Vancouver Whitecaps fans should be very grateful to FC Edmonton.
The Eddies didn't make it easy for the Caps last night. They took the game to their MLS opponents, deservedly took the lead and forced Martin Rennie's hand into livening up the attack and retaking control of the cup tie.
As a result, Caps fans got to see a taste of what could lie in store for the rest of the season - a fully fit, fast paced attack full of danger, with a combination of strikers that can be real game changers. Competition for these starting spots is now going to be fierce. Every striker will need to be perform and earn their place and that can only be great for the team and the fans.
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Sebastien Le Toux, Darren Mattocks and Etienne Barbara all came on and seemed to invigorate the whole team. Their introduction saw Davide Chiumiento have one of his best games in a long time, turning in three assists and playing some delightful pinpoint balls into the danger area.
Eric Hassli, Camilo and Chiumiento didn't play badly as individuals in their time on the pitch together. As an attacking unit though, the cohesion just didn't seem to be there. Not the first time we've said that and you know it won't be the last.
With Edmonton still very much in the tie with just twenty minutes remaining, Rennie was forced to turn to his bench.
I'm going to guess the plan was to coast through the first sixty minutes, establish an unassailable lead, withdraw Hassli and Camilo and then let Mattocks and Barbara get a run out to test their game sharpness after their lengthy layoffs.
Edmonton put paid to that pretty quickly, aided by a pretty dreadful first half performance from the Caps, who would have been punished if the visitors had their shooting boots on.
Le Toux was unlikely to have seen any minutes in the game last night. Instead, he was needed and proved to be the two goal saviour and earned the official 'Man of the Match' award, a plaudit which the Frenchman didn't think he deserved and should have gone to Chiumiento. We agree.
Those twenty minutes from Le Toux were some of <i>his</i> best so far in a Caps jersey. He was playing more as a winger. It's not his favourite position and you have to wonder whether it is because he just feels that he can't play there or his style of play isn't suited there. His performance last night will hopefully show everyone, himself included, that that is simply not the case.
We were just willing Barbara to score that penalty. It would have been such a fairytale moment for the Malteser. He hit it well and it took a fantastic stop from David Monsalve to deny a great story.
Having watched Etienne play in last Friday's PDL game, we described his performance as rusty, but he showed glimpses of what he will bring to the first team. Last night, we saw some more.
I don't think he's likely to be a starter for us in the near future, but what an asset to have coming off the bench.
The same with Mattocks. His pace is electric and I can't wait to see him play enough minutes in matches to really let him get into his stride, or should that be swagger. Loved his joy and celebration after the goal. It meant a lot to him, his first competitive goal for the Caps, and he could be seen walking around with a signed match ball afterwards. It's the little things like those that warm my grumpy old heart.
We now have several combinations of strikers that we can use in games, throwing Omar Salgado into the mix too, and I would back all of them and any combination to get us goals. Exciting times.
Maybe not so exciting for a couple of the younger, fringe players.
It's hard to see where Long Tan can fit into the Club now. He wasn't on the bench last night and I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop back to some PDL games. He has talents, but all of the others are rightly ahead of him now in the pecking order and only injuries are going to change that.
The same is true of Michael Boxall.
The Kiwi was expected by many to start last night, but instead ended up on the bench with Jay DeMerit partnering Carlyle Mitchell. Rennie said post game that he felt that this pair had the understanding he was looking for, especially having played together last season. Where this leaves Boxall is hard to say.
He's already played one PDL game, captaining the side and scoring. He doesn't take up much salary but does take up an international spot. It's just getting harder to see how he's going to get a chance with the current squad.
DeMerit had a couple of wobbles again last night. His mistimed lunge at Saiko's through ball just before half time could have been costly if Pinto and big Cox hadn't got in each others way.
I would have liked to have seen what a Mitchell/Bonjour partnership was like and last night was a great time to test that out before it is needed for MLS action, possibly as early as this weekend.
The Caps midfield depth still worries me.
Floyd Franks was poor. I haven't seen anything from him yet in first team or reserve games that makes me think he is MLS quality.
After impressing so much pre-season, and running the show in the middle in last week's PDL game, Bryce Alderson deserved to get his chance against Edmonton. Way much more than Franks. Only real disappointment on the night for me.
So that's it. We're in the final and TFC awaits once again. Check the weather forecast.
With Toronto having a bye week in MLS, the Caps will need to be at their best against a rested TFC side. There will be a couple of first teamers rested for the New England game on Saturday in preparation, so it shouldn't have too big an impact.
I was hoping that Montreal were to be the final opponents.
I feel that would have been the easier game because despite their poor League record, Toronto are an unpredictable team and seem to be becoming Cup specialists.
Have Toronto become Major League Soccer's version of Liverpool this season?
That said, I have total confidence in Vancouver defeating whoever is in front of them for the Canadian bragging rights this year.
The main nightmare about this for us is the fact that we have to travel all the way east three days before a key Cascadia Cup clash down in Portland. Good teams overcome such obstacles and we're a good team.
It's going to be an amazing eleven days. Four huge Cup matches for the Caps. Two Canadian and two Cascadian. It doesn't get much better than this and you're not excited by the prospect, you have no footballing blood running through your veins.
Loving Martin Rennie's mind games already:
<i>"The final's a game we're excited about.
As Aron Winter said, Toronto are better than Vancouver and Montreal, so we know going in we're the underdogs and I think that suits us.
We're a team starting off at the bottom. Scraping our way up to the top. It's more pressure on the best team.
So for us, we're coming in there ready to play. Looking forward to the game. Excited about what we can do, but knowing that we have to be at our absolute best and work as hard as we can against a very good team. A team that's been established in MLS for a long time."</i>
Top drawer!
Hopefully it's going to be an entertaining final and we don't see either team try to park the bus in their away leg.
The Caps have already won silverware against TFC in Orlando. It would be very fitting for the guys to head in to Toronto now and win some that's a bit more meaningful.
In Rennie we trust.
'Mon the Caps.
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<b>AFTN 3-2-1:</b>
3 points - DAVIDE CHIUMIENTO (wasn't really featuring much until the substitutions then turned in one of his best ever performances for us. Three assists and some beautiful balls!)
2 points - SEBASTIEN LE TOUX (changed the game when he came on and took both his goals well)
1 point - BRAD KNIGHTON (didn't have a lot to do, but made a couple of important stops. Just sneaks the final point for me ahead of Mitchell)
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