VANCOUVER, BC – A busy week continues for the ‘Caps on Saturday as they head to Denver to take on Colorado Rapids.
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Road warriors
The boys in Blue and White have been true road warriors in 2015.
Whitecaps FC have already picked up 10 points away from home this year; that figure includes three wins, which is the same number that the team achieved across the whole of last season. With Colorado Rapids currently sitting bottom of the Western Conference, this Saturday’s match could be a perfect opportunity for Carl Robinson’s team to bounce back after their loss to Seattle.
“We’ve been good at rebounding so far this year and that’s going to be a strength of this team I feel,” David Ousted told reporters after training this week. “Going away from home, we need to get back to the virtues that have been successful so far and I definitely see possibilities for us getting a win.”
Those ‘virtues’ include a solid backline that’s kept six clean sheets on the season so far, four of which have come on the road at Chicago, Orlando, Salt Lake and Portland. Can they make it a fifth this week in Colorado?
Similar styles
While the two teams currently reside at opposite sides of the standings, there’s plenty of similarities between the ‘Caps and their counterparts in Colorado. Like Robinson, Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni has built his side around a solid defence. In fact, Colorado’s backline have conceded just nine times so far in 2015, which is the joint best alongside last week’s opponents Seattle in the Western Conference.
“They're pretty similar to ourselves in relation to the style they play," Robinson told reporters after training this week. "They're very good in transition, they play a lot of young players, they like to get the balls in behind and play through centrally sometimes. Don't be fooled by their results ... they've been very close to winning games and they're very well rested."
The boss isn’t wrong. In contrast to the ‘Caps, who will be playing their fourth game in 11 days on Saturday, Colorado haven’t played a match since May 8; so the visitors will have to be on their toes if they’re going to come away from the Rockies with a result.
Young guns
Fleet footed winger Kekuta Manneh will be coming up against a former Austin Aztex teammate on Saturday in the form of Colorado Rapids midfielder Dillon Powers. Powers, like Manneh, was selected in the 2013 SuperDraft and has gone on to be a regular fixture in the Rapids team.
But while the two players share a similar soccer history, they’re polar opposites on the pitch. Manneh, as we all know, is a speed demon who likes to terrorise opposition defenders with his pace and direct running. On the other hand, Powers is more of a traditional number 10, a playmaker who enjoys putting the ball on a platter for his teammates to score.
Powers has had a bright start to the season, chipping in with one goal and four assists so far this year. In contrast, Manneh has shown glimpses while picking up a goal and an assist. The young Gambian will surely be looking to kickstart his campaign against Colorado this weekend.
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