Whitecaps feel free in Portland

Well that was both convincing and terrifying.

The Whitecaps beat the Timbers 3-2 thanks to a strange brew of textbook counterattacking and comic book game management.

They strolled through the first half, allowing Portland have the ball and twice hitting them with incisive breakaways and then twice allowed the home team to claw back a goal from a two goal deficit to set up a finish that really shouldn’t have been as frantic as it was.

All in all though this was a much needed win in the first of seven road games that will define the season.

Key takeways?

Laryea and Adekugbe confirmed that they are both significant upgrades, Ahmed makes a huge difference to the midfield with his willingness to run with the ball and it’s much better for Vancouver if Ryan Gauld starts every game.

And I’ve decided (for now) that Alessandro Schopf is a player whose neatness on the ball makes him invisible during games rather than the fact that he doesn’t do anything.

This win buys the team some leeway for the next two road games and if they sneak another win in one of those encounters then they will head into the international break in a good position.

It seems inevitable that eventually their inability to consistently manage a game (whether from in front or behind) will be their ultimate undoing but they will make it a fun ride to follow until it all does crash and burn (for “fun” read nerve shreddingly anxiety inducing).

Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!

Takaoka-5, Laryea-5.5, Adekugbe-6, Brown-5.5, Veselinovic-5.5, Blackmon-5.5, Cubas-5.5, Schopf-5.5, Ahmed-6, Gauld-6.5*, White-5.5 (Raposo-5)