The Vancouver Whitecaps found magic in one game.
The question now is: Can they do it again Wednesday night?
As they take on Mexico’s Tigres UANL in the second leg of
their CONCACAF Champions League semifinal at B.C. Place stadium, the Whitecaps
hope to deliver the same masterful display that they showed in a 4-2 comeback
victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday.
The Caps scored three second-half goals to overcome a 2-1
defiicit. For most of the night, Vancouver defenders, midfielders and forwards
moved in unison – something they rarely did when the team missed the 2016 MLS
playoffs.
Win provides nice setup
“That (win) sets us up nicely for Wednesday – for Mission
Impossible,” said Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson.
His two-word description sums up Vancouver’s task
effectively. The Caps trail 2-0 in the aggregate-goals competition and need to
score at least three times to have the slightest hope for a win. If Tigres
scores one goal, the Caps will need to net at least. A tie on aggregate will be
determined by which team has more away goals, but the Caps do not have any.
Saturday’s win – Vancouver’s first of the Major League
Soccer season – hinted what the Whitecaps are capable of – and suggested that
they might be able to pull off a miracle against Tigres. Holding midfielder
Matias Laba led the Caps with two goals – one on a superb shot at the top of
the L.A. box and the other on a header of teammate Fredy Montero’s rebound.
Rare offensive showing from Laba
How rare was Laba’s showing?
A defensive specialist, he had only managed to score two
goals in 112 previous MLS games – a span of three-plus seasons. Montero also
scored after coming off the bench after half-time in place of injured striker
Erik Hurtado (foot), while Cristian (the Bug) Techera also scored while showing
some of the speed that he had displayed last season.
The Whitecaps also received outstanding efforts from central
defenders Kendall Waston and Tim Parker, who clogged the middle as the Galaxy
tried a series of through balls as well as long lobs.
“You’ve got two centre backs that, I think, were outstanding;
you’ve got a holding midfield player that scores two goals; and, obviously, Fredy
(Montero) makes a difference when he comes on,” said Robinson. “The Bug was
electric as well.”
Some players and Robinson, as well as certain media types,
have contended that Saturday’s win was a positive after-effect of star winger Kekuta
Manneh’s trade to the Columbus Crew on Thursday. (Tony Tchani, the player
acquired from Columbus, provided glimpses of offensive flair in a substitute
role.)
“We’re all professional sportsmen,” said Robinson. “So I
said to the group: Listen, you’re fighting for your places. We all are.”
Manneh's trade likely a business decision
That was a nice bit of spin or, perhaps, insight into how
players are affected psychologically by a standout player’s trade. But the
reality is that the offensively gifted Manneh’s trade was quite likely based on
business factors, even if – as some have claimed – management grew tired of his
inability to finish his scoring chances.
Manneh’s contract is due to expire at the end of this season
and he has previously indicated a desire to play in Europe. Hence, it was
evident that he did not want to re-sign with Vancouver. Otherwise, the
Whitecaps would have signed him even if they still wanted to move him. The Caps
decided to get something while they could, in the form of Tchani, a decent
player with MLS experience who was in the New York Red Bulls and Toronto
organizations when Robinson toiled as a player and assistant coach with those
clubs.
The Whitecaps also secured a guaranteed $300,000 in
allocation money, a 2018 first-round Super Draft pick if Manneh signs a
contract extension with Columbus, or a share of the transfer fee if he is sold
internationally. In other words, the Whitecaps made sure they got something for
him now instead of losing him for nothing later.
Consistency the real challenge
Any motivation to the rest of the team will likely be temporary
at best. The Whitecaps’ real challenge
will be to duplicate Saturday’s performance on a regular basis – and Robinson
is extremely aware of that point.
As the coach sat behind the microphone after Saturday’s game,
he sounded like a scientist who wished he could preserve the ingredients of
that in a test tube for future use – because he knows that the club’s previous
success has been fleeting.
“Belief, energy,
passion – that group in there has got it,” said Robinson. “We just need to do
it more consistently.”
Starting Wednesday.
Good start critical
Laba suggested it will be “super-important” for the
Whitecaps to bring a good effort against Tigres if they are going to overcome
the 2-0 deficit.
“We’re not worried about: What are they going to do?” he
said. “We know that they are a top-level team in Central America and North
America. We need to score the first goal as soon as possible and then have that
belief that we can keep going and score the second one.”
The winner of the series will advance to the CONCACAF
Champions League final, which will determine the North American, Central
American and Caribbean zone’s representative in the next FIFA Club World Cup.
Mexico’s top league is widely considered to be of a higher caliber than MLS,
but Laba, naturally, contended that his
team is capable of pulling off Mission Impossible.
“We can do it,” said
Laba.
