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.
With Toronto FC on a bye week, the Canadian quota dropped markedly – just five players saw the pitch this weekend.
The top three spots go to Patrice Bernier – back to his old assured self on the more forgiving surface at Stade Saputo, Will Johnson – imperious, if defensive, away at Houston, and Karl Ouimette – another solid, if unspectacular, shift on the Montreal back-line.
Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Patrice Bernier
Bernier maintained his starting spot for Montreal in their 1-0 win over Philadelphia on Saturday – it was his fourth start and seventh appearance of the season.
From his position at the base of the midfield, paired with Collen Warner, Bernier was allowed the luxury of playing a more expansive game – that he could finally push himself on a more comfortable surface, likely played a small role in the revitalization of what had been a rather quiet season, though getting up to pace after off-season surgery likely had its part.
That more-attacking outlook played a crucial role in the match, as it was a forward-leaning Bernier that helped his side find the much-needed breakthrough in the 14th minute.
Sheanon Williams attempted to play a simple inside ball from his right-back position, looking for Maurice Edu in the middle, but Bernier read his intentions and swooped in to intercept the soft pass.
Bearing toward goal down the attacking left-channel, Bernier opted to unleash a corker of a shot from some 25 yards; the right-footer in the misty rain was too much for Philadelphia keeper Zac MacMath to handle, spilling the rebound in the box.
An alert Felipe beat a pair of Union defenders to the loose ball to touch the rebound in and give Montreal the lead – one they would protect for their first win of the season:
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He would not be rewarded with an assist – as a rebound, the goal was unassisted (unless one counts MacMath’s spill) – but that goal was entirely due to Bernier’s reading of the game and awareness of the wet conditions to get a shot on the keeper to see what would happen. That is what one wants from a captain, to step up when the chips are down and do something to lift the spirits of the club – do not be surprised if this goal, and by extension the win, prove to be a turning point for Montreal’s season.
Aside from that offensive burst, Bernier generally locked down the middle of the park. He had a good running battle with Edu, and helped the Impact keep a rather dangerous opposition midfield, including Vincent Nogueira, who has been the creative spark for the Union, quiet for most of the match.
The Brossard, Quebec-native completed 28 of 37 passes, had one shot on target, won two headers and two tackles, and made twelve recoveries, five interceptions, and three clearances, losing possession nine times throughout.
Prior to game day, Bernier had discussed the current problems that led to the seven-match winless start, proffering, “We have to be more efficient in front of goal and better defensively, it’s simple. We have been playing well in moments, but not complete games. Finding a win now won’t be pretty, but it will be based on winning the ball, being effective in our zone and efficient in all that we do. It might not be pretty, but it will improve the confidence.”
And how he would approach the weekend’s match, “Every game is a new game; it might be tough mentally, but we have to believe in what we are doing and that if we work hard we will see the light at the end of the tunnel. We can’t overanalyze things and just believe in ourselves to find a way to win. Sometimes that means playing simpler. It’s not one player that will make the difference, so we have to leave it all on the field. We’ve had really good moments this year, so we are capable of playing well; we just need to do it for 90 minutes now.”
Post-match he reflected on the Impact’s first win of the season, “We are very pleased to get this win. The conditions weren’t ideal, and coming from our difficult start, it was good to push through. Now we finally got to see what happens when we put the same level of effort in the game as when we train.”
Montreal now have the weekend off, before travelling to either Ottawa or Edmonton for the opening leg of their Voyageurs Cup series next Wednesday. They return to league play, welcoming Kansas City to Stade Saputo, on May 10th.
Will Johnson
Johnson started his eighth-straight match for Portland as the Timbers travelled down to Houston on Sunday, but could not find that elusive first victory, drawing 1-1 – he has started every match this season and finished each but one.
Back on the road, Johnson reverted to a more defensive posture – a flexibility he has oft displayed this season – seldom getting forward, preferring to sit back and spray passes about.
Paired, as always, with Diego Chara, Johnson was tasked with shoring up the back-line and imposing himself upon any situation he deemed worthy of his attention, whether tracking the movements of Brad Davis, confronting Oscar Boniek Garcia, or drifting wide to snuff out the attacks of Kofi Sarkodie on the right-flank – not to mention his running battles with Will Bruin and Giles Barnes, the latter of whom gave the Canadian a solid body check at one point.
But it was his tangles with Davis that would prove most critical, getting suckered into a challenge on one occasion – it is telling that Davis’ cross that led to Bruin’s opener came when the midfielder had stayed wide enough for Johnson to not track out to close him down.
Gaston Fernandez would level the match before the end of the first half, but neither side could find the winner as the humidity and warmth of the Houston sun drained the energy from the game.
The Toronto-born midfielder completed an astonishing 60 of 61 passes – misplacing just one headed-pass in the 38th minute, had one shot that drifted wide from range, won all four of his tackles and one header, and made five recoveries and three clearances, while losing possession just that once.
Nobody is more disappointed than Johnson in Portland’s struggles, going winless through eight matches to start their second year under Caleb Porter. Earlier in the week Johnson spoke about their loss at Salt Lake, “It was a tough one, no doubt about it. Our game plan was put together fantastically well by the coaching staff, and we executed probably 99 percent of the plays that we should have, so it was really tough. This game will test you like that; it’s not a game for the weak. It’s a character-building moment for us, for sure. I think we can draw upon it.”
He continued, “Spirit in the group is good; we’re together. We know this is not how we wanted to start the season, but it’s testing our character. It’s testing us to the maximum, that’s for sure. When results go against you like they have, and you don’t get the results that you want, the tension and pressure builds, and it can tear apart a team. But that’s not happening with this group. We’re sticking together, and we’re going to keep fighting and fight harder and do whatever it takes to turn this around.”
Post-match, he looked to the draw as a catalyst, “We have to find a way to turn these performances that are solid, good defensive road performances into wins. On one hand, we made plays defensively, and we feel good coming from behind to get a point on the road. We hadn’t been able to do that in the first three road games of the year. From that point of view it’s positive, but when you squander leads at home you have to turn these games into wins.”
And looked forward to next week back at home against DC on Saturday, “You have to win your home games; you have to perform well. Defensively, we have to build on what we’ve done in the last two weeks. We have to finish a few more chances. We know we’re good enough, we know we’re capable, but it’s time to start [picking up three points].”
Karl Ouimette
Ouimette made his third-straight start for Montreal in their win over Philadelphia – it was his fourth-appearance of the season.
As the left-sided centre-back, paired again with veteran Matteo Ferrari, Ouimette was instrumental at keeping a dangerous Philadelphia attack, one that included former teammate Andrew Wenger, at bay.
He saw an early yellow card in the 16th minute after he stepped into the midfield to upend Edu and snuff out a transition – it was his second booking of the season, having picked up one last match against Kansas City:
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That willingness to get stuck in showed itself repeated, most notably when he confronted Danny Cruz out on the touch-line with sharp challenge – which was rather enjoyable to watch.
The Terrebonne, Quebec-native completed just sixteen of his thirty passes – though largely due to launches and headed passes, which are always less-likely to be accurate, won three headers and three tackles, committed one foul, for which he was booked, and made eight recoveries, three blocks, interceptions, and clearances, while losing possession fifteen times – again due to the launches and headed balls.
It is a good sign of Frank Klopas’ growing faith in the young centre-back that even though Hassoun Camara is fit, Ouimette has held onto the starting position.
Russell Teibert
Teibert made his sixth-straight start for Vancouver in their come-from-behind 2-2 draw at Salt Lake – it was his seventh start of the season, but for a second-straight match he was removed in the second half, as Carl Robinson sought to change things up with the Whitecaps trailing.
On the right-side of the midfield, Teibert was allowed a more attacking role than he had been given in the two matches against LA.
But virtually his first touch of the match led to Salt Lake’s opener, when his errant pass was easily intercepted by Chris Schuler, eventually allowing Chris Wingert to slot a ball up to Joao Plata, who opened the scoring in the 2nd minute:
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He tried desperately to make amends for that slight error, but with Salt Lake in the ascendancy, it was difficult for Vancouver to mount much of an attack – their best chance of the first half did come from a lovely Teibert cross bound for Jordan Harvey; Nick Rimando was equal to the challenge, tipping it over the bar:
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Taking up corner kicks duties, Teibert’s service on the night was excellent – perhaps his best of the season – even winning them himself, hustling to keep the ball in and force Wingert into conceding.
He had one final really good run around the hour mark - Darren Mattocks overlooked how much space Teibert had in front of him, opting to go to Miller on the left instead; his weak shot was easily handled – before making way for Sebastian Fernandez in the 61st minute.
The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native completed 32 of 41 passes, had one shot – blocked, won two tackles and suffered a foul, and made three recoveries and one interception, while losing possession thirteen times.
Vancouver will look to end a four-match winless run next Saturday when they host San Jose.
Maxim Tissot
Tissot made his second-straight appearance for Montreal late against Philadelphia having started in Kansas City last weekend – replacing Marco Di Vaio in the 78th minute, prompting Jack McInerney to move from the left into the striking position as Tissot took up the left-flank.
Five minutes in he had a chance that was not dissimilar to his goal in Chicago last season, running onto a Felipe pass around the left-side of the box, but MacMath was equal to the challenge, closing him down quickly and forcing his lunging attempt wide:
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In his twelve-plus minutes on the pitch, the Gatineau, Quebec-native completed both his passes, had that one shot wide, won and lost a tackle and lost possession once.
The Rest
Sam Adekugbe was on the bench for Vancouver in Salt Lake – it was his second time in the game-day eighteen for the Whitecaps, though he has yet to see the pitch in league play.
Kofi Opare made an appearance in LA Galaxy II’s Friday night clash against the Orange County Blues, winning 0-3 at Anteater Stadium on the campus of UC Irvine.
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.
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