Whitecaps March to the Top of the Hill

For much of the game against York United it felt as though the Whitecaps were either heading for a routine victory or an ignominious defeat.

They mostly tried to control the game without really being able to create any clear cut chances but once York decided that enough was enough and they would put the ball into their own net to save Vancouver any further angst the game opened up remarkably quickly.

It didn’t feel like a 4-1 victory, but Vancouver will definitely take it.

Stray thoughts from a strange game?

Sartini made the right choice in keeping his first choice goalkeeper and central defenders in the starting eleven Although that feels like a kick in the teeth forThomas Hasal.

Deiber Caicedo is still a ways away from being up to speed both mentally and technically.

Ali Ahmed showed gain that he can provide a spark of creativity when the Whitecaps most need it.

Berhalter and Teibert were fine but the absence of Cubas was acute.

Another WFC2 “loanee” getting on the scoresheet can doing nothing but good for the development of the team as a whole.

Last season the Whitecaps scrambled their way through the Canadian Championship but, in the end, this felt much more like a better team beating a lesser team without really raising too much of a sweat.

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Takaoka-5, Laborda-5.5, Raposo-5, Veselinovic-6*, Blackmon-5.5, Berhalter-5, Teibert-4.5, Ahmed-5.5, Gauld-5.5, Caicedo-3, Becher-5.