Report Card: Whitecaps vs Nagasaki

The Vancouver Whitecaps fell 3-1 to Nagasaki in their first game of the Pacific Rim Cup. We don’t necessarily do report cards for every preseason game but since this game was so late I thought i’d do one for people who didn’t stay up.

First half Team:

Zac MacMath: 7/10

Made a couple of good saves, came off his line well and had good distribution. That being said the defence was clearly a bit disorganized when Nagasaki scored from a corner.

Jake Nerwinski: 6.5/10

Still adapting to the MDS system of playing out of the back but he did have some encouraging moments bursting forward on the counter.

Doneil Henry: 6/10

Was generally ok. At one point he did a flying high kick and cleaned out on opposition player. Beyond that didn’t have any super obvious screw ups.

Derek Cornelius: 6/10

didn’t exactly look composed but got the job done.

Brett Levis: 6/10

Often identified as the weak link in projected starting lineups but was generally fine in this game (especially compared with what was to come)

Jon Erice: 8/10

Looked very composed on the ball and linked up well with Felipe and Rose. Hard to think of any bad giveaways

Andy Rose: 5/10

Had a couple of good tackles but was mostly pretty anonymous. Fits the system well but doesn’t look like much of a difference maker.

Felipe: 6/10

Looked much more lively than he ever did under Robbo. Had good movement and linked up well with the rest of the midfield 3. Final ball wasn’t great but he’s still building chemistry with new teammates

Lass Bangoura: 7.5/10

His first touch of the game was a seal dribble. Also tested the opposition keeper with a thunderous long range effort. Looked quick and dynamic.

PC: 6.5/10

Showed a lot of energy and won the ball high up the field on a number of occasions. Was a bit lacking in X-factor when on the ball though. He also lost his man on the Nagasaki goal but if we get to the point where PC is marking the tallest player on the other team then something has gone wrong with the organization. Considering the negative reviews he got in Orlando he left a very positive impression on me, though I won’t be clamouring for him to start over Reyna anytime soon.

Theo Bair: 6.5/10

Showed some good qualities but, like in u20 World Cup qualifying, his finishing let him down. He looked a little off the pace playing against men but not embarrassingly so. Not awe inspiring but a pretty positive outing for the young man.

Second half team:

Maxime Crepeau: 7/10

Put in the very hard position of coming on at half time as a goalkeeper, and being behind a very inexperienced backline. It looked like things would get ugly for a while as he conceded two quick goals but then made an excellent save and came off his line well a few times. For me we are no closer to a decision on who the first choice keeper is.

Scott Sutter: 4/10

Pretty invisible.

Brandon McDonough: 5/10

Was actually pretty decent on the ball but didn’t stand out all that much.

David Norman: 7.5/10

Was clearly a little uncomfortable at centre back but grew into the game as it progressed. His passing was good, had a few timely clearances, and scored the lone goal.

Gabriel Escobar: 1/10

Ouch. Escobar did not have a good outing at all. He was very suspect on both goals, his clearances were poor and he was a giveaway machine. I’m obviously not writing him off yet but he clearly has a long way to go before he’s ready for MLS action.

Patrick Metcalfe: 4/10

Kicked a few people but didn’t really do anything of note beyond that.

Matheus Queiroz: 3/10

He had one good dribble that he immediately cancelled out by running straight into the next guy.

Simon Colyn: 8/10

One of the few young players who truly looked comfortable. Looked very dangerous when he got the ball, assisted Norman’s goal and but Jefferson Alade through for what should have been a penalty.

Georges Mukumbilwa: 6/10

Had a lot of energy and one good moment where he beat a defender to get a shot off. He also overhit a few crosses and dribbled the ball out of play a couple of times. He still needs a lot of seasoning but there is clearly talent to be cultivated there.

Kamron Habibullah: 7.5/10

For a 15 year old he had a fabulous outing. Had some good dribbles, didn’t let himself get pushed around by the adults he was playing with and tracked back well. Just wait until he’s old enough to drive!

Jefferson Alade: 4/10

Had one decent moment of hold up play and was hacked down for what should have been a penalty. For the most part though he just didn’t get into the game enough to make a difference. Pretty clearly a few steps behind Bair.