could be.
His midfield options include 18-year-old Deybi Flores, who has impressed off the bench and was left off Honduras’s most recent U20 roster at the request of the club, reports indicate.
Between Wednesday and Saturday, plenty of guys will get their turn to impress.
“Everybody’s competing and battling,” said Teibert, who was excellent alongside Matias Laba in the win over L.A. “Whoever’s plugged into the lineup is going to do their job.”
Bug expected this week
The Whitecaps have yet to confirm the signing of Uruguayan winger Cristian Techera but the player’s coach at River Plate has said goodbye.
“Are we going to miss The Bug? Obviously,” coach Guillermo Almada told the website Ovación in Montevideo. “Few have his abilities.” Techera’s known as El Bicho (The Bug) because he’s just 5-foot-2. The 22-year-old scoring winger is expected to arrive in Vancouver this week.
Birthday boys
Beware of fake team talks. Caps striker Robert Earnshaw, who turned 34 on Monday, was the latest to fall victim to an ice bucket shower from teammates. Coach Carl Robinson was in on it. He gathered the guys for a fake chat so veterans Pa-Modou Kah and Steven Beitashour could carry out the sneak attack.