Patrice Bernier
Bernier returned to Montreal’s starting lineup for their 2-0 win over Columbus on Saturday, helping his side pick up their second win in their last three matches as they look to close the season out on a positive note – it was his eighteenth start and 23rd appearance of the season.
Paired with Felipe at the base of the Impact midfield, Bernier again was nearly perfect on the ball, misplacing just four passes all match, while racking up ten recoveries and a pair of interceptions.
He nearly sprung Marco Di Vaio with a long ball early, but the striker had, surprise, drifted into an offside position prematurely. Bernier then set up Ignacio Piatti for a great chance on the half hour, pressing forward to collect a knockdown from Di Vaio before finding the Argentine near the arc – Columbus keeper, Steve Clark, was equal to the task, pushing the shot wide.
The Brossard, Quebec-native had one crack at goal himself, hitting a shot from distance wide of the right-post and was fortunate not to be punished when caught in possession by Wil Trapp, who set up Adam Bedell for an early chance – the big forward shot straight at Evan Bush.
He would make way for Callum Mallace in the 80th minute with Frank Klopas looking to secure the victory.
It was announced last week that Bernier would be rejoining the Canadian National Team for the first time since a certain match in Honduras. He spoke with the media about potentially reaching the fifty-cap milestone, commenting, “This time, it came out of nowhere. I knew the game was coming up, and I said yes, because it’s a chance to reach 50 caps which really was my objective at the national team level. It’s also an opportunity to catch up with former teammates and see whether the coach has an idea of how fit in his short-term plans.”
Will Johnson
Johnson started his 26th-consecutive match for Portland in their 0-3 win over Vancouver on Saturday, helping his side leapfrog Vancouver into the fifth and final playoff spot in the West – Johnson has been in the starting eleven for every one of the Timbers matches this season, a streak that stretches back into the last, reaching 34 games.
Alongside Diego Chara in the two-man shield ahead of the defense, Johnson, despite being on the road, was allowed to get forward, completing a larger percentage of his passes in the attacking half than in previous away games, while still contributing defensively in keeping the ever-dangerous Pedro Morales under tight wraps.
Early in the match, he touched away a ball from Morales on one occasion when the midfielder was trying to control the flow and then did well to pressure a potentially dangerous shot, deflecting away a clear look at goal from the Chilean.
Breaking forward late, Johnson had one good chance at goal, running onto a loose ball, but his right-footer was over the target. He later whiffed on a bouncing corner kick that fell to him atop the area. One mistake nearly proved costly, as his soft pass led to a turnover, allowing Russell Teibert to feed in Darren Mattocks, but Donovan Ricketts made the required save.
The Toronto-born midfielder will not be involved in Canada’s match, with Portland’s late push up the table a priority.
Dwayne De Rosario
De Rosario has seen limited action this season, appearing in just eleven of Toronto’s 24 matches, but he entered their woeful loss to New England in the 80th minute and provided a much-needed spark to a stagnant side – it was his eighth appearance from the bench.
Replacing Luke Moore in the 80th minute, De Rosario was lively, using his ten-plus minutes on the pitch to craft several chances. Roaming around the pitch, he got past Darius Barnes on the right to force a low ball to the near-post, where AJ Soares alertly cleared.
The Scarborough, Ontario-native then broke down that same side a few minutes later, alertly winning a ball over the usually-imperious Jose Goncalves to test Bobby Shuttleworth with a low drive that nearly squeaked in at the near-post.
Throughout his brief cameo, De Rosario lurked in dangerous positions, had Gilberto left this cross to his teammate, Toronto may have found some consolation.
With Ryan Nelsen exiting the club and Greg Vanney intent on bringing in new faces could this energetic De Rosario help push the club towards their first-ever MLS playoff appearance? Time will tell.
Tesho Akindele
Akindele started his fourteenth-straight match for Dallas in their 1-0 loss at Chicago on Saturday – it was his fifteenth start and eighteenth appearance of the season.
Atop the formation as the lone striker, Akindele was held off the score-sheet for just the fourth time in their last ten matches, having racked up six goals and two assists over that spell.
That said, he was still integral to much of Dallas’ attack, blowing past Bakary Soumare on one play before cutting a ball back to Fabian Castillo, unfortunately it was alertly cut out by Lovell Palmer. His one shot of the match came from a tight angle and was blocked, but he nearly sprung Castillo on a counterattack, dropping deep to collect a loose ball and picking out his teammate with a long pass. Castillo surged past Jeff Larentowicz down the left, but Sean Johnson came up with a big foot save.
The Calgary, Alberta-native was a handful all night, drawing a yellow card out of Soumare, who tripped him up in transition, and settling a cross from Jair Benitez inside the Chicago area to set up a chance for Ryan Hollingshead, who smashed his shot off the bar.
As discussed last week, he will not be part of the Canadian side for the time being, focusing on Dallas’ MLS campaign. Akindele’s solid month has seen his rise in MLSsoccer.com’s Rookie Rankings, taking over top spot in the race for Rookie of the Year.
Russell Teibert
Teibert started his third-straight match for Vancouver in their loss to Portland on Saturday – it was his thirteenth start and twentieth appearance of the season.
Alongside Matias Laba at the base of the Whitecaps midfield, Teibert put in a solid defensive shift, earning praise from Jason deVos on the TSN broadcast at half-time, while also contributing to the attack when possible – a majority of his passing came in the Portland half.
The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native did struggle to match the physicality of Fanendo Adi on one play – many would – getting outmuscled to a ball early and could be accused of being
He did help craft Vancouver’s best look of the game, collecting the ball from Erik Hurtado after a loose Will Johnson touch to play Darren Mattocks in down the right-side of the box, but Mattocks could not settle the ball and his rushed shot was parried over by Donovan Ricketts.
Somewhat surprising, Teibert was left off the Canadian squad called for Tuesday’s match.
Doneil Henry
Henry returned to the TFC starting eleven against New England on Saturday – it was his fifteenth start and seventeenth appearance of the season.
In tandem with Bradley Orr, Henry, the left-sided of the duo, struggled to keep a lid on the Revolution attack from the start, getting caught out by a poor turnover inside of two minutes. While he could have possibly stepped up earlier to
As if his afternoon was not rough enough already, he took a vicious boot to the face in the New England box when AJ Soares cleared a corner kick and was then left helpless on New England’s third, forced
Despite such a dour loss, Henry was still his usual effective self at the back, collecting seven clearances, three interceptions, two clearances, and a block.
He was named to the Canadian side, but recalled from the training camp by TFC for their matches against Philadelphia.
Wandrille Lefevre
Lefevre started a fourth-consecutive match for Montreal in their win over Columbus – it was his ninth start and tenth appearance of the season.
As the left-sided centre-back in unison with Matteo Ferrari, Lefevre was again solid, tallying six clearances, four recoveries, three tackles, two interceptions, and a block as the Impact picked up a solid win – and did TFC a favour in the process.
The French-born defender did make one mistake, giving away a dangerous free-kick, fouling Ethan Finlay above the area, but Federico Higauin spared any potential blushes, wasting the look. There was another nervy moment in the closing minutes when Lefevre nearly got in Evan Bush’s way as the two were over-eager to deal with a cross – just the sort of defensive miscue that has haunted Montreal this season – but the keeper caught and held the ball.
Jonathan Osorio
Osorio started his fifth-straight match for Toronto in that loss to New England – it was his seventeenth start and twentieth appearance of the season.
With TFC trying out a new formation, Osorio moved in-field from his left-sided midfield position to take up the central role behind Gilberto, the lone striker. It did not work well, the Revolution scored twice in the first twenty minutes, and the system was quickly abandoned, Osorio drifting back to his wide position.
Toronto struggled to maintain possession for any significant passages, as such Osorio struggled to impose himself on the match, but he did get on the end of a good chance, drawing a fine save out of Bobby Shuttleworth with a right-footed shot that was bound for the far, top corner just after the hour mark.
It would have been a spectacular finish from the Toronto, Ontario-native and may have changed the match – and who knows whether all the fall-out from the loss would have happened in the same way.
Maxim Tissot
Tissot made a fourth-straight appearance from the bench for the Impact, playing the final half hour in a winning effort against Columbus on Saturday.
Replacing Dilly Duka in the 63rd minute, the Gatineau, Quebec-native took up the wide left-position in midfield, putting in another solid outing, tracking deep to help to shore up the defenses when needed, while also pushing forward.
He made one long sprint to blaze into the box, catching up with a Marco Di Vaio break and finding space towards the back-post, but the Italian veteran overlooked him, shooting into the side-netting instead.
Sam Adekugbe
Adekugbe entered Vancouver’s match in the 80th minute, replacing Jordan Harvey at left-back – it was his second appearance of the season and first since July against Toronto, having overcome an MCL strain that saw him sidelined for much of the season.
He did well in his brief run out, the match having already been decided.
The Rest
Nana Attakora and Kofi Opare were on the bench for both of DC United’s matches this week, while Kyle Bekker, Karl Ouimette and Issey Nakajima-Farran were similarly unused substitutes for their respective sides.
Nine MLS players were named to Canada’s roster for next Tuesday’s match against Jamaica at BMO Field, tickets for the Voyageurs sections can be purchased here.
Ashtone Morgan and Doneil Henry were recalled from the Canadian Camp to travel to Philadelphia with Toronto. Whether they are available for the match on Tuesday is yet to be seen.
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