As is his wont, our man Russell chimes in with his thoughts for Whitecaps Wednesday. Give him a read. Give him your thoughts. Whatever you do, give him a round of applause.
Vancouver, B.C. – The boys in white and blue were back in the friendly confines of BC Place stadium after earning a draw versus the Portland TImbers last weekend. With only a single blemish on the Caps home record (8-1-3), the Bell pitch has been an important ally. This week the visitors were the dirty, rotten, stinkin’ San Jose Earthquakes, who trailed our boys by just three points in the Western Conference standings.
More, including highlights, after the break.
The highly touted Danish keeper David Ousted made an impressive home debut, stretching out to make two quality stops at integral moments in the game. Much of the first half lacked intensity, but the game was only kept scoreless by his miraculous reactionary save off Cordell Cato’s deflected shot in the 39th minute. This save is nominated for the MLS Save of the Week. Unsatisfied, he again kept the Whitecaps level in the 55th minute, using every inch of his fingers to deflect enough of Clarence Goodson’s header before Nigel Reo-Coker cleared the rebound opportunity off the goal line.
As monumental as those saves were, the 6’4” Dane impressed more with his demeanour. Since his arrival in Vancouver, his confidence has been palpable. He earned full marks for his first MLS clean sheet, and displayed extraordinary poise between the sticks. He challenged well for balls and on more than one occasion he owned his territory, collecting crosses and gaining possession before San Jose could mount an effective attack. He distributes the ball with purpose and once his mates acclimatize to his methods, I think we’ll see more efficient progress up the field from the backline. Nobody can question Brad Knighton’s desire to win or his compete level, but Ousted possesses a vocal leadership that he cannot match. Ousted’s confidence is infectious, and his poise virulent. The team can’t help but to feed off these contagions like protozoa on a sugar cube. (Editor’s note: here’s where Mr Arbuthnot shows dedication to his craft. He actually Googled ‘protozoa’ to determine whether or not his recollection of their feeding preferences — i.e. sugar — were correct. He’s more than just another hobby writer contributing pithy comments to a fair-to-middling sports blog. This man cares, dammit.) So, there’s that. Then there’s Nigel Reo-Coker and his slightly ‘different’ brand of leadership.
Reo-C is intense. He’s more than capable as a midfielder, and has leadership in spades, as evidenced by his captaincy at no fewer than four English clubs (including Aston Villa and West Ham FC). To set up the game’s first goal, he put on an authoritative display of pure power. At full speed, chugging his way down the right flank, Reo-C muscled by two defenders, then feathered the ball to Camilo, who in turn slid on his keister to slot it past Quakes keeper John Busch. Sure, it was Camilo’s MLS-leading 14th goal of the season — but it was Reo-Coker’s highlight, all the way. His paradoxical display of skill and bullishness can be voted on for MLS Goal of the Week. The run evoked this response from colour-man David Norman, Sr: “There’s a Ferrari and an Aston Martin. [Reo-Coker]’s more like a Hummer.” (Thanks to Province columnist Marc Weber for sharing the statement with the Twitterverse.) Reo-Coker isn’t what one would consider a “finesse” player. All in attendance at BC Place witnessed what can only be described as his wondrous whiff, which, incidentally allowed Kenny Miller to pot the Caps insurance marker. But his work ethic and gamesmanship are what set him apart from the average players in this league. Reo-C expects a lot from his teammates, but even more from himself, and he delivered on Saturday. He was rewarded with Man of the Match honours for his efforts, and there’s not a soul in BC Place who would argue with the choice.
Now, how about Kenny Miller and his performance? Just another day at the office for the Whitecaps’ interim captain — what can I say; the Scot has a knack for scoring important goals. His strike to the bottom left corner of the net put the Caps up by two, just as San Jose was pressing to find the equalizer. Not surprisingly, the team is 6-2-1 when Miller appears on the score sheet and is a stark 1-3-6 in contrast when Miller doesn’t see any playing time. He has filled in admirably for injured captain Jay DeMerit, wearing the armband with pride and leaving it all out on the field. Leadership is a word that’s bandied about a lot in the sports world. There’s not one right way to lead, but one common thread woven throughout the fabric of all leaders is to demand more of yourself than what your followers expect. All three of these gentlemen — Ousted, Reo-Coker and Miller — lead by example, pushing to get better and taking advantage of their strengths, while insisting on more from the group.
Complacency simply is not an option with these guys. And that bodes well for the soccer fans in this city.
Notes:
- With the win, Vancouver Whitecaps FC moved to 2nd place in the Western Conference, tied at 36 points with 3rd place Colorado Rapids. They play Colorado this weekend in the Mile High City — a statement game on the road means there are a hundred pubs in the Vancouver area vying for your afternoon beer money.
- The Whitecaps may have to play without Kenny Miller this week. He jetted to Europe on Wednesday to take part in an international friendly vs. England — during which he scored a cracker of a goal in a 3–2 loss in front of a sold-out crowd at Wembley Stadium — before returning to join the team in Denver this weekend.
- Teibert picked up a yellow card in the 75th minute. He and Reo-Coker are each one card away from a one-match suspension for card accrual.
