WALES STIRS CAPS’ COACH
Value of team play stressed
Vancouver (7-7-3) at Los Angeles (5-3-8), 7:30 p.m. TV: TSN1 Radio: TSN 1040
Wales gave Carl RobinLOS ANGELES son a reason to smile last week, two days after the most gut-wrenching defeat of his young coaching career.
By up setting heavily favoured Belgium on Friday at Euro 2016, Wales offered the Caps and their Welsh coach a timely reminder of the power of team, just as Iceland did against England in the round of 16.
Robinson’s Whitecaps (7-7-3) face the glitzy L.A. Galaxy (5-3-8) at the StubHub Center on Monday (7:30 p.m., TSN1, TSN 1040).
They have to bounce back from their last-second loss to Toronto in the Canadian final and it will take a complete effort up and down the lineup to accomplish that.
Man for man, Vancouver doesn’t stack up with Giovani dos Santos, Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Gyasi Zardes and Nigel de Jong — no matter what you might think of that cast’s average age.
Collectively, though, these Caps have enough ability to hand the Galaxy a first home loss of the season — if their heads and tactics are right.
They proved that last year when a counter-attacking Kekuta Manneh scored in a memorable 1-0 win. That victory snapped a miserable 0-7-0 streak at the StubHub Center, where L.A. had outscored the Caps by 15-2.
“It’s team togetherness that wins games of football,” Robinson said when asked for his reaction to Wales’ latest stunner, which has them into the semifinals against Portugal.
“You can have all the superstars you want — Belgium, on paper, are miles ahead — but it just goes to show that if you’re pulling in the same direction it gives you that chance. And of course you need some quality, as well.
“We know L.A. have got one of the best rosters and they’re full of stars. They could arguably have four or five designated players. And we know the type of organization we are.
“If we’re going to be successful — not just this weekend but for years to come — we’ve got to buy into that team ethic.”
For the most part, they have. Team spirit, belief, a desire to work for one another. These have been strengths of the Caps under Robinson.
No one typifies that ethos more than the tireless Nicolas Mezquida, who might win the league’s most-valuable-player-per-dollar award, if there was such a thing. And it’s reflected in the club’s highest paid player, captain Pedro Morales, who has reached new levels this season with his work rate and defensive commitment.
The Caps’ failures this season have not been for a lack of unity. Rather, individual mistakes have cost them dearly, including in Wednesday’ s agonizing defeat when goalkeeper David Ousted collided with defender Kendall Waston and spilled the ball for Will Johnson’s last-gasp winner.
It was as calamitous as it comes in soccer, but it’s also a loss that will test this team’s togetherness more than any other in their MLS tenure.
The players must pick each other up, and quickly, because the Western Conference isn’t a forgiving place, and neither is the Stub-Hub Center where L.A. is 4-0-4 this season despite not hitting their expected heights.
The Galaxy have their own worries coming into Monday’s game — they’re winless in seven MLS contests.
“We didn’t get what we deserved (Wednesday) but what do you learn from it?” said Robinson, who’ll have Was ton back from a two-game ML S ban. “I learn about my players. I learn about myself.
“I want people who are able to cope with disappointment. It will make me stronger and make the group stronger.”
At least, that is the hope. It has to be in Vancouver, where there are no bona fide stars to mask mistakes or make up for an off night.
And as these Euros have so blatantly showed, even in the era of mega-stars and mega-bucks, there remains immense value in team.
Wales might have Gareth Bale, but Bale has Wales, too.