Kudo, rest of Caps blanked in lacklustre affair
SAN JOSE SNOOZEFEST: Playing out string on lost season no fun for players or fans
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Masato Kudo, Whitecaps fans were told, is a clinical finisher.
The club banked on it to the tune of $370,000, according to the MLS Players’ Union figures. No small amount in this league. It makes him the Caps’ fifth-highest paid player.
So far, the claim has only been true in practice sessions since his move to Vancouver from the J-League in late December.
Kudo started at Avaya Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the penultimate game in a Caps season that now feels like it’s been dragging on too long.
He had three good chances and scored none of them in a scoreless tie against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Both clubs were already eliminated from playoff contention, which should at least have made for an open game but didn’t.
Kudo was denied twice by goalkeeper David Bingham from close range, then rattled the crossbar with one followup attempt.
It was his 12th start and 17th appearance in a season that including a horrific collision and broken jaw in May that wiped out two months.
For that, he’s a sympathetic figure. It was a brutal, scary injury. The fans rallied around him.
The bottom line, though, is he has two goals this season in around 900 minutes of work, and the Caps will have to decide if he’s shown enough to warrant another look next pre-season.
“He will be back, but I’ve said to a number of players that our philosophy has got to be we’ll look at options at every position,” coach Carl Robinson said.
“I’ll sit down with Masato at the end of the year and we’ll talk. It’s been hard for him, and you could see that (Sunday). He gets chances. His goal-scoring record (in Japan) shows that he’s able to score goals, but you need to have a run of games and he hasn’t had that this year because Erik (Hurtado) has done well.
“We’ll review it, but I will be bringing in attacking players.”
Aside from Kudo getting a look in the starting lineup Sunday, Robinson went with Canadian Fraser Aird over Jordan Smith at right-back, while Nicolas Mezquida started in midfield with Pedro Morales suspended and Christian Bolanos injured.
Aird is on loan from Glasgow Rangers and will be another interesting decision this off-season. Regardless of his future, the Caps know they must get stronger at the position.
Mezquida, always good for hustle and heart, didn’t make the most of this opportunity. His passing was abysmal.
There was a lot of huffing and puffing from both teams without enough quality Sunday.
With Morales out, Kendall Waston wore the armband and partnered Tim Parker at centre-back.
Centre-back Christian Dean, the Caps’ No. 3 overall pick from 2014, watched from the bench but is close to full fitness and could see time in the season finale at home to Portland.
Dean has endured surgeries on his right knee and left foot this season.
Paolo Tornaghi offered the feel-good story of the afternoon. The backup goalkeeper started his first MLS game for the Caps in his third season here. He played well, too. He kept things scoreless early, denying Simon Dawkins and Cordell Cato with good saves.
Ultimately, though, when the playoffs are out of the picture, all that talk of playing for pride and jobs and for the fans usually rings hollow by the final whistle.
It was no fun to watch. No one made much of an impression. And, mercifully, we are one game closer to this season being over.
At least the Portland game will offer the chance to keep a rival out of the playoffs, too. That’s something.