Canadian Content MLS Round 06 – How did our Canadians do in MLS this week? - 24th Minute

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.

The top three spots this round go to an imperious Will Johnson, a tenacious Russell Teibert, and dead-ball specialist, Kyle Bekker, with honourable mentions for Karl Ouimette, Jordan Hamilton, Tesho Akindele, and Kofi Opare.

Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

Will Johnson

Johnson started his sixth-straight match for Portland in their 1-1 draw against Chivas USA on Saturday night.

Unsatisfied with his side’s inability to find a win, Johnson took it upon himself with his most attacking display this season.

He opened the scoring in the 7th minute, taking advantage of Carlos Bocanegra’s shoe change, to drive into the box via a centre-back shaped hole, to receive a neat poked pass from Darlington Nagbe and drill a low right-footed shot past Dan Kennedy to the bottom left-corner of the goal:

It was his first of five shots on the night and his first goal of the 2014 season, having accrued nine last year.

He would nearly add a second before the half was done, making an opportunistic run into the wide open right-side of the box to receive a pass from Diego Valeri, but his right-footer aimed to the top right-corner of the goal could only find the outside netting:

Chivas would take advantage of Portland’s inability to press the home advantage and add a second goal in the 79th minute, when Cubo Torres equalized.

But Johnson would have one last chance to will his side to victory from a 92nd minute free-kick, slightly to the right of the arc, about 25 yards from goal. His right-footed effort would clear the wall, but did not bend quite enough, striking the outside of the woodwork:

The Toronto-born midfielder was all over the pitch, completing 35 of 47 passes, attempting five shots – one on target for the goal, and four off, including two direct free-kicks, winning four headers and a pair of tackles, committing and suffering a foul, while making nine recoveries and four clearances. He conceded possession twelve times throughout.

Russell Teibert

Teibert made his fourth-straight start for Vancouver in their 1-0 loss at Los Angeles on Saturday night – it was his fifth-start of the season, having missed one match due to injury.

Tasked with a different role against the dangerous Galaxy attack, Teibert was stationed alongside Gershon Koffie as the two formed a very active shield in front of the Whitecaps back-line. The duo of Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan are notorious for their ability to drop back into the midfield to find pockets of space and wreck havoc upon vulnerable opponents.

In recent weeks, it has been hard to determine exactly what new coach, Carl Robinson’s intended role for Teibert was – the attacking flare which gained him extended notoriety last season seemed to have dried up, though he was more involved in the matches, which seemed contradictory.

Well, there was little doubt as to his instructions in this match – track Keane and cause him trouble, as Robinson sought to eliminate the effectiveness of his former Wolverhampton teammate.

It did not take long for a feisty Teibert to get under the Irishman’s skin, who reacted by shoving the Canadian away and yapping at the referee after Teibert dared put an arm on the legend – it was the first of many such pesky confrontations throughout the match.

At half-time, Teibert was asked about engaging in few tricks from his hockey playing days with a hook, he answered, “just playing the game,” and when asked if he enjoyed the more aggressive role, he said, more-or-less, “Yes, aggressive, disciplined, it’s hard-work, and I enjoy that.”

But Keane would have the last laugh, as he scored the winner just 71 seconds after the restart. It would be unfair to blame Teibert, as Koffie was the one who failed to track his runner and Andy O’Brien was caught ball-watching as Keane snuck behind; could he have recognized the danger and abandoned his role? Perhaps.

In need of an equalizer, Teibert pressed forward a little more through the latter stages of the second half, making one very nice play in particular, reading a LA pass in the centre-circle and alertly swooping in at pace to intercept the ball and spring a counter. But the match was already lost.

The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native completed 37 of 44 passes, made five recoveries, three interceptions, and two clearances, committed and suffered a single foul, and won his only tackle of the game, while conceding possession nine times.

His disappointment (with a hint of pleasure at the mention of the Keane tussles), having put in such a hard shift, was palpable in his post-match interview:

Kyle Bekker

Bekker followed up his impressive outing in Columbus with an even better showing in a losing effort against Colorado on Saturday, making a second-straight start – his third appearance of the season.

What drew the eye against the Crew was his defensive awareness, racking up some strong numbers in support of Michael Bradley on the road, but with Bradley out, it was his attacking contribution that was most impressive.

Paired in the middle with Jeremy Hall, Bekker was the primary ball-mover, attempting a whopping 66 passes, while tending to nearly every free-kick, including corners.

He had one particularly impressive run, cutting through a number of defenders and eating up 40 yards of pitch with a series of lovely one-twos, but where he really made his impact was from dead-balls.

He nearly put TFC ahead in the 76th minute, when his right-footed attempt from twenty yards out (well to the right of the arc), was whipped around the wall and nearly snuck in past Clint Irwin, caroming off the outside of the post:

And in stoppage-time, having gone behind after Edson Buddle scored on the break up-field after his first post-hit, he had the fortitude to waive Gilberto off a 94th minute free-kick, curling another right-footer over the wall to kiss off the intersection of the woodwork:

Last season Bekker caved under pressure from the likes of Bobby Convey, shying away from such efforts – was a positive sign to see the confidence emerge to take the result into his hands.

The Oakville, Ontario-native completed 43 of his 66 passes, took two shots – those free-kicks, won four headers and three tackles, and committed three fouls, while making seven recoveries, three interceptions, and one clearance. Somewhat concerning was his 23 turnovers – though for some reason, corner kicks seem to count as both passes and turnovers in the chalkboard matrix.

It was far from a perfect outing, but it’s those glimpses that should see him garner far more minutes this year than last.

Afterwards, Coach Ryan Nelsen commented on his outing, “I thought he was brilliant today and one of our standout players. He is showing a high level of maturity which has been showing through his hard work.”

And Bekker himself, was interviewed, giving some cracking answers, including the following exchange: Question – “What were your thoughts when the ball left your foot on both free kicks?” Answer – “Goal”

Karl Ouimette

Ouimette was immense in his first start of the season as Montreal battled Chicago to a 1-1 draw on Saturday afternoon – it was his second appearance of the season.

As the left-sided centre-back, paired with Matteo Ferrari, Ouimette battled all match with the in-form Quincy Amarikwa – a difficult task to be sure.

His defensive contributions were very impressive – racking up ten recoveries, nine clearances, four interceptions, and three blocks – as his chalkboard evidences.

Though he was partially to blame on Amarikwa’s equalizer, as both he and Collen Warner go up with Jeff Larentowicz for a header from the corner kick, leaving Amarikwa alone when Mike Magee puts the rebound back into the middle:

It appeared as though Warner was the guiltiest party, leaving his man, but one would want a central defender to recognize the danger posed by a hot striker and recover a useful position rather than ball-watch in such a situation.

The Terrebonne, Quebec-native completed an impressive 39 of 46 passes, won six headers and five of his six tackles, committed and suffered a foul each way, and lost possession eight times, as well as racking up those impressive defensive numbers.

Post-match he commented, on what he has done to stay sharp and work his way into the team, “I’ve been working hard the whole year at every training session. I just have to do even better next time and keep evolving as a player.”

Issey Nakajima-Farran

Nakajima-Farran made his first start for TFC in the loss against Colorado – it was his third-straight appearance for the club having joined two matches into the season.

Replacing the injured Alvaro Rey on the left-side of midfield, Issey (can only type Nakajima-Farran so many times), was very lively, ranging all over the pitch to pop up and cause trouble for Colorado, linking very well with Justin Morrow on the overlap and the two TFC forwards when they dropped off.

He did struggle to get his shots off in a timely fashion, as both attempts were blocked, but may have followed up his goal in Columbus with another, if Dwayne De Rosario had left this cross to Issey, who made a very sharp run to get into the box for Jackson’s cross:

It is that situational awareness, a football intelligence of when to make runs – as with his goal in Columbus - that will make Nakajima-Farran a very useful piece of a Toronto side that had many questioning their depth after the first few names on the team-sheet.

The Calgary, Alberta-native completed 32 of 38 passes, took two shots – both blocked, won three headers and both his tackles, committed one foul and suffered three, while making nine recoveries and one interception. He lost possession eleven times.

Dwayne De Rosario

De Rosario made a second-straight start for TFC in their loss to Colorado – it was his fifth-appearance of the season, figuring in all of Toronto’s matches.

Paired up top again with Gilberto in the continued absence of Jermain Defoe, De Rosario was once more very active in the attack. He missed that headed chance shown above, had a weak shot easily dealt with by Clint Irwin at the start of the second half and then nearly opened the scoring in the 59th minute, rising up sharply to meet a corner kick headed back into the middle by Jackson, but went over the bar:

He would make way for Andrew Wiedeman, shortly thereafter, in the 67th minute, seeming to be struggling with a slight muscle tweak – he was listed as questionable heading into the match with a calf contusion.

Though he has yet to factor on the score-sheet this season, De Rosario, has been a dangerous, if slightly muted, attacking presence for Toronto. It will be interesting to see how he figures in Toronto’s plans once he shakes off these muscle injuries and hits his stride.

The Scarborough, Ontario-native completed eleven of his nineteen passes, had four attempts at goal – one shot on, one blocked, and two headers, over and wide, committing and suffering a foul each, while adding one recovery and one clearance in his 67 minutes of play.

Patrice Bernier

Bernier began the match on the bench for the third-straight match in Montreal’s draw against Chicago on Saturday, entering the fray after half-time, replacing Andres Romero to shore up the midfield as the Impact transitioned from a two-striker system to a 4-2-3-1 – it was his fifth-appearance of the season and third from the bench.

Chicago would equalize through Amarikwa nine minutes into the half and the rest of the match played out without either side really threatening; Bernier excelled with his usual excellent ball-movement, but was a little off on that dreadful carpet, misplacing ten passes – he, amongst others, cannot wait for Stade Saputo to open for the summer at the end of April.

His hockey skills looked a little rusty as he let Jeff Larentowicz get the angle on him as the two battled for a ball heading for the touch-line, paying the price with a crunching body check.

The Brossard, Quebec-native completed 24 of 34 passes, won five tackles and three headers, committed a pair of fouls, suffering one, and made four recoveries, two clearances, and one interception in his 45 minutes of action.

Rob Friend

Friend made his third-appearance of the season for LA in their 1-0 win over Vancouver on Saturday night, replacing Marcelo Sarvas in the 79th minute – it was his second such as a substitute.

With Vancouver pressing for an equalizer, Friend was tasked with providing an aerial target and outlet, which he handled well, winning four headers and getting thoroughly involved despite having just eleven minutes on the pitch.

Three minutes after entering, with virtually his first touch of the game, he was sent in alone when Robbie Keane alertly dummied a long Omar Gonzalez header, drawing Jay DeMerit out of position, but Friend scuffed his chance wide:

It was a chance that came a little too quickly, as David Ousted was out in a hurry to close the angle, which wasn’t particularly great in the first place – but still, would like to see him be a little more clinical than that.

He had another good look, from a more familiar pattern of play, rising up over Jordan Harvey for a header, but again he went harmlessly wide:

To be kind, it was a bit of an off-night for him in the scoring department….

The Rosetown, Saskatchewan-native completed six of his eight passes, won four headers, made three recoveries, and attempted two shots – both wide, losing possession just twice, while suffering a single foul.

Jordan Hamilton

Hamilton made his MLS debut in Toronto’s loss to Colorado on Saturday, replacing Mark Bloom in the 89th minute as TFC pressed for an equalizer.

He looked lively, if a little unsure of exactly what to do in a frantic closing minutes full of long hopeful punts and numbers pressed forward.

The Scarborough, Ontario-native completed his only pass – helping a simple touch to Andrew Wiedeman – and then got into the box for Gilberto’s cross, only for a necessary touch from Shane O’Neill to prevent the ball from falling to him near the penalty spot in the 94th minute. What an introduction that could have been.

Tesho Akindele

Akindele also made his MLS debut in the waning moments of Dallas’ 2-3 loss to Seattle on Saturday.

Entering the match for David Texeira in the 86th minute, after the Sounders had taken the lead through Clint Dempsey, Akindele was very active, pestering a turnover out of Djimi Traore who tried to shield a ball out for a goal-kick.

The Calgary, Alberta-born forward failed to complete his one pass – a cross-field ball to Zach Loyd at the back-post looking to open up the opponent’s defense, but won his one tackle – on Traore, and lost possession that one time with the cross.

The Rest

Ashtone Morgan, Kofi Opare, Kyle Porter, and Nana Attakora were all unused substitutes for their respective sides, Toronto, LA, and DC times two, respectively.

Opare returned from a right adductor problem that has dogged his preseason in LA Galaxy II’s match last Monday evening, going the entire ninety minutes in a 4-2 win over Oklahoma Energy FC, making a huge late block as the Energy looked for goals.

He said afterwards, “I want to present Bruce with an option in case he needs another defender. I want to show him that I am available if he needs me, but from a personal standpoint, it’s important to just be ready whenever in case I get the call to ask the team.”

Paul Stalteri was in attendance when Toronto lost to Colorado, watching the match with Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley from the comfort of a private box.

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

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Canadian Content MLS Round 06 – How did our Canadians do in MLS this week?

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