VANCOUVER – There has been a feeling of unease in Vancouver this week following the Whitecaps’ disappointing start to the new MLS season.
A season-opening defeat at home to the Montreal Impact was initially labelled as just ‘a bad day at the office’, but when the Blue and White were undone by Sporting Kansas City last weekend, alarm bells were rung among some sections of the club’s fan base. It has some supporters feeling a little edgy ahead of this Saturday’s short trip down Interstate 5 to face the also winless Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field.
Goalkeeper David Ousted is one Whitecaps player, however, that is not overly concerned at this stage. “To call us (and Seattle) desperate teams just two games in is a little early,” said the Danish shotstopper. “We want to get off to a better start and get on the board, but to panic now would be immature as a team, and I don’t think we need to do that. We need to be aware of what we need to do going into Seattle and putting on a solid performance.”
The first Cascadia Cup clash of 2016 will be an intriguing battle, as many would not have predicted that both Vancouver and Seattle would have started the new MLS campaign with two straight defeats. Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid has a few injury concerns to contend with, while his Whitecaps counterpart Carl Robinson has seen his side look far from its best through its first two matches.
One of Vancouver’s more consistent performers has been Jordan Harvey. The left back believes the ‘Caps can quickly put the last two weeks behind them and earn a result in the Emerald City.
“It’s tough not having got a win yet in the first two games, but that’s what it is, the first two games,” he said. “It’s a long season to go and Seattle is in the same spot. I feel in the past, the team on the road (in this match-up) has done better. We’ll go there with that mentality and hopefully come away with something.”
Expect more tinkering to the Whitecaps’ starting XI on Saturday, with right back Jordan Smith and youngster Kianz Froese both suspended for the trip to Seattle. Froese’s absence may provide an opportunity for newcomer Andrew Jacobson to make his Vancouver debut following his move from New York City FC last week.
The former D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, and FC Dallas midfielder is delighted to be part of Robinson’s young squad. “They’re a great club and have a great reputation amongst players inside the league,” Jacobson said. “The coach has a great reputation. I think it’s a place that players want to be.”
For Robinson, this latest derby clash is an opportunity for his side to put in a complete performance. “We know we can be better and that’s something we’ll try and work on,” Robinson said. “We’ve only lost two games of football and we’ve got 30-odd games left. It’s a long season, as we say. Can we control where we are? Well, we can’t now, but the next couple of games, we can. If we focus on the process and focus on our performances and cutting out the individual errors, we’ll be fine."
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