Coffee with the Caps, Friday January 28

Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all have had a good week and are looking forward to a little rest and relaxation this weekend (I know I am).

It was a busy week in Vancouver. Evan Newton officially left the club for El Paso Locomotive in USL, meaning the Caps’ keeper shortage is now at a dire level. Stay tuned for more developments there.

And then there was World Cup Qualifying action last night, with Canada seeing off Honduras 2-0 in San Pedro Sula, a good win despite Honduras’ lowly stature in the table.

The Estadio Olimpico is one of the toughest places to play in CONCACAF and Canada is obviously short handed. I haven’t read up much on the match but it appears to have been a gritty affair, just what you would expect from a road World Cup Qualifying match.

The next match is, of course, the big one: a clash with the U.S Men’s National Team, who saw off El Salvador 1-0 in Columbus, Ohio last night. That result, combined with a win for Mexico over 10-men Jamaica, meant there was little unchanged at the top of the Octagonal standings, making the U.S.-Canada tilt all the more important.

For more on all of this, let’s dive into some links ...

Best of the Rest

Some potential changes in the league’s international rules for Canadian sides could benefit the Caps in a big way — three international players could be converted to domestic slots

Brian White is focused on keeping his exceptional form from last season cooking into 2022

More on Canada’s 2-0 win over Honduras and what it means for the side

Some player ratings from the Canada-Honduras match

Matt Turner is on the verge of signing for Arsenal, a big move for the formerly undrafted Revs shot stopper