It’s often said in sports that there are certain circumstances completely out of your control and the key is to simply focus on consistency and getting positive results. Heading into April, Columbus Crew SC already have a gauntlet of sorts laid out in front of them that will provide a major challenge towards that end.
Two road games on opposite ends of North America in the span of four days loom large this week. The first of these away ties takes place Wednesday night at BC Place in Vancouver as the Black and Gold take on Whitecaps FC in a game that kicks off at 10 pm ET. Those fans not accustomed to the late night starts might want to have some coffee or an energy drink handy.
Then it’s back into the air for a long flight back east to Boston as Crew SC travels to Foxborough for the first of three matches this year against the New England Revolution. It will also be the first meeting between the two teams since the Revs eliminated Crew SC from last year’s MLS Cup Playoffs. The visitors will be in hot pursuit of revenge but fatigue could play a factor on account of the enormous amount of frequent flier miles logged.
Thanks to an insane schedule, #CrewSC fly straight from Vancouver to Boston Thurs. 2,000 miles one way, 2,500 back. 65 hours between kicks.
— Andrew (@AndrewKingCbus) April 6, 2015
I included the word harrowing in the title of this article, and it’s not just these next two upcoming games that could be described as such. The opening five games of the Crew SC schedule have been a tad on the quirky side. Apart from playing the New York Red Bulls on March 28th, the club hasn’t played a competitive match since March 14th against Toronto. Between that game and Wednesday’s match in Vancouver, the Black and Gold will have gone 24 days having contested a single regular season game.
Optimistically speaking, the club should be very well-rested heading into these two road match-ups. They also should be close to full strength, even though Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch is reporting that both Waylon Francis and Wil Trapp are currently questionable with minor injuries.
Waylon Francis (right ankle sprain) and Wil Trapp (right calf strain) both questionable for #CrewSC vs. Vancouver on Wednesday..
— Adam Jardy (@AdamJardy) April 7, 2015
On the other side of the coin, however, the lack of meaningful game minutes over such a long time period may lead to a bit of rust. After all, the Greek philosopher Hesiod once surmised, “Work is no disgrace, it is idleness which is a disgrace.” I wonder what he would’ve said about modern day sports leagues that induce idleness by providing a gluttony of bye weeks no more than a month into the season.
As if the monumental amount of miles traveled on this road trip isn’t enough, Crew SC have dropped two of three to start the year and find themselves in the unenviable position of needing points. A worst-case scenario of dropping both and falling to 1-4-0 on the season is a very real possibility when considering the caliber of opponents, particularly the first.
But enough bellyaching about the schedule. Let’s focus on the two respective tasks at hand, namely coming out with valuable road points of some sort. For this column, I’ll be focusing on Vancouver. You can expect another piece in a few days where I’ll break down the match-up with the Revs.
With that in mind, what do Whitecaps FC bring to the table and what should Crew SC be concerned about when they visit British Columbia on Wednesday?
What to Expect Wednesday for Columbus Crew SC-Vancouver Whitecaps FC
The Black and Gold have certainly picked an inopportune time to hook up with the Whitecaps, who are arguably the hottest team in the league. After dropping a 3-1 decision to Toronto FC in the season opener, they haven’t looked back, notching four consecutive wins that included a decisive 2-0 victory over defending champions LA Galaxy on Saturday night. Their 4-1-0 record with 12 points obtained from their five matches is currently best in the league.
There’s always a ton of hype surrounding the signings of new designated players in the league. TFC’s acquisition of Italian sensation Sebastien Giovinco garnered a great deal of the headlines, at least amongst the players who joined their teams at the beginning of the year (yes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard don’t count in that respect).
Octavio Rivero Has Been a Revelation Signing
The signing of Raúl Octavio Rivero by Vancouver largely fell under the radar in the offseason. In slightly more than a month’s time though, the 23-year-old Uruguayan has single-handedly made his presence felt. His four goals lead MLS through five weeks. What is it about his play that makes him so special and such an indispensable component of the Whitecaps attack?
Firstly, it must be explained that there are essentially two types of number nines in the world. As an aside, both types will be on display Wednesday. Crew SC forward Kei Kamara embodies the more traditional number nine: an imposing, physical target forward ready, willing and able to mix it up with the opposing central defense to win the ball and get it on goal.
Rivero is a nine cut from a different mold. What makes him so lethal is his ability to exploit channels outside of the central portion of the attacking third. Rarely will you see him take defenders head on, as he instead prefers to find space and time his runs to take advantage of gaps in the defense. If the Crew SC central defensive pairing of Michael Parkhurst and Emanuel Pogatetz get caught napping, Rivero will pounce.
The addition of Rivero and his instant impact this season makes Vancouver all the more formidable considering they already have an immensely gifted central attacking midfielder in Pedro Morales. The Chilean was named MLS Newcomer of the Year in 2014 after an impressive ten goal, 12 assist campaign. The absence of Crew SC’s Federico Higuaín due to suspension means there will only be one true number ten on the field in Morales.
Watch Out for the Counter
Whitecaps FC is a team that loves employing the counterattack to create chances. Crew SC head coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter emphasized the need for the team to take this into account going into Wednesday’s match.
“They concede a lot of possession, looking to hit you on the counter so it’s something we’re certainly going to need to be aware of,” Berhalter noted.
This is readily apparent if you look at the league-wide possession numbers. Vancouver’s game-by-game average of 43.4 percent is the worst in the league. Something has to give considering Crew SC’s possession percentage per game through three contests comes to an MLS-best 56.6 percent. It will certainly be a clash of possessive philosophies between Berhalter and Welshman Carl Robinson who coaches Whitecaps FC.
What To Do Minus Higuaín
Given Higuaín’s lack of availability, it’s going to be crucial for Crew SC to get solid wing play if they want to escape BC Place with any sort of positive result. Both Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay are going to need to be sharp getting the ball on goal and setting up Kamara. Hernan Grana will have to be his usual self pushing forward on overlaps and getting back when need be.
I anticipate either Hector Jimenez or Ben Speas to start at center mid in the absence of Higuaín. Chris Klute will likely get the nod at left back once again if Francis can’t go. Likewise, expect Mohammed Saeid to start in place of Trapp if he still needs time to get back to 100%.
With Toronto FC appearing to be dysfunctional as usual and Montreal just not there yet (even though they’re in contention for the CONCACAF Champions’ League title), Vancouver looks like they have the potential to the league’s first-ever Canadian champion. West Coast road trips always have their inherent disadvantages, but this one should be even more of challenge considering Whitecaps FC are riding pretty high at this point.
Crew SC have been dealt a pretty bad hand schedule-wise to start the month of April. How they play it will determine whether or not they have a hole to dig out of from the standpoint of the standings in its aftermath.
News and Notes:
- This is a fairly young series considering Vancouver joined the league in 2011 as Wednesday’s game will only be the sixth all-time meeting between the two clubs.
- Crew SC are 2-3-0 all time against Whitecaps FC, have only traveled to Vancouver twice, and have played at their existing facility BC Place only once in 2013, falling 2-1.
- As mentioned above, Waylon Francis (ankle) and Wil Trapp (calf) are questionable for Wednesday’s game.
- Rivero might not be the last Uruguayan to join the Vancouver roster, as it’s rumored the club is interested in signing winger Cristian Techera. He would be the fifth Uruguayan to join the Whitecaps FC roster.
