Commerce City, Colo. – On Saturday night, Colorado Rapids hosted Vancouver Whitecaps. It was the fourth to last game of the regular season. Colorado were on a three game unbeaten streak in MLS play. The Caps were sitting top of the Western Conference. Oli Larraz made his return to Colorado, having left as a free agent in the winter.
It was a curious lineup from Rapids Head Coach Matt Wells. Morgan Whittaker started as a false nine with Sayed Abu Farkhi on the bench. Kosi Thompson kept his place at right back. Noah Cobb started at center back with Loïc Williams on the bench as well. The lineup was otherwise as expected.
Former Rapids Ralph Priso and Oli Larraz started for Vancouver.
The first half was a tight and chippy affair. Similar to the San Diego games, it was a cat-and-mouse game of pressing, man marking, and gap control. Vancouver was a bit conservative by their standards, dealing with some injuries. There were several no calls with tacklers winning the ball and giving shade to the opponent still on the ground.
Larraz was the aggressor in a few of those situations. He was energetic off the ball and positive in possession. He took corners on one side. On two occasions, he got into it with Wayne Frederick II and then Josh Atencio, winning the ball each time.
The tight play limited both sides to half chances. Colorado had some looks from the top of the box. Whittaker tracked back to find the ball. He had some moments in the final third with Georgi Minoungou but they weren’t always on the same page. Paxten Aaronson and Miguel Navarro both had screamers over the bar.
Colorado’s best chances of the game came in the middle of the box. Noah Cobb struck on a corner in the 11th minute but it was blocked inside the six. Then in the 43rd, Thompson had a great shot blocked from the run of play.
The half ended 0-0. Emmanuel Sabbi was subbed off for an injury in the 26th.
The second half was more of the same, but gradually got more open as both teams went for a winner. A Whittaker header was denied by a fantastic save by Yohei Takaoka. He later had a break away that was defended well by Tate Johnson. Larraz spun Thompson in the hour mark and could have scored a fantastic goal but the shot was wide. Vancouver had other half chances through Ryan Gauld and Bruno Caicedo.
This game was going to come down to one big moment, not a period of play. That came in the 81st minute. Abu Farkhi played the ball to Donavan Phillip out wide. The rookie shot from a sharp angle. The shot went off a defender and keeper to go off the crossbar. The ball hung in the balance as it fell to towards the ground. Whittaker was on the spot to head it in from a foot out.
Whittaker ran to the corner flag and slid on his knees in joy and relief. Colorado held on through five minutes of stoppage time. The match ended 1-0.
Morgan Whittaker, false nine, scores:
Was Whittaker better across the 90 minutes? It’s hard to judge given it’s the first time he’s played as a center forward for Colorado. Wells has been a bit of mad scientist the last few weeks. This change worked in that Colorado controlled the midfield with Whittaker a bit removed. And the club record signing was closer to goal. He scored the only goal.
“We want to be unpredictable every week. We’re very clear in our identity. But I don’t want them to know the exact positions of where our individuals are going to be. Morgs played the role really well,” Wells told Burgundy Wave.
It got him more chances. If there’s confidence in others playing on the wing, I’m here for it. On another night, Whittaker gets a hat trick with the header, the breakaway, then cleaning up the shot off the crossbar. That’s three big chances created by the system, not Whittaker just doing stuff on his own. That’s good.
Whittaker’s been more goal dangerous creating his own shot than Darren Yapi or Sayed Abu Farkhi. This team needs to find goals and get attackers going.
“Even though I probably didn’t have as many touches tonight, it’s probably the game I’ve had the most chances. As a nine, you’ll take that,” said Whittaker.
“It’s something I’ve done before (playing center forward). What I liked about this opportunity was I’d be closer to the goal. The tactical side really paid off today.”
Whittaker had 41 touches and three shots on target. That’s his fewest touches in a start for the club, his previous low was 45. His only other game with three or more shots on target was vs Seattle.
This was a step in the right direction. Even if it’s unorthodox and won’t be a regular thing going forward. If it kickstarts Whittaker’s form, all the better. He’s still at his best on the right, cutting inside on his left foot. We’ll see if Wells returns to that next match.
Shoutout to Noah Cobb:
Cobb found out he was starting on Friday afternoon. Williams has been dealing with knocks to his quad and hamstring. Cobb was prepared. He stepped in and didn’t miss a beat. There was good communication with captain Rob Holding. He man-marked Whitecaps wingers. Did well on that. Could have scored in the first half. A good contribution to the win.
“I see myself as a starter. I train everyday as if I’m a starter. It was nice to have a good performance individually but more importantly, just win the game as a team,” said the player.
“Noah was immense. All credit to him. Was just rock solid, never looked shaky. Never looked like it was too much for him. That’s a credit to him,” Holding said of Cobb.
Oli Larraz returns home:
Larraz had a good performance. He was subbed off in the 74th minute. He clapped the fans and got a response with some giving him a standing ovation. The Rapids Homegrown came to play and did well. He was respectful and didn’t have much to day in postgame media with Rapids reporters. He had over 30 friends and family in the stands.
He’s settled in Vancouver, on and off the pitch. The style of play suits him. He’s fit in well with the departure of Sebastian Berhalter. It was a bit weird for him to come back to Colorado with another team. But it was time for a change. The departure from the club was amicable. Like Cole Bassett, he left the door open for a return in some capacity down the road.
Oli’s going to be just fine. Hope he does well for Vancouver and eventually gets that move to Europe.
Felt like a playoff game:
Colorado beat a really good team. This felt like a playoff game. Two smart coaches playing chess. Really tight match with mostly half chances. One really big chance for a DP, one goal. Was this a dress rehearsal for a playoff game in Vancouver?
“That’s two games in a row where we’ve performed like men. We’ve been really mature in what we do. We’ve cut out the naïveté that littered our game away to LA Galaxy. That’s two performances in a row where we’ve payed mature, with and without the ball. It’s no coincidence we’ve kept back-to-back clean sheets,” said Wells.
Vancouver wasn’t at their best to be fair. They had some injuries to deal with. They were conservative and compact at times in a 4-2-3-1. A draw probably would have been a good result for them as they’re looking to secure the top spot in the Western Conference. They didn’t do much in the attack. Colorado’s man-marking worked well. Brian White was on an island at times. Colorado brought the intensity in midfield.
Playoff implications ahead of a double game week:
On some level, throw out the performance. The most important thing was the win. Colorado’s recent home unbeaten streak has also been a winless streak. They now have a win against the best team in the conference. With other playoff hopefuls middling, this was huge.
The Pids remain three points above the playoff line. They’ve now jumped LA Galaxy, moving in the 8th. El Trafico is tomorrow though. Colorado are just a point behind Seattle with two more wins (wins is the first tie breaker). Four points next week would be fantastic.
Colorado travels to San Jose Earthquakes Wednesday October 28. Kickoff is 8:30 p.m. MT. Then on Halloween night, they host Chicago Fire in the final regular season home game. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. MT. Either way, it’s coming down to the wire. Colorado will have something to play for/lose on Decision Day, November 7.
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