D.C. United has made the long trip to British Columbia for Saturday’s match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, basement dwellers in the Western Conference. The Black-and-Red are seeking consecutive victories for the first time since early May as their playoff push continues.
Here’s what you need to know before kickoff:
Opponent: Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Record: 5 wins, 12 losses, 9 draws
Standings: 12th place in the Western Conference
Last match: Loss, 3-1, @ Portland Timbers
Head coach: Marc Dos Santos
Experience: First season with the Whitecaps
Overall record: 5 wins, 13 losses, 10 draws
Resume: Dos Santos joined the Whitecaps last November after spending the 2018 season as an assistant with LAFC, where he served under Bob Bradley. He gained the bulk of his head coaching experience in North America with the San Francisco Deltas (36 matches), Swope Park Rangers (34 matches) and the Ottawa Fury (51 matches) from 2013-17. He worked previously with youth sides in Brazil and held multiple roles with the Montreal Impact during the years immediately prior to the team’s induction into Major League Soccer. He is a dual citizen of Canada, where he was born, and Portugal, where he played professionally and began his coaching studies.
Player to watch: Inbeom Hwang, midfielder
The South Korean international pulls the strings for Vancouver in the middle of the park. He has an excellent range of passing and is unafraid of pinging long balls across the field, not unlike the way Wayne Rooney plays for D.C. United when he drops into the midfield. Hwang leads the Whitecaps in chances created with 38, while his next-closest teammate has generated just 24 this season. He also leads the team in passes into the final third (172) and ranks second in passing accuracy into the final third (75.4 percent). As Hwang goes, the Whitecaps go.
Because of that, the potential midfield duel between Hwang and former teammate Felipe Martins, whom the Whitecaps traded to D.C. United prior to the transfer deadline, should be fascinating to watch. If there is anyone familiar with Hwang’s tendencies or mindset in midfield, it would be Martins, his former midfield partner. Coach Ben Olsen will have an additional option in central midfield with the return of Júnior Moreno, who missed Sunday’s game against the LA Galaxy while serving a red card suspension. Right back Leonardo Jara shifted into the middle alongside Martins last week. It’s unclear who Olsen prefers for Saturday’s match.
Tactic to consider: Shots from distance
Vancouver goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau had a forgettable evening against the Timbers in his team’s last game. Two of the three goals scored by Portland were strikes originating well outside the box, and while the buckets of rain certainly didn’t help, any keeper would be frustrated allowing a pair of successful shots from distance. The first goal, in the 27th minute, was a powerful blast from Sebastian Blanco that rippled the upper-right corner of the net from 25 yards despite a touch from Crepeau. And the second goal, this time from Marvin Loria in the 54th minute, was a swerving effort from the opposite side of the pitch and perhaps a yard or two farther away than Blanco’s strike.
Even without the driving rain from Crepeau’s last match, it might be wise for United to test his confidence with a few shots from distance or set pieces over the course of 90 minutes. It’s always important to see how a player responds to an area of weakness from their prior match. Perhaps this a moment when Rooney’s ability to strike the ball cleanly will pay dividends for the Black-and-Red in the form of goals or rebounds inside the box.
Lineup question: Which formation will Olsen choose?
Now that striker Ola Kamara has secured the proper paperwork, Olsen has at his disposal the team’s strongest collection of players in weeks. Not only are Rooney and Moreno back from their respective absences, but all three new faces are eligible for the first time since arriving before the deadline: Kamara from Shenzhen F.C., Martins from the Whitecaps and Emmanuel Boateng from the LA Galaxy.
One of the biggest questions facing Olsen and his staff this week was identifying the best formation for Kamara, whose pedigree as a proven goalscorer in MLS will be a welcome addition to the club. It’s possible Olsen could pair Kamara and Rooney together in a 4-4-2 alignment designed to maximize the scoring punch along the front line. Or he could leave Kamara as a lone striker and have Rooney operate from a deeper role where his passing and vision are most effective in midfield, utilizing some variation of a 4-5-1. And then again, perhaps the staff has identified a different alignment altogether after Olsen mentioned long hours experimenting on the white board this week, working through different scenarios on paper. These are the types of headaches, Olsen said, that coaches happily embrace. Teams can never have too many options, especially during a playoff push.
Stat to know: Vancouver has allowed the most shots (515) in MLS this season
Recent matches against the Galaxy and Atlanta United have felt like raids on Olsen’s defense. The Galaxy fired 29 shots in 90 minutes last Sunday, with some 62 percent originating inside the box. While Atlanta tallied 18 shots in 90 minutes last month and saw 67 percent of their efforts come from inside the penalty area. The theme for Olsen’s men was defend, defend, defend before hitting their opponents on the counter attack. Coaches and players said they had expected both matches to play out this way and understood the importance of clinical finishing when their own opportunities arose.
This week, though, could signal a change in that pattern, a chance for United to act as the grenadiers by putting the Whitecaps under pressure. Vancouver has allowed 66 more shots than any other team in MLS this season and faced 13 more shots on target than any other side. They have the fourth-lowest possession rate in the league at just 45.69 percent and have the third-fewest touches in their opponent’s penalty area.
Taken together, the chance is there for the Black-and-Red to apply some pressure rather than absorbing it. Olsen’s men should aim to pepper Vancouver’s goal.
The match will be broadcasted on FloFC at 10:00 PM ET. Join Dave Johnson and Devon McTavish for the pregame show at 9:30 PM ET.
