Report Card: Canadian Clash Gives Vancouver Second Win(d)

Morale is at an all time low for the Vancouver Whitecaps, and although our Torontonian rivals haven’t had a season themselves to write home about, optimism wasn’t high in chances that the local boys would come out with a victory. Luckily, many people’s expectations were blown out of the water when not only did the Whitecaps win, but they also did so while being the better team on the field and having control of possession. How did everyone stack up? Read below:

Thomas Hasal: 7.0

Hasal had his game of the season today. Not only were reactions sharp and his saves crucial, but he looked confident and didn’t back down from any challenges presented to him throughout the match. Nothing exemplifies this more than his penalty save against Toronto’s talisman, Alejandro Pozuelo. A great performance almost spoiled by a Jayden Nelson faux goal, let’s hope the injury isn’t anything major.

Jake Nerwinski: 6.0

Surprisingly starting at left back, due to Sartini’s interesting tactical choices, Nerwinski did not start the game off well. He looked behind the pace and was frequently spun around and falling over in an attempt to catch up to the speedier of Toronto’s players. It was not a good look, but he grew into the game well and made it so that beginning was a thing of the past.

Ranko Veselinovic: 6.0

Ranko did a fine job, nothing crazy to note. There wasn’t anything egregious about his game outside of the horrible handball he conceded. Luckily, that didn’t lead to anything, so his performance was better than average.

Erik Godoy: 6.5

As per usual, whenever Godoy gets a chance to play, he’s the best defender on the field. This time was no different, as Godoy was solid whenever any defensive duties were asked of him and hopefully he can stay fit to continue showing his skills.

Javain Brown: 6.0

Brown had a good display today, contrasting some of his recent performances, while some of his defending may have been a little shaky at times, the parts where he really shined was when the team went up to attack. Every time he went up the flank and flung a cross in helped build momentum which the Whitecaps desperately needed. He still has to continue working on the technique a bit, but otherwise not bad from the Jamaican.

Sebastian Berhalter: 6.0

Berhalter had a good game, showing his powers in the midfield as the Whitecaps took control of the game. He didn’t do anything spectacular but it wasn’t necessary with this game as Toronto was not able to hold the midfield

Russel Teibert: 6.0

Rusty also did his job in the game, he was able to get the best of his opposites on Toronto and added a lot of hustle, which is to be expected from the veteran Canadian.

Cristian Dajome: 6.5

With Dajome now at an attacking position once again, we were able to see how there was a real attacking threat to the Whitecaps’ offensive plays. He contributed a lot, as is to be expected, with dribbles and shots being able to catch Toronto off guard. Definitely an upgrade over seeing him at left back every game. With a new left back coming in, one can hope we’ll see this in the future.

Ryan Gauld: 6.5

Gauld was the most creative of the entire team and you could see why the Whitecaps paid big money for their star number 10 DP. Chances were filtered through him and his eye for a pass lead to many opportunities being presented to the Vancouver side. More of these types of performances will help the Whitecaps get over a torrid start.

Deiber Caicedo: 6.0

Deiber Caicedo played well when he did, but there were points when he was squandering chances that could have given the home team the lead a lot earlier than they did. A lot of chances were spoiled from what looked to be overthinking on his part. His play began to click as the game wore on but it was still too little too late.

Brian White: 5.5

Brian White still is looking for the form which he had last year, and he was largely anonymous this game as well. It’s a little worrying considering he was our primary goalscorer last season and no one else is picking up the slack on this one. He continues to underwhelm and was probably the player with the least amount of impact on the field.

Lucas Cavallini: 6.0

On the other hand, Cavallini has managed to stay relevant despite his goalscoring being less than ideal as well. An early yellow card threatened to set the tone for his shift but Cava was actually able to provide more than just tackles and assisted a Tossaint Ricketts goal at the death. Not an amazing outing by the Canadian but he was able to pull his weight and bring some happiness to the team.

Ryan Raposo: 5.5

Raposo also contributed a fair amount. Did some positive runs and got close to the six yard box on occasions but wasn’t able to put a finish on it.

Cody Cropper: 6.5

From the offset, Cropper announced his presence by making a big save and was able to be huge for the Whitecaps in net, showing his reflexes and abilities to cover for the injured Hasal. He brought a veteran presence and confidence that made you believe in him, and I think it would be interesting to see him get a start later.

Tossaint Ricketts: 6.0

Ricketts was the definition of an effective super sub, comes in for five minutes and gets a goal to win the game for his team. It’s good to see that even a veteran like Ricketts has an active role on the team, and that hopefully we see more stuff like this going forwards.

Agree with these ratings? Sound off in the comments below