An extension to Canadian Soccer News’ MLS Week in Review, this article provides a closer look at the performances of the Canadian players who saw the pitch this week.
Once more it was a fairly sparse weekend for Canadians getting on the pitch, only six saw any time this round, while a further five went unused on the bench – the injuries in Toronto did not help the CanCon quota.
The top three spots go to Issey Nakajima-Farran, Kyle Bekker, and Will Johnson, with special nods to Russell Teibert and Dwayne De Rosario who put in excellent shifts for their clubs.
Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Issey Nakajima-Farran
Nakajima-Farran made his second-straight substitute’s appearance for Toronto FC in their 0-2 win in Columbus, replacing Dwayne De Rosario in the 69th minute as Toronto held dearly to a one-goal lead.
Initially in the middle before moving out to the right when Andrew Wiedeman came on ten minutes later, Issey, as his shirt proclaims, provided some fresh legs and put in a shift clogging up the middle of the park as Columbus threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer.
Despite clinging to the lead, Issey was not afraid to get forward when the chance was afforded him – he had a shot blocked in the 75th minute, before being whistled for a foul second later, not allowing Hector Jimenez to start a counter with him out of position.
That willingness to take the chance when given paid off in the 85th minute when he noted the good work of three teammates by the left corner flag, and when Jackson chipped up to Justin Morrow and Morrow took on Wil Trapp to get in a cross it was Issey who arrived at the near-post, getting in front of Columbus left-back, Waylon Francis, to take advantage of the chance, touching past the keeper with his right boot:
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It was his first goal in MLS, not bad for 52 minutes on the pitch through two appearances.
The Calgary, Alberta-native completed four of six passes, took two shots – one blocked and the goal, committed and suffered a single foul, won two tackles and a header, and made one recovery, while losing possession four times in his 21 minutes of play.
Kyle Bekker
Bekker made his first start of the season (and just the fourth of his MLS career) in Toronto’s win over Columbus – it was his second-straight appearance having seen twelve minutes as a substitute last weekend.
Paired in the centre of the pitch with Michael Bradley, Bekker was extremely impressive, though of course he has his detractors.
Granted he seldom exhibits the sort of high-action intensity that many fans love, but what Bekker really brings to the game is a level of understanding, the old proverbial football-brain that not every player has, especially in an often overtly physical league like MLS.
As astutely mentioned on the broadcast, when one can read the play it will make up for the lack of that extra step and by putting oneself in the right positions the game will come to you.
Have a look at his defensive chalkboard, which charts recoveries, clearances, blocks, and interceptions – that spread is a large part of why Toronto won on Saturday and why Bradley was able to get forward to cause trouble as regularly as he did.
Columbus were not at their best, but it takes the right skill set to shut down Federico Higuain, who was repeatedly bested by Bekker, who read his intentions, intercepting passes and cutting out crosses on several occasions.
The Oakville, Ontario-native completed 33 of his 44 passes, won five headers, committed and suffered a foul each way, and lost possession twelve times, mostly due to those errant passes – but his defensive numbers, fourteen recoveries, five interceptions, and two clearances, more than make up for those detractions.
Post-match Bekker was asked about the experience of winning in Columbus, he replied, “It was an incredible experience to come to Columbus and play on this pitch with these guys and get a shutout here against a team that’s been killing it lately is incredible.”
On the basis of that performance, he will likely see a little more playing time, especially when Jonathan Osorio is out or when Bradley is away for the World Cup.
Will Johnson
Johnson made his fifth-straight start for Portland in their heart-pounding 4-4 draw against Seattle on Saturday.
Paired, as usual, with Diego Chara at the base of the Timbers midfield, Johnson was central to the midfield battle, engaging in a particularly tasty contest with Gonzalo Pineda that saw each of them booked through the first 35 minutes for fouling the other.
Johnson saw his yellow card in the 35th minute for a late blocking challenge that Pineda made the most of, while Pineda saw his in six minutes earlier – the two engaged in a bit of yapping, with Will getting right in the face of Pineda after the booking, but the rendezvous was full of smiles, genuine or not.
With Chara marauding forward, picking up two goals from long runs, Johnson stayed back for the most part, picking his moments to foray forward carefully – more often than not opting to stay back.
His physicality was very evident in the combative match, getting whistled for a foul after bouncing off the much-bigger Kenny Cooper in the early going before taking a heavy blow from DeAndre Yedlin in the 59th minute, raking his studs into the Canadian’s thigh and rattling his bones in an aerial challenge that put Johnson on the ground, face down, for a good minute, requiring treatment.
He is not the sort to milk that kind of thing – he hobbled off the pitch, but returned to the fray shortly thereafter.
The Toronto-born midfielder completed 49 of 57 passes, took one shot – blocked; suffered three fouls and committed two – one of which earned him his first booking of the season. He won five headers, all four of his tackles, made ten recoveries and two clearances, losing possession eight times before making way for Steve Zakuani in the 89th minute.
It was the first time he was removed from a league match for the Timbers having joined the club prior to the start of last season.
Russell Teibert
Teibert made his third-straight start in Vancouver’s 1-2 loss to Colorado on Saturday – it was his fourth start of the season.
From his position on the left-side of midfield, Teibert was his usual vibrant self, running at the opposing defenders whenever possible and getting on the ball regularly.
He played one particularly nice ball over the top for Kenny Miller, which drew a challenge out of Clint Irwin – Miller considered asking for a penalty, but it was a half-hearted request at best.
Teibert also had a crack from a poor angle just before half-time that sailed wide and had a dreadful free-kick in the 66th minute – the less said about that the better.
The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native completed an impressive 51 of 58 passes, attempted two shots – one off and one blocked; won three of four tackles, a pair of headers, and a single foul, made eight recoveries, while conceding possession ten times.
It has been hard to pinpoint exactly what Teibert’s role in Carl Robinson’s revamped Whitecaps side is, what with all the new additions, though it is telling that whenever available, he has a place in the starting eleven, whether on the left or the right.
Dwayne De Rosario
De Rosario made his second start of the season for Toronto in Columbus having entered from the bench in the previous two matches – he has appeared in all four of TFC’s matches this season.
Operating as a second-striker, dropping off the frontline to fill in the gap when out of possession and coming deep to collect the relief ball out of the back, De Rosario was vital to Toronto success in a tricky away fixture without several starters.
He had a nice little trick corner-kick routine with Bekker that the ball cut to the top of the box for De Rosario, rather than sent into the heart of the box – he couldn’t quite get the connection right as the ball bobbled and his shot rose far too high.
De Rosario had a second good look at goal in the sixth minute, when Alvaro Rey forced a turnover and slid a ball for the Canadian to run onto, but Columbus keeper, Steve Clark was equal to the shot.
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And he made a wonderful pass to play in Michael Bradley later, dragging his right-leg behind his standing leg to put the ball into the path of his teammate – a Cruyff pass of sorts - before going for an audacious attempt from near the halfway line, hoping to catch Clark off his line; he did not miss by that much, but overly hopeful is an apt description.
But it was his ceaseless running, closing down the ball and getting back into positions to provide that outlet and a modicum of relief, that really highlighted his contribution – earning him the praise of coach Ryan Nelsen for his effort afterward.
The Scarborough, Ontario-native completed 19 of 26 passes, took three shots – one on and two off; made eight recoveries and two clearances, winning a pair of fouls, two headers, and a tackle, while conceding the ball just seven times before making way for Issey Nakajima-Farran in the 69th minute.
But not before buying a moment of respite for his side during a spell of Columbus pressure by going to ground in need of treatment.
Post-match he spoke with the media:
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Patrice Bernier
Bernier was again held in reserve in Montreal’s 2-2 draw against New York on Saturday to make a second-straight substitute’s appearance, replacing Hernan Bernardello in the 72nd minute with all the scoring already recorded.
With the result already settled, Bernier helped see out the match, completing fifteen of twenty passes (in just eighteen minutes plus four of stoppage-time), registering one recovery and winning one header, while conceding possession five times, with those stray passes.
It will be interesting to watch how Frank Klopas uses the Brossard, Quebec-native in the coming weeks.
The arrival of Jack McInerney may lead to a two-striker formation, which will necessitate fielding one fewer midfielder and one never wants the captain to be left off the field, though having that sort of calming influence to introduce later has its advantages.
It may be telling to examine how Klopas used Logan Pause, who is two years younger than Bernier, last season in Chicago, often as that calming influence or to fill a gap when others were unavailable. Or, it could just be that with Bernier coming off surgery and the early season field conditions, never mind the turf at Olympic Stadium, less than ideal, it is better to play it safe with the veteran.
The Rest
Karl Ouimette, Jordan Hamilton, Sam Adekugbe, Nana Attakora, and Rob Friend were all unused substitutes on the bench for their respective sides.
For Hamilton, who became TFC’s ninth homegrown signing back on January 9th, it was his first time in the matchday side.
Oh, and here’s Adekugbe rocking out on the piano:
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All video and quotes courtesy of MLSsoccer.com
Each week James takes a look at the contributions of Canadians in the league and the league as a whole.
You can follow James on twitter @grawsee or read more of his writing at Partially Obstructed View