Report Card: Whitecaps FC Versus D.C. United

The Whitecaps were in a prime position to pick up two straight wins as well as their first on the road against DC United.  Their opponents had one of the worst records at home and the Whitecaps had their captain returning to the starting eleven.  Unfortunately two goals, one at end of the first and the other at the start of the second, essentially took them out of the game and the winning streak would end at one.

FORWARDS

Camilo-  The Brazilian was the only consistently dangerous player on the pitch and almost gave the Whitecaps the lead with his free kick in the first half.  Camilo creates more chances on his own and his runs make him the most fouled Vancouver player in the final third.  GRADE:  B+

Eric Hassli- It was an off night for Hassli but most of it was due to the lack of service from the midfielders and fullbacks.  Although not horrible his ability to hold up the ball, touch, and finishing were also not up to his normal world class level. GRADE: B

Mustapha Jarju- Returning from a mid-week international friendly in Gambia, there was little expected from Jarju in this match.  The fatigue from travel showed as he showed little in his play once he was substituted in the game.  GRADE:  C+

MIDFIELDERS

Gershon Koffie- There was some good moments surrounded by mostly average moments for the Ghanaian midfielder.  There was little assistance from his fellow midfielders which forced the teenager to do more than should be expected of him.   GRADE:  B-

Peter Vagenas- A disconnection from his teammates for the majority of the match by Vagenas was the main reason he was taken off in the second half.  His passing was off, especially when going forward, and he offered little in slowing the opposition midfielders.  GRADE:  C+

Davide Chiumiento- The Swiss international lacked his playmaking ability when he came on for DeMerit in the second half.  There was little sharpness in his game and Chiumiento was dispossessed of the ball too easily by the defenders.  GRADE:  C+

Shea Salinas- Another player who regressed in his play this week, Salinas worked hard but his offensive flair was missing from the pitch.  He seemed to missing confidence that he displayed in previous games which showed in his inability to breakdown defenders and deliver crosses into the box.  GRADE:  C

John Thorrington- Coming off injuries that cost the majority of the season, it seems like Thorrington is being forced onto the starting eleven by Soehn.  The MLS veteran was to play the wing but continued to drift to the center allowing Pontius to have a clear path to the box.  GRADE:  C-

DEFENDERS

Jay DeMerit- The captain was by far the best defender on the night but that is not saying much considering how woeful the backline was.  While he made some solid tackles, he was the one at fault for allowing the cross that led to the opening goal just before half.  GRADE:  B-

Michael Boxall- There was decent play from Boxall to start the match but as soon as DeMerit was subbed out of the match his level of play decreased.  The Kiwi international was unable to handle De Rosario once he was given full responsibility of the matchup.  GRADE:  C+

Jonathan Leathers- The normally reliable Leathers struggled with the DCU wingers especially on the first and third goals when he was unable to keep up with Pontius.  After a couple of substitutions he was forced to play part of the game on the left side of the backline and didn’t look comfortable.  GRADE:  C

Jordan Harvey- When Harvey was acquired from Philadelphia there was little though given to the idea that he could play CB, let alone two games both which were lost by four goals.  Even when he played LB, Harvey lacked conviction moving forward and was uneasy when defending.  GRADE:  C

Jeb Brovsky- The rookie midfielder was once again brought in to play the fullback position and it was another where Brovsky looked out of place.  He was turned inside out by King on the fourth goal and offered nothing when going forward on the attack.  GRADE:  C

               

GOALKEEPER

Jay Nolly- After playing so well in the previous game, it was looking like Nolly was starting to claim the starting spot after getting the call for the second straight game.  He completely misplayed two of the goals and could have done better on the other two if he was in the right position.  GRADE:  C

OVERALL

Combine the quality of play with the scoreline and there is no doubt that this game was the Whitecaps worst performance of the season.  The match against the Galaxy had the same 4-0 score but they were close for the first hour and it was by bad luck and bad decisions that they were blown out at home.  There have been a number of games where the quality was similar to yesterday but the Caps were able to keep the score close.

While Nolly had a poor performance in goal, which may have cost the starting job next week, there was little or no help from the backline in front of him.  The back four was in shambles by the time three of the four players were outside their normal positions.  The Whitecaps needed better play from the wings as the DC fullbacks were the weak part of their backline but Salinas was invisible for most of the night and Thorrington never looked like he was comfortable on the wing.

Any momentum that was gained in the victory at home against Chicago was lost in this game and will be hard to regain for this fragile team.  Every aspect of the game was lost by the Whitecaps and there was nothing positive that came of this match.  They will have a week to regain the lost confidence before they travel down south to face their Cascadia rivals in Portland.  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