The Whitecaps bounced back from a pair of 3-1 losses by blanking FC Dallas 1-0 last Saturday night showing, in Rennie’s words, character. This week they travel east and try to make it two wins in a row when they face Columbus Crew. Last season in the Caps were unable to pick up a point against the Crew, losing the game at home in the final moments.
<b>KEY PLAYERS :</b>
ATTACKING
With Hassli struggling to find goals and Camilo struggling with a quad injury, and missing the trip, the Caps will need to rely on <b>Sebestien Le Toux</b> in order to find goals once again. He has had success against the Crew during his two seasons with the Union, scoring three goals in four games.
Columbus brought in striker <b>Olman Vargas</b> from Costa Rica to be the goal scorer they’ve been missing since 2008 MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto left the club in 2010. Vargas is a big and quick target who is especially strong in the air, which is how he scored his only goal this season.
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DEFENCE
After a tough game against San Jose, <b>Martin Bonjour</b> had a bounce back game in the cleansheet win over FC Dallas. The Argentine defender has been solid all season, with bone crunching tackles that get under the skin of the opposing players. He leads all defenders on the club with 13 fouls.
Since he left Stanford, <b>Chad Marshall</b>, now in his ninth season, has been a mainstay on the Crew’s backline. The central defender, whose contract was extended in the offseason, is a physical force, especially in the box on both sides of the pitch.
<b>WHO'S ON FORM :</b>
The man of the match might have gone to Camilo but <b>Lee Young-Pyo</b> had another phenomenal match, as he kept Brek Shea off the scoresheet. The Korean international hasn’t had a poor game this season, playing every minute of every game so far and even picking up his first assist with the Caps.
When the Crew lost Robbie Rogers to Leeds United, they moved <b>Eddie Gaven</b> over to the left side hoping for similar production. While it started out slow, Gaven finally broke through last week with his first two goals of the season against Houston Dynamo.
<b>2012 RECORD :</b>
Vancouver:
3W-2D-2L
3rd in Western Conference
Last Match: 1-0 Win v FC Dallas
Columbus:
2W-1D-3L
7th in Eastern Conference
Last Match: 2-2 Draw vs Houston Dynamo
<b>PROJECTED LINE-UPS :</b>
<b>INJURIES/MISSING :</b>
Vancouver:
Out: FW Camilo (quad strain), FW Darren Mattocks (shoulder), FW Etienne Barbara (groin strain), FW Caleb Clarke (quad strain), GK Brian Sylvestre (knee)
Questionable: DF Alain Rochat (knee)
Columbus:
Out: FW Ben Speas (sports hernia), DF Rich Balchan (sports hernia), FW Tommy Heinemann (knee), DF Julius James (illness), GK William Hesmer (hip)
Doubtful: MF Dilly Duka (hamstring strain), DF Carlos Mendes (hamstring strain)
Questionable: MF Danny O'Rourke (ankle sprain)
<b>GAME PREDICTION :</b>
There will only be minor changes this week, with Camilo being the only one to be removed from the starting lineup, through injury. He will be replaced by Eric Hassli. The two wingers that will play up top with Hassli will be Omar Salgado, on the left, and Sebestien Le Toux. Watson, Koffie and Davidson will be looking to control the middle. Joe Cannon will start his eighth straight game in goal with Lee, DeMerit, Bonjour and Harvey forming the backline in front of him once again.
While it seems like the Caps are suffering through injuries, missing Camilo, Rochat and others, the Columbus Crew are suffering more. They are currently without their starting goalkeeper, left back and two midfielders, along with a number of important players that would usually be available from the bench. Normally a strong defensive team, the Crew has allowed an abnormal amount of goals this season and the majority of them have come off the wings.
In this match, especially with an inexperienced goalkeeper, the Caps will generate more chances by having their wingers and wingbacks swing crosses into the box and try to breakdown the Crew defenders. The presence of Chad Marshall, and his fellow defenders, will make it difficult for the Whitecaps to break down the middle. They may be able to negate Marshall if Hassli can pull him away from the backline by starting deeper in the midfield, which will open up space for others to make a run.
Expect the Caps to employ similar defensive tactics by having Jun Marques Davidson play deep and provide coverage for central defense, while Koffie and Watson will have the freedom to use their athleticism and work rate to create turnovers in the midfield for a counter attack. If Eddie Gaven plays the left side there will be more tag team marking by Lee and Le Toux in order to slow down the MLS vet.
Although the Crew are riddled with injuries, the Whitecaps can’t take the Ohio side lightly. Players on this club are well coached and organized. A draw would match their road point total from a year ago, whilst a win would obviously surpass the total of five. On paper this match is winnable, however in their short MLS history Vancouver has yet to collect the full three points when traveling outside the Pacific Time zone.
<b>AFTN Predicted Score: Columbus Crew 0 Vancouver Whitecaps 0</b>
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