For forty-five minutes, it all looked so familiar. And not in a good way.
The Vancouver Whitecaps were taking on the Montreal Impact in the hostile confines of Stade Saputo. Thanks to a certain hockey game in Boston at the same time, those confines were somewhat less hostile than usual. But any fan who skips a Montreal Canadiens Game 7 to cheer on the Impact is a die-hard indeed, and the Montreal Ultras have justly earned a reputation as one of North America’s most intense, dedicated supporters’ groups. It was a far cry from playing in the likes of Houston, and it was a little too familiar to those hoping for a Vancouver victory.
Then the game kicked off. From the beginning, Vancouver had an element of control. Their central midfield, bolstered by a healthy Terry Dunfield and surprise starter Mouloud Akl0ul, ensured the Whitecaps controlled the centre of the park in a way they completely failed to against Chivas USA two weeks ago. Big Ali Gerba, renowned Canadian international, struggled for both space and service as the Whitecaps closed down on him hard (leading to the most comical moment of the match: dimunitive Davide Chiumiento attempting to shoulder-charge Gerba and essentially bouncing off, falling to the turf as Ali tried to figure out what had just happened).
Yet, for all their control, the Whitecaps struggled to put the Impact away. That, too, was very familiar. The Impact showed some fight, particularly in goal and along their back line, and put the Whitecaps on their back heels just often enough for it to be worrying. The best chance of the half, by far, was actually a long-distance shot from offensively limited former Whitecaps left back Zurab Tsiskaridze. It seemed like the sort of game that the Whitecaps more-or-less controlled from start to finish and then lost. Typical Whitecaps soccer.
Not so. There were no dramatic substitutions in the second half, no major tactical changes. The team just seemed to have had enough. They put the hammer down, and from then on the result was never in doubt. Terry Dunfield’s heading in a Russell Teibert cross was simply the inevitable occurring.
For the first time since the Sporting Kansas City game, Vancouver played a comprehensive team game. It wasn’t perfect; Davide Chiumiento might as well have had a nap and Eric Hassli was far too tentative, as if his own reputation has made him afraid of breaking one of Montreal’s defenders in half and earning a six thousand-game suspension. But there was no position and no area of the field where you can say the Whitecaps were weak. The goalkeeping was effortless, the defense solid, the midfield controlled the ball, and the forwards at least created space and got chances. It was the sort of game Whitecaps games have been crying out for for weeks, despite the lower calibre of the opponent.
So the Whitecaps take a 1-0 lead back to Empire Field, a venue where even Major League Soccer teams struggle to beat them. Apart from Atiba Harris’s knee surgery, the team actually seems to be getting healthier: they emerged without a serious injury, Mouloud Akloul played a fine ninety minutes, and Shea Salinas looked credible in his season debut. The Impact have been struggling to get results against anybody so far this year: this defeat runs their record in all competitions to two losses and two draws. It’s hard to believe that Montreal can come back and get a win in Vancouver.
But these are the Montreal Impact. There is enough skill on that team to stock two pretty good NASL teams, and plenty of experienced players who know a thing about beating both the Whitecaps and allegedly-superior Major League Soccer teams. The players clearly aren’t used to each other yet, and there are dark rumours of divisions between old players and new in the Stade Saputo dressing room. But if Montreal does put it all together, there’s no reason to believe they couldn’t snatch a win. The Whitecaps must be wary of complacence and doubly wary of Montreal’s intensely talented, veteran-laden lineup. Better teams than the Whitecaps have been scuttled because they underestimated a lower-division opponent.
The Whitecaps got a key victory, a crucial goal scored by a Canadian and set up by a Canadian that has them in a great position for the Canadian championship. It’s a good situation. But if they can keep it up against the Columbus Crew, that will give us hope for more than just a finals appearance.
