O Canada: 'Caps, Impact benefiting from Canadian talent

MONTREAL, QUE – On Saturday afternoon at Stade Saputo, Vancouver Whitecaps FC will visit longtime rival Montreal Impact in the first of three meetings over the next month (12 p.m. PT on CTV/TSN2 and TSN 1410 radio). And as you can see below, both teams have received significant contributions from their homegrown talent so far this season.

WINGMEN

Let’s start with the youngsters.

Alphonso Davies, 16, and Ballou Tabla, 18, are both exciting wingers who emigrated from Africa.

Interestingly, Davies was Canada’s U-17 Player of the Year in 2016, while Tabla was the Canadian U-20 Player of the Year. They’ve followed similar career paths, representing Canada at the youth levels, coming up through the academies, and excelling in the United Soccer League before solidifying their spots in MLS. And they’re similar players, too.

See below for a statistical comparison.

2017 MLS REGULAR SEASON

These stats are actually quite telling.

Let me draw your attention to the dribbles completed – defined by Opta as successful attempt by a player to beat a defender in a one-on-one situation while retaining possession. Davies leads Whitecaps FC with nine dribbles, while Tabla is second on the Impact behind Ignacio Piatti, whose 18 dribbles are actually the third highest total in MLS.

That, in a nutshell, is what these players are all about.

They just love to attack and aren’t afraid to take opposing defenders on one-v-one. They also work hard defensively, which you can see from their tackle totals. As with any players that young, however, they also have a lot of room to grow.

"Alphonso is 16 years old," Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said this week. "We have to be careful. If I played him every minute of every game, you wouldn't see him in June. And you probably wouldn't see him in the final six months of the year. As much as we all want to see him, and I do, it's important we give him a physical break and a mental break."

Neither player has represented the Canadian senior men’s national team as of yet – Davies has expressed his desire to do so but has yet to receive his Canadian citizenship, while Tabla is reportedly weighing his options between Canada and his native Ivory Coast.

At any rate, they are certainly ones to watch.

SUPER SUB

Impact striker Anthony Jackson-Hamel has taken MLS by storm in recent weeks, scoring three goals in his last two matches. That includes this MLS Goal of the Week winner from last week.

Love me a backheel.

The 23-year-old Quebecor has managed to produce in limited action, scoring his three goals in just 36 minutes of action over the last two games. And up until that point, he had only played one minute all season. Each of Jackson-Hamel’s appearances have been as a substitute.

Could he earn his first start on Saturday? You can’t say it wouldn’t be deserved.

Jackson-Hamel has made three appearances with the Canadian senior men’s national team after debuting in 2016. If he keeps up this form, something tells me there will many more to come.

MIDFIELD MEN

Finally, we come to midfielders Russell Teibert and Patrice Bernier – two of the longest-serving members of their respective clubs. And two heart-and-soul type players. 

Teibert, a native of Niagara Falls, Ontario who came through Vancouver’s Residency program, has played the fifth most minutes for Whitecaps FC since the club joined MLS in 2011 – an impressive feat considering he’s still only 24 years old. Bernier, meanwhile, is second to only Hassoun Camara in all-time minutes played for Montreal in MLS.

And he’s still going strong at the age of 37.

So far this season, Bernier has started six of Montreal’s seven matches, recording a team-leading four assists – the second highest total in the entire league. He’s been playing as the most advanced of Montreal’s three midfielders, which means he could be seeing a lot of Teibert if the latter gets the nod in Robinson’s starting XI.

Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. PT. Watch live on CTV & TSN2 and listen on TSN 1410.