Report Card: Whitecaps vs RSL

David Ousted: B

Conceded two kind of weird goals but also made a pair of world class saves to secure the 3 points. I suppose you can just file the two goals under shit happens and look at the positives of Ousted’s performance. He was certainly the better keeper on the night.

Jake Nerwinski: A

Involved in two goals and made a number of key defensive plays. Had one slightly awkward moment with Ousted in which he almost beat his own keeper but all in all it was a very positive performance from Nerwinski.

Kendall Waston: A-

Scored a goal and generally looked solid. got beat by a funny bounce off the turf at the start of the second half but then did well to recover and poke the ball away from Yura Movsisyan.

Tim Parker: C+

A perfectly fine, if unremarkable, performance from Parker.

Jordan Harvey: C-

Made the bizarre decision to charge into the midfield on the second goal. This created acres of space behind him which was easily exploited by RSL. With Brett Levis back and playing well for WFC2, as well as Marcel De Jong putting in some impressive performances, you have to think that there’s some pressure on Harvey’s starting spot.

Aly Ghazal: B-

A solid debut for the Egyptian. There were a few moments where passes went awry but that can be attributed to him still building chemistry with his teammates. On the defensive side of things Ghazal was very impressive. he led the team with 4 interceptions and added two tackles, two clearances, and a blocked shot. The Whitecaps were heavily out possessed in the match (sigh) and Ghazal did a good job of keeping the space in front of the back four under control.

Tony Tchani: B

Partnered well with Ghazal, Leading the team in tackles (4) and making sure that the back four weren’t overrun.

Bernie Ibini: B+

Involved in the buildup of two goals including an assist. He also had 100% pass accuracy which is very impressive for a winger.

Yordy Reyna: A

Put in the free kick for the second goal and scored the third. When I first wrote this I put down that Reyna had a bit of an off night but then I looked at his stats and it turns out that the eye test deceived me. In addition to his involvement in two goals Reyna also played 3 key passes and had a passing accuracy of 87%.

Cristian Techera: B+

Scored a goal, though it was a bit soft, and also won the ball back high up the field a number of times. Techera was subbed off early which suggests we’ll probably see him again on Wednesday.

Fredy Montero: B

Didn’t score but did play a number of good passes. Linked up very well with the attack 3 in the midfield and was unlucky that none of the chances he created resulted in a goal.

Subs:

Brek Shea: D

looked sluggish and unmotivated. No shots, no key passes, no dribbles and only 4 completed passes. Unimpressive.

Alphonso Davies: C+

Caused Real Salt Lake a lot of problems on the counter as they pushed forward for an equalizer. He still needs to work on his final product (He weirdly looks more comfortable being up against a defender then he does being through alone on goal) but hey he’s only 16.

Nicolas Mezquida: Incomplete

Wasn’t really on long enough to make an impact. What he showed wasn’t exactly inspiring but it would be harsh to give him a negative grade for only 10 minutes of action when all he was probably asked to do was help hold the lead.

As always be sure to lets us know what you think of these grades in the comments below.