Report Card: Whitecaps FC Versus Montreal Impact 2nd Leg

Going into the the Nutrilite semi-finals the Whitecaps wanted to not only win to exact revenge on the Impact for 2009, they also didn’t want to lose to a Montreal club that wasn’t MLS quality.  It took the Caps a full 210 minutes to defeat Montreal as a late goal by Mouloud Akloul helped them advance to the finals.  The Whitecaps now will add two more games to their busy May schedule as they host TFC at Empire on May 18 and then travel East a week later to face Toronto in the second leg.

FORWARDS

Camilo- The striker came on as a halftime substitution for Hassli and seemed to show flashes of his play from earlier games.  While Camilo’s runs at defenders helped set up the free kick which led to the goal, he does need to make that extra pass to a teammate instead of just losing possession.  GRADE:   B

Omar Salgado- Making his second straight start Salgado had some good touches but was beaten off the ball by the physical Impact defenders.  Salgado was good in space as well as in the box where he will be a weapon on set pieces.  GRADE:  B-

Nizar Khalfan- Coming on for Teibert at the end of 90, Khalfan played a striker role and provided a spark with his speed down the middle.  The super sub came close to providing the goal but as usual was unable to strike on target.  GRADE:  B-

Eric Hassli- After having the weekend off due to suspension, more was expected of Hassli as it was assumed he would be well rested. However he did was dangerous in the final third and was taken off at halftime due to either ineffectiveness or injury.   GRADE:  C+

MIDFIELDERS

Russell Teibert- The Canadian teenager had another stellar game against a rival club based in Canada as he showed great pace down the left wing.  Teibert had a couple of great chances during regular time when he cut into the middle of the pitch but unleashed shots that just missed the far post.  GRADE:  B+

Davide Chiumiento- There is no doubt that Chiumiento is a hit or miss every time he touches the ball as either it’s a moment of brilliance or frustration.  In the last 20 minutes of regular time he seemed more comfortable playing centrally behind Camilo as a withdrawn striker which may be his best position on the field.  GRADE:  B

Terry Dunfield- The Captain played a solid game in the centre of the pitch and came close on a couple of occasions in close to score another against the Impact but was robbed by Gaudette.  He was able to control possession in the middle and force the ball to the outside.  GRADE:  B

Gershon Koffie- The Ghanian teenager played another solid game in the central midfield and his partnership with Dunfield allowed the Caps to control possession for the majority of the game.  Koffie plays a simple game and rarely ever makes a mistake, showing great poise on the pitch.  GRADE:  B-

Shea Salinas- Coming on a sub in the 69^th minute and because of extra time Salinas was able to put in 51 minutes which puts him closer to being ready for a start.  Salinas took advantage of Tsiskaridze’s tired legs as he was able to run by the defender easily to create some scoring chances.  GRADE:  B-

DEFENDERS

Mouloud Akloul- Even before scoring the goal which sent the team to the finals, Akloul was one of the best Whitecap players on the field.  He seemed to be always around the ball as consistently cleared the ball out of the box and rarely allowed Gerba any touches when marking him. The goal was just added bonus for his individual performace.   GRADE:  B+

Alain Rochat- From the very beginning of the match it seemed like Rochat would be playing the game conservatively as he rarely made any runs into the attacking zone.  Despite giving up a weak foul in the box, he did not allow any Impact players to expose him for scoring chances.  GRADE:  B

Jonathan Leathers- In the last two games, including last night, the performance of the normal steady Leathers is becoming negative for the club.  He’s not marking as well as he was in the beginning of the season.  This could be caused by fatigue as Leathers has played every minute of this season.  GRADE:  C

Greg Janicki- After a couple of solid performances it seemed like Janicki would be an option for the Caps at CB but last night’s match the defender put in his worst performance.  He seemed lost on the pitch and was caught flat footed on a number of occasions.  GRADE:  D+

GOALKEEPER

Jay Nolly- Although he was unable to stop the penalty and got lucky on a couple of post, Jay Nolly did not make any glaring errors that cost the team.  There were times when the backline looked disorganized and whether it was Nolly fault is not clear to me.  GRADE:  B-

OVERALL

The Whitecaps started a strong line up in order to take an early lead in the match and thus be able to cruise to a victory in the second leg.  Before giving up the penalty, the Caps had plenty of opportunities with players either just missing the net, or being robbed by Bill Gaudette.  Although the Caps struggled to finish their chances, the main concern coming out of this game was half of their backline.  Both Janicki and Leathers struggled in their overall defensive game and were spared defeat by horrible finishing by the Impact.  GRADE:  B-