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.
Strictly speaking, the top three spots go to familiar names - Will Johnson, Kyle Porter, and Jonathan Osorio – but special mentions must be given to two new faces – Kyle Bekker and Sam Adekugbe – who both impressed this weekend.
Find out what they did to deserve recognition and who else earned their keep this week.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Will Johnson
Johnson made his eighth-straight start for Portland in the 0-5 hammering of Chivas on Saturday – it was his 28th start of the season, assisting his side in locking up top spot in the West and their first ever playoff berth.
Paired again at the base of the midfield alongside Diego Chara, Johnson was his usual effective self.
Getting forward regularly, he crafted a great chance for Darlington Nagbe, who opted to pass rather than take on a shot, wasting the opportunity, and it was his initial ball for Jose Valencia that led to Diego Valeri’s opening goal after sixteen minutes:
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When not picking apart the terrible Ameri-Goats with his passing – completing 45 of 58, by the way – he was sending inviting free-kicks into the box – a delicate chip lead to a Pa Modou Kah chance – or testing the keeper with stingers – this one was punched away – before capping off the night with a fifth goal from a free-kick in the 76th minute on the left-edge of the box, after winning the chance himself:
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It was his ninth goal of the season – triple his career-best set last season.
Johnson had four shots on the night – two on and two off (including this slicer wide) – won four fouls and a tackle, made four recoveries, two clearances, and an interception, while losing possession fourteen times.
Post-match the Toronto-born midfielder commented on entering the playoffs on such a positive note, “I don’t know if it motivates us any more than we were. We are excited. We are ready to go. Obviously, it gives us a little boost of confidence. Valeri gets a few goals and Rodney Wallace gets another nice goal, and these are guys that we need scoring goals in the playoffs. I think it just gives the team a good boost and a good shutout for our defenders as well, so everybody is going in nice and confident into the biggest games of the year.”
And declared no preferences on whom their opponent will be, “No, I don’t think so. LA, Seattle and Colorado are all quality teams. We have had great battles with all of them throughout the year. I don’t think anyone is more advantageous to draw than the other. I think it’s a total even fill this year.”
Johnson appeared on Pitch Pass midweek, discussing a wide range of topics, including music, life in Portland, and Dutch Football.
Kyle Porter
Porter returned to the starting lineup for DC United in their 1-2 loss to Houston on Sunday – it was his first start in their last four matches and just his second in ten. He was a late addition to the eleven when Collin Martin pulled up injured in the warm-ups.
With both Chris Pontius and Nick DeLeon returning to fitness, Porter has found his playing time limited of late, though with this inclusion his totals - 27 appearances and eighteen starts – are impressive enough for his first season in MLS.
On the right-side of the midfield, Porter was energetic; tracking deep into his own box early and getting forward with abandon, while linking up well with Chris Korb – nearly responding shortly after DC had fallen behind in the twentieth minute, chesting a ball down to Korb, who tested Tally Hall with a blast.
Porter himself would find that equalizer in the 27th minute, winning the header at the back-post over Corey Ashe after Pontius had hung an end-line cross up from the left for him to finish:
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It was his third goal of the season – two of which have come in the last six weeks, when minutes were scarce – to put him into a tie for most on the team, though trailing own-goal (of which DC has scored four, on themselves).
When not scoring, he was springing attacks – splitting the defense with a lovely ball for Conor Doyle that should have led to a chance, but was wasted – and mixing it up with the Houston defenders, before making way for DeLeon after 59 minutes.
The Toronto, Ontario-native completed a strong 21 of 24 passes, took one shot – his headed goal, made five recoveries and a clearance, won a pair of fouls and one tackle, while conceding possession five times.
Post-match he reflected on the season, “We got the Open Cup out of this season. It’s just been a tough year, overall. The leading goal-scorer is only with 3 goals. I think three of us are tied for that. It’s just tough. Games like this, we just slip away. That’s been the story the whole season. It’s tough.”
And looked forward to next, “We have some time now to reflect on the season and bounce back for next season. Hopefully, this is the opposite. We are at the top of the league next year. Hopefully, things can change. We showed we can play with the best teams in this league. We have great players on this team. This is a learning experience this year. We can only grow from here. I have all faith in our organization and our team to get the job done next year.”
Porter was a guest on Anthony Totera’s Red Card last week.
Jonathan Osorio
Osorio made a third-straight start for Toronto in their 1-0 win over Montreal on Saturday – it was his eighteenth start and 28th appearance of the season.
Paired in the midfield with fellow Canadian, Kyle Bekker, Osorio was immense, moving the ball incredibly well, stifling the more-experienced Impact midfielders, and generally bossing the match.
It was his shot that led to the match’s only goal, redirected by Robert Earnshaw in the 16th minute – earning his first assist of the season:
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His tenacity nearly created another when he forced a sloppy turnover out of Hernan Bernardello and unleashed a shot, drawing a good save out of Troy Perkins and later dragged another shot just wide of the far-post.
It was his corner kick that prompted the need for a goal-line clearance of a Steven Caldwell dribbler from Bernardello and his cross that Bright Dike nearly turned in at the back-post, though he tried to play one too many passes when breaking into the box, allowing Wandrille Lefevre to steal in with a last-ditch challenge.
The Toronto, Ontario-native completed 59 of 73 passes, took four shots – one on, two off, and one blocked, won two tackles and two fouls, conceding one, and made eleven recoveries, two clearances, and one interception, while losing possession seventeen times.
Kyle Bekker
Bekker made his second-straight start for Toronto against Montreal – it was his third start and ninth appearance of the season.
Patrolling the centre of the pitch alongside Osorio, Bekker was again excellent, leading to the obvious question of why it took so long for him to see significant minutes with TFC’s season clearly ended months ago.
Whether moving the ball well or tracking deep to support his back-line, Bekker did very well, at least until he started to tire around the hour mark and TFC started leaving too many spaces for Montreal to exploit, leading to a nervy close.
He had a weak shot on goal, getting his range and power set, before dinging a sweet left-footer off the bar.
Defensively, Bekker still showed some holes in his match, failing to spot the danger of Davy Arnaud – forcing Joe Bendik to make a brilliant save – and then allowing Andrew Wenger to attack the near-post unfettered, though his attempt went wide.
The Oakville, Ontario-native completed 56 of 67 passes, took three shots – one on and two off, made five recoveries, three interceptions, two clearances and a block, conceded one foul and lost possession twelve times.
Ryan Nelsen heaped praise on his young, domestic central-midfield pairing, “It was two rookies playing in midfield against a very experienced Montreal midfield group and I thought they were fantastic. I thought they controlled the midfield very well. Both are so comfortable on the ball and they looked like experienced players out there.”
Russell Teibert
Teibert returned to Vancouver’s starting lineup in their 3-0 win over Colorado on Sunday after entering from the bench through their last three meetings – it was his nineteenth start and 24th appearance of the season.
Stationed on the right-side of the four-man midfield, Teibert was tasked with a slightly more defensive role than he was allowed in Martin Rennie’s 4-3-3, limiting his ability to roam. But still he would occasionally pop up at various spots on the field, spraying passes all over the pitch, including this switch wide-left to Daigo Kobayashi to set up a chance for Camilo early.
With the start of the second half, Teibert appeared to move more centrally, swapping places with Kobayashi in order to increasingly get on the ball and provide his teammate with a little more space on the right.
From that central position, Teibert set up Camilo’s hat-trick-completing and Golden-Boot-winning goal in the 84th minute, lifting a pass over the back-line for the Brazilian to finish:
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The two would celebrate in the corner, with Camilo giving his precious boot a good polish in gratitude.
The Niagara Falls, Ontario-native completed a thorough 49 of 55 passes, made eight recoveries and two interceptions, won two fouls and a tackle, while losing possession eight times.
Sam Adekugbe
Adekugbe, an eighteen-year old left-back who was signed to a homegrown contract on August 28 and called into a national team camp in September, made his first MLS appearance for Vancouver against Colorado.
A product of their residency program, the London-born defender of Nigerian-descent gave a strong account of himself, barely putting a foot wrong against several much more-experienced opponents such as Edson Buddle, Nick LaBrocca, and Marvell Wynne.
Vancouver did a very good job of surrounding the youngster with considerate teammates – Jay DeMerit to his right and Nigel Reo-Coker in front of him, who both made sure he was never put into a bind, always available for a pass.
Adekugbe kept his game simple, making short quick passes and being conservative in getting forward.
His first cross early in the match was a little over-hit – working out the nerves – though it drew a response from Clint Irwin, who peeled to the back-post to collect it, but soon he got into the proceedings, scything down Wynne – for which he received a talking too – before getting hacked down by LaBrocca, drawing a yellow card.
Gaining confident throughout, he attempted to take on Wynne, but his nutmeg attempt did not get through, and he made a brilliant recovery after being beat by Buddle on an initial header, to intervene on a loose ball in the box, for which he was crunched – requiring treatment and returning to the pitch shortly thereafter, if still smarting.
The rookie completed a solid 53 of 68 passes, made four recoveries, two clearances and one interception, won three headers and one each of tackles and fouls, losing and conceding one each as well, and conceding possession seventeen times.
Kofi Opare
Opare made his fifth-straight start for Los Angeles in their 1-1 draw at Seattle on Sunday – it was his sixth start of the season, all of which have come in the last two months.
As the left-sided centre-back, paired with Omar Gonzalez, Opare was again impressive, containing a hungry Seattle attack and limiting their chances to a minimal.
His duel with Eddie Johnson carried on through the night, began early with Johnson gave his the slightest of nudges into the ad boards, but Opare had the last laugh – repeatedly – coming out wide to block a cross, reading the potential danger with a good recovery run to clear – for which he earned praise from Taylor Twellman on the broadcast.
The Niagara Falls, Ontario-based defender looked a little shaken up after taking a whack from Michael Gspurning on a Landon Donovan free-kick, but recovered his wits to make a huge last second block on a Djimi Traore overhead kick from a stoppage-time corner kick.
Opare completed a near-perfect sixteen of seventeen passes, made fifteen clearances, three recoveries, and a block, won two fouls and a header, and lost possession just once.
Ashtone Morgan
Morgan made his seventh-consecutive start for Toronto against Montreal – it was his twentieth start and 22nd appearance of the season.
From his left-back position, Morgan struggled a little defensively, but did much better in possession than he had in recent weeks.
When isolated out wide against Justin Mapp, Morgan, like many other MLS defenders, struggled to prevent the in-form wide man from getting balls into the box - leading to a first half chance for Wenger (his header went wide).
He later let Mapp cut inside onto his left-foot to set up the Arnaud chance and allowed Hassoun Camara to get in the low ball that led to the Wenger chance in the second half, both mentioned above.
It was not entirely of his own making; with Bobby Convey ahead not tracking back and Nelsen opting to play without a designated defensive midfielder, Morgan was regularly stranded and left with the unenviable task of overstretching himself and getting burnt.
That said, the Toronto, Ontario-native got forward well and was slightly more careful with the ball – completing 33 of 51 passes and ten of fourteen throws – while making five recoveries and two clearances, winning all three of his tackles and a pair of fouls, conceding two, while losing possession 21 times.
Afterwards, he spoke of getting one over on Montreal, “Definitely, we came out today to break some hearts, especially against our rivals. It’s a great feeling to get the points, get the win and you know, and our defensive line play together and we were all on the same page and that is what helped us win the game.*“
And ending on a high note, “This was a playoff atmosphere game. We’re going to take all the positives out of it and carry on forward for next season.”
Doneil Henry
Henry made his fifth-straight start for Toronto at home to Montreal – it was his nineteenth start and twentieth appearance of the season.
He spoke prior to the match with TFC TV.
As the left-sided centre-back, Henry was his usual solid self, enjoying a running battle with Wenger, while helping to keep Marco Di Vaio under wraps.
At the offensive end, Henry got a flick on an Alvaro Rey corner kick from the near-post that led to Caldwell’s header that nicked off the top of the bar.
He did make at least one mistake, letting the cross get through to Di Vaio that the forward touched into the net with his arm, but was spared by the sharp eyes of the officials.
The Brampton, Ontario-native completed seventeen of 28 passes, won six headers and both his tackles, made ten clearances, three recoveries, three interceptions, and a block, while conceding a pair of fouls and losing possession eleven times.
His was interviewed post-match as well.
Dwayne De Rosario
De Rosario made his first start in five matches for DC United against his former club, Houston on Sunday – it was his seventeenth start and 24th appearance of the season.
Paired up top with Conor Doyle, functioning more as a withdrawn forward rather than a true striker, De Rosario was active, linking up with teammates and making the best of the end of a bad season.
It was his pass to Pontius that helped create Porter’s goal and he nearly sprung Pontius again later with a long pass that came to nothing. He also threaded a ball down the right for Korb that the right-back in turn squared for Pontius, but again DC could not make the attacking moves count – the story of their season.
He sliced one of his five shots – two off and three blocked – horribly wide and he and Doyle wasted that glorious Porter ball by failing to combine effectively on the break.
There was an interesting little passage late in the match where Brad Davis played the ball out thinking Dwayne was injured and De Rosario preferred to play on rather than return possession to Houston - cheeky.
The Scarborough, Ontario-native completed thirty of forty passes, made two recoveries and one interception, won a pair of fouls and conceded three, and lost possession twelve times.
Post-match he spoke about his prospects for returning to the club next season, “I like it here. I think the future definitely looks bright for things to come. Obviously, Champions League is huge. It’s always a good competition to be a part of. It’s going to come fast – I think the first game is somewhere between February or March – so we just have to be prepared…”
And, on what needed to change for the club, “A lot of things need to change, so hopefully we can work on those things” before delving into specifics, “I think a lot of us could do a lot of improvement in the offseason, mentally and physically, preparation-wise. So, all of us have to come to the table next year, first and foremost, look in the mirror, say, ‘What could I have done better?’ And as a group, how can we move forward and learn from our mistakes.”
He has a few more seasons in him yet, but will he be in DC next year?
Wandrille Lefevre
Lefevre returned to the Montreal starting lineup in their loss at Toronto – it was his fourth start (all in the last month) and sixth appearance of the season.
Stationed on the left of the centre-back pairing, Lefevre struggled to shine in a dismal Impact side that was lacking the effort called for by such a match.
With little movement ahead of him, he was too often trying to force long, low percentage passes under the high-pressure of TFC, a combination that led to the only goal when, under pressure from Dike, Lefevre’s pass was intercepted by Osorio to spring a counter; the centre-back then dove into Dike in the box, leaving space for Osorio to take his shot.
The French-born centre-back took a glancing blow in his battles with Dike and looked a little shaken up, but stayed in the match and made an excellent intervention when Earnshaw and Osorio attempted one pass too many.
He was shown a yellow card in the 93rd minute for tripping up Justin Braun in transition.
Lefevre completed just twelve of 29 passes – too many long attempts, won four headers and two fouls, conceding one, made five each of recoveries and interceptions, and three clearances, while losing possession some eighteen times.
Karl Ouimette
Ouimette made his third-straight start for Montreal against TFC – it was his sixth start and seventh appearance of the season.
Again stationed at left-back, Ouimette was troubled by the constant cycling of the Toronto forwards and midfielders, each drifting out wide to outnumber and pass circles (well, more triangles) around him.
Like Morgan for TFC, he was left a little isolated with Felipe, Arnaud, and Bernardello roaming about.
The Terrebonne, Quebec-native completed sixteen of 25 passes, won seven headers and a pair of tackles, made five interceptions, three clearances and three recoveries and lost possession eleven times. He did have one shot – off-target – a header before making way for the attacking addition of Andres Romero in the 84th minute.
The Rest
Mark Watson appears to in line to have his contract with San Jose made permanent into next season, according to reports:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SJEarthquakes&src=hash">#SJEarthquakes</a> GM John Doyle announced that the club will sign Mark Watson to a long-term deal to be the permanent head coach.</p>— Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) <a href="
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Not overly surprising given the glowing endorsement he received from their designated player, Chris Wondolowski last week, “I think he’s done a great job. He definitely has my backing. I think he’s been a great coach. With that being said, I have no idea what the plan is.”
While it appears that former San Jose Mananger, Frank Yallop, is bound for Vancouver.
Nana Attakora has recovered from his concussion troubles and recently returned to full training with the Earthquakes, taking part in a their reserve outing against Chivas in the middle of October – playing over an hour.
Maxim Tissot was an unused substitute on the bench for Montreal.
All 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