The Whitecaps return to MLS action, after coming off their semi-final win in the Canadian Championship over FC Edmonton, to face the New England Revolution. In their two meetings last year the Caps gave up a late goal at home to settle for a 1-1 draw while a “B” squad lost a hard fought 1-0 decision on the road. Similar to last year’s loss, this match against New England comes in the midst of major fixture congestion, as the Caps are in the middle of a stretch where they play 9 matches in 29 days.
There will be some rotation of players but expect Joe Cannon to start in goal with Lee Young-Pyo and Martin Bonjour as definite starters, whilst Alain Rochat could start in two different spots. If he starts in the middle then Harvey comes in on the left but if Rochat is on the left then Carlyle Mitchell gets his first MLS start of the season.
There should be some similarity in the midfield from the win against San Jose, as Davidson, Koffie and Watson look to clog the middle against New England. Up top Hassli looks to continue his form while he will be flanked by Salgado on the left and Le Toux on the right. Other options Rennie has to start in the attacking spots are Chiumiento, Mattocks or Barbara, with all three impressing against Edmonton.
The Whitecaps should be able to get a healthy number of shots against the Revolution as the hosts rank fourth in shots allowed. Matt Reis has performed admirably and has been able to have a decent GAA although he ranks outside of the top 10 in most keeper stats. If Vancouver put enough numbers forward when attacking, they will be able to occupy Joseph and Simms, the holding midfielders, and not allow them to assist a shaky backline.
Except for their striker, Sene, the Revolution attackers are not a big or physical bunch so the Whitecaps should be able to impose a physical nature to the defensive part of the game. With so much fixture congestion, it would not surprise anyone if the Caps play a tight defensive game and try to pick up a goal on the counter attack. If the Whitecaps score first then one could assume the visitors will pull their players behind the ball and try to pick up their seventh cleansheet in ten games.
So far this season the Whitecaps have picked up results on eastern road trips, with a draw in Philadelphia and a win against Columbus. A win against the Revolution and the Caps will have reached 20 points this season, a total that they were not able to reach last season until the late August.
Who’s On Form
While the goal was a definite plus, it was not the only reason Gershon Koffie won the ‘man of the match’ in his last start against San Jose. The Ghanaian footballer seemed to anticipate every pass by San Jose in the last game but more importantly quickly converted the turnovers into chances on the counter.
Having come over from the Bayern Munich system, Saer Sene gives the Revolution a target man up top with some deceptive pace. In his last start against Colorado, the native of France scored a goal and set up the winner, leading New England to their third win of the season.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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