Report Card: Whitecaps FC Versus TFC for Canadian Championships

It could have not gotten any worse for the Whitecaps on this three game road trip as they lost each of their game by a single goal.  The disastrous week came to an end on Saturday when TFC beat the Caps 2-1 in the Nutrilite Canadian Championship final and 3-2 on aggregate.  The Voyageur's Cup was one of the club's major goals this season and the loss is a major disappointment for the players, the organization and its supporters.

FORWARDS

Eric Hassli- The big Frenchman had feasted on the TFC defenders in the first two and a bit games, scoring four goals in about 240 minutes, but without any quality service he was goalless on Saturday.  Hassle did have a chance to win the Cup for Vancouver as he found himself alone in front of the net but fired a shot wide of the net.  GRADE:  B-

Terry Dunfield- It was very surprising when the starting eleven was announced and it was Dun field was in Chiumiento’s role.  It was clear early on that the Vancouver native was miscast once again by the coach as Dunfield looked lost as a withdrawn striker.  Later in the game he was moved back to his central role and looked more comfortable on the pitch.  GRADE:  C+

Nizar Khalfan- Again Khalfan was brought in late in the game but this time was unable to create any real problems for the TFC defense.  The Tanzanian has been the regular sub that provides the spark late in a match but it may be time to give him a chance to do more by giving him a start.  GRADE:  C+

MIDFIELDERS

Camilo- Even without the perfect free kick, Camilo was the best Whitecap in the Championship final on Saturday.  He made several dangerous runs and cut into the middle of the pitch including the one that led to the Caps only goal.  That leads to the free kick was perfectly curled over the wall and just inside the near post which was team’s first goal from a free kick.  GRADE:  B+

Shea Salinas- It started well for Salinas especially when he switched to the left side of the midfield giving the TFC defenders a difficult time. Unfortuantely his play dwindled as the half went on and he was subbed at halftime, unknown whether it was for poor play or because of injury. GRADE:  B-

Gershon Koffie- The young Ghanaian did a decent job in the central midfield but when TFC was on the attack seemed to disappear on the pitch along with his midfield partners.  Koffie still lacked consistency when it was time for him to distribute the ball forward to the forwards and midfielders.    GRADE:  C+

Russell Teibert- Coming as a sub at halftime, Teibert did not have the same impact on the game as he did in the mid-week fixture.  He was unable to get into the middle of the pitch effenctively and his normally accurate crossed were off the mark. GRADE:  C+

Jeb Brovsky- The Notre Dame product seemed slower than normal which could be because that it was Brovsky’s third start in a week.  He took over for Dunfield and played higher in the formation but it made little difference as Brovksy seemed to lack confidence in the final. GRADE:  C

DEFENDERS

Alain Rochat- It is no surprise that Rochat had his normal game as he played well defensively and even switched to the center of the backline when DeMerit was subbed off.  However there need to be effort to get Rochat to join the attack on a regular basis as his skills are dangerous in the final third. GRADE:  B

Michael Boxall- The rookie had another good game which included a clearance off the line when Joe Cannon was caught out of the net.  It’s clear that the Kiwi defender has a future in the MLS and will add more to his physical game over the season.  GRADE:  B-

Jay DeMerit- The captain was not happy to be substituted out of the match but it was clear that DeMerit was struggling with his ongoing groin injury.  His positioning was solid and his clearance off the line shows his ability to fight through his injury even if the ball did cross the line.  GRADE:  B-

Blake Wagner- The American defender was substituted into the game after Demerit was taken off and while he did perform better than his mid-week start, there is a serious drop off between Rochat and Wagner at the left back spot. GRADE:  C+

Jonathan Leathers- The normally dependable Leathers had one of his poorest performances as a Whitecap as he could not keep with Plata’s pace on the pitch.  In hindsight it may have been wiser to start Knight at the position as he was able to handle Plata in previous matches this year. GRADE:  C

               

GOALKEEPER

Joe Cannon- It was quite an adventure for Cannon as he made two massive errors in judging the bounce of the ball, giving TFC two shots at goal including the one that was ‘cleared’ off the line by DeMerit.  The actual two goals were from a penalty, which had to be taken twice due to Cannon’s encroachment,   and a ground level pass across the box which was an easy tap in for the TFC player.  GRADE:  C+

OVERALL

The Caps had two major ideas of what they wanted coming into this season .  One in their was to win their first Voyageur ‘s Cup and the other was to be more competitive in the MLS.  One of the biggest mistakes was placing Dunfield in the Chiumiento role which the Vancouverite was unable to get a handle on.  It seemed like there was no adjustment made at the half by Soehn as the lineup remained  and they played as TFC continue their dominance  The Caps must get past this result as they return home to Empire Fielde to face the Columbus Crew on Wednesday.  GRADE:  C

This is not the typical 1-10 player rating scale

A:  Superstar Performance

B:  Solid Starter’s Performance

C:  Should Be On the Bench

D:  Not MLS Quality