Vancouver, British Columbia– The Colorado Rapids found their level, and it wasn’t the Vancouver Whitecaps. Vancouver thoroughly outclassed the Rapids in a 3-1 win for the hosts. The Rapids did not look quite like themselves, and the gulf of class between the sides showed.
The Rapids made three changes from the team that got their first point at BMO Stadium. Two changes were mandatory: Jackson Travis was hurt, and Josh Atencio was suspended. Miguel Navarro and Paxten Aaronson were the replacements. Georgi Minoungou replaced Darren Yapi on the wing.
Vancouver started a full-strength lineup. The big three of Thomas Müller, Sebastian Berhalter, and Brian White all got the start. There was not much rotation from the Canadian side.
This paid off early for the Whitecaps as some great play unlocked the Rapids defense so seamlessly. A long diagonal from Édier Ocampo found Thomas Müller at the back post. The German finds Cheikh Sabaly on a cut-back ball, and it was an easy finish.
The misery compiled for the Rapids as Brian White scored on a pretty inconspicuous play. The American was played through behind the Rapids backline. With help defensively, Zack Steffen was caught in no man’s land. White was able to finish calmly and easily around a lost Steffen.
Steffen had to make a couple of key saves after this mistake as Vancouver continued to put the pressure on. Brian White was played through again, and the American tries to Chip Steffen. The Rapids keeper gets a hand on it to keep it from 3-0. Sebastian Berhalter had a shot deflected that caught Steffen, but he was quick to readjust and block the shot.
The Rapids started to put the pressure back on Vancouver late in the second half. After some chances Dante Sealy and Paxten Aaronson would probably want back, Colorado found their goal. Some good play found Georgi Minoungou out wide, and the winger does well with his cross. Dante Sealy makes a mess of it, but Rafa Navarro shows up and cleans up the mess, poking home a pretty ugly goal. Either way, Colorado found their way back into the game.
The 30th minute was when the Rapids really got back into this game. They get the goal back, and all of a sudden, it is a game much more similar to a Matt Wells’ Rapids kind of game. There wasn’t a second goal for the Rapids in the first half, but Colorado found some momentum going into the halftime break.
Chances were few and far between to start the second half. The open, attack-filled game was stunted as both teams shored up defensively. Brian White had the best chance since halftime as Bruno Caicedo played a teasing ball across the six, just out of the range of White, and his stretching effort was wide.
With a little over ten minutes to play, Vancouver thought they had extended the lead to two. A through ball found Bruno Caicedo through on goal all alone. He slowed down enough for Lucas Herrington to heroically make the defensive stop initially, but no one in Colorado colors was close enough to make the second effort, and Caicedo put it into an empty net. The goal was initially given, but VAR took it away after it was found that the rebound struck Caicedo’s arm. What looked to be a heroic effort gone unrewarded, Herrington saved a sure goal after VAR.
It didn’t take long for the Whitecaps to find that third goal, however. Just five minutes later, a Sebastian Berhalter through ball caught substitute Keegan Roseberry on the slower side of Caicedo, and the winger found Brian White in an easy cross and finish. Matt Wells went very attacking with subs just moments earlier, and it was punished almost immediately.
Colorado almost found an immediate response. Georgi Minoungou found a whole lot of space on the left, and he dribbles forward and makes a pass to Rafa Navarro. The first shot is deflected and saved, but parried right to Rafa. The Brazilian has a much better second chance, but Yohei Takaoka makes a great save to keep the striker from a brace.
The Rapids found the back of the net moments later on a corner, but it was blown dead quickly due to a foul on Yohei Takaoka. Foul is a bit generous. Either way, Colorado did not look very threatening in stoppage time, and Vancouver came away with a 3-1 win.
“I think we are probably fortunate to escape with a 3-1. I think that the balance of chances, I think 5-2 would have been probably a more appropriate score line,” Matt Wells said after the match.
Vancouver Capitalize on More Rest
Vancouver had the advantage of not having a midweek game, unlike the Rapids. This was a big point of emphasis for Wells after the match. Wells said, “They obviously had a clear week to prepare for the game. We had a 20-minute session yesterday. And I think when you’re playing this caliber of team, you need more than that.”
“I think it would have been a little bit easier to face Vancouver if they had the same schedule, purely, not because of the physical level, more so that they’d have been in the same sort of preparation cycle as us.”
It doesn’t get any less congested for the Rapids, as they have a quick turnaround against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks in the US Open Cup on Wednesday, followed by an MLS match at Houston next Saturday.
Gulf in Level Between the Two Sides
Vancouver looked the better team throughout the game, and it showed in both the scoreline and stats. It is not a shock that this Whitecaps side is fighting for the top spot in the West. Colorado has made strides, but continues to be in and around the playoff line. Early in the Matt Wells era, this was not going to be an evenly matched contest. Wells believes that it is good that his side had a match like this.
Matt Wells said after the match, “But it’s good for us. It’s good for us to feel the level of this team. It’s a great reference for recording a really difficult week. I think we’ve come here and that they’ve shown that there’s a gulf between where we are and where they are.”
Losing Like the Colorado Rapids
A common theme among players and coaches was disappointment, but maybe not so much with the result as with how the team played throughout the loss. Wells said, “If we’re going to lose, we have to lose like us. That was my biggest frustration from the sideline today, I felt the players felt the gulf on the pitch, and then took the identity reflective of that gulf from the pitch. And if we’re going to lose, I want us to lose full throttle.”
Keegan Rosenberry shared the same sentiment, telling the media, “It didn’t look like the brand of football that we want to put out there. And I think that was the most frustrating thing.”
It hasn’t been since the season opener against Seattle, where Wells and his players said that they hadn’t looked like themselves. It might be a step back for the side, or just a small detour from the process due to a better opponent. Either way, expect an angry and hungry side against the Switchbacks.
Eleven Players Lost This Game
Zack Steffen had another shaky game in the back, and while it was nowhere near the level of bad that Toronto was, it was still worrisome. He was at fault for the second Vancouver goal and had some problems with his distribution throughout. Still, Matt Wells backs his keeper, telling Burgundy Wave, “Plenty of shaky moments out there on the pitch today, and they were spread from one to 11. So it wasn’t a game of individual mistakes.”
“We’ll analyze that, and we’ll look at the areas we need to improve. I’m not going to waste any energy looking at, oh yes, he could have been deeper in that moment.”
Wells is not one to throw his players under the bus for the press, but questions may start having to be asked about Steffen’s starting spot. Nico Hansen doesn’t help by playing at the level he has recently. How many more games like today can Steffen get away with?
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Eamon Shaw 