By:Aaron Campbell (Twitter:@AaCamp81)
Top 2:
Jordan Smith
I know I have been hard on Jordan Smith all season long. In my articles for Prost Amerika, AFTN or discussing his lack of quality on the Radio Cascadia Podcast. Those opinions and articles is based off of his play and comparing him to Fraser Aird. He has been a weak link in the bad Whitecaps defence this season.
This game is different, he was all over the pitch and up and down the wing with ease. He had a season high 11 tackles ( tied for the highest by an MLS player this season) and made some big plays.
With Amway Canadian Championship going up in the next two weeks it will give Smith some minuted well Aird recovers for his knee injury.
David Ousted
Ousted only got credited with one save but the game could’ve been easily a loss without his play. He has a MLS high 58 saves this season and even though the Whitecaps have let in a league worst 25 goal against (tied with Portland Timber and New England Revolution). Without Ousted this season the Whitecaps would be near the bottom on the table in the western conference.
You know it is a bad overall season for your team when the MVP so far this season is the goalkeeper that has let in the worst goal against number in the league.
Bottom 2:
Cristian Techera
When the MLS salaries came out last week the one number that jumped out to many Whitecaps supporters is Techera salary jumping over 300%. With his play this season compared to last season not a lot of people would say he deserves that raise.
He has at most times been the less effective player this season. He has played well enough to get some decent fouls called his way but other then that he not been effective at all.
With Bolanos away for Copa America lets hope Techera can make the most out of these minutes he is given.
Carl Robinson
His substitutions this game was bad to say the least. A 79t minute sub of Erik Hurtado for Cristian Techera was the only one that made sense. Waiting until the 90th minute to sub on Nicolas Mezquida and Kianz Froese for Russell Teibert and Kekuta Manneh made no sense at all.
Octavio Rivero looked like he was gassed at the 80th minute mark. Mezquida would have been a great energy of the bench at that moment. Would’ve given him a decent run to make a difference in the game.
After dropping 5 points in the last two games to the bottom 2 teams in the Western Conference it is time for Robinson to settle on a starting XI and give it time to gel.
