FRISCO - All-Star week is upon us, but before we look ahead, it’s time to take one last look back at what was Saturday night’s 4-0 defeat to Vancouver. Here are a few things we learned:
VAR is Upon Us
After two straight matches with a call against Dallas that likely would’ve been overturned upon further review, the implementation of VAR this coming weekend in Philly can’t come soon enough. The obvious goal in Montreal and the PK call against Kellyn Acosta vs. Vancouver were both highly questionable decisions to say the least. Acosta’s foul in the box turned out to be just a drop in the bucket in terms of the overall picture of the game, but it marked the turning point of the match (along with Carlos Gruezo’s red card just minutes later) when a fighting FCD side looking to pull level seemingly fell out of the match.
Stick to Your Game Plan
Carl Robinson, as Oscar Pareja said after the match, coached a great match to shut down the Dallas attack. The Whitecaps had no issue sitting back and collapsing down the middle, conceding Dallas 57 percent of the possession during the match. Just look at the big, gaping hole in passing in the middle of the attacking half for FCD (left). Also, look at the limited touches Mauro Diaz was able to get where he usually shines. Kudos, Robo.
Consistency is Key
As much as we talk about the depth of the roster and how everyone can play, it was apparent on Saturday what happens when key pieces of the lineup don’t have much training time with their counterparts. With Kellyn Acosta, Matt Hedges and Jesse Gonzalez returning on Thursday, they had one or two sessions with their team before Saturday and there was obviously something not clicking with the group as a whole. Vancouver’s style might’ve played a large role in this and I’m not saying it was those three specifically, but just a part of the larger problem at hand.
