1 2 3 Oh Brian White

If I had a quarter for every time the Vancouver Whitecaps scored 5 goals on a club that wears green, I’d have two quarters and a lot of sad Timbers fan.

The Vancouver Whitecaps, top of the supporters shield, dominated Austin in a stunning 5-1 victory, with the best non-DP striker in the league, Brian White, scoring four goals, the first time a Whitecaps player has ever done so in MLS history. The score was obviously a shock, but more so than even I could’ve expected. Austin are a strong team in the west, coming into this game, they had only conceded 3 goals in 7 games, the lowest in the league.

Still without Ryan Gauld, this game really should’ve been harder.

It was surprisingly Austin that dictated the flow of the game in the early minutes, coming close to scoring from a mishap between Tristian Blackmon and Yohei Takaoka. Austin would succumb however, in the twelfth minute. A cross from Edier Ocampo led to Daniel Rios flicking the ball up for Brian White to bag his first goal off a clean volley.

Vancouver would now control possession and the majority of action, and eventually crumbled. Emmanuel Sabbi would be given too much space near the edge of the box, and picked out Brian White once again to slide the ball through Brad Stuvers legs, grabbing his second to make it 2-0.

Vancouver would go into halftime confident yet weary as Austin got much closer to scoring in first-half stoppage time. Sabbi put these worries to sleep quickly, scoring a tap in off a corner in the 47th minute. 3-0.

Vancouver would press on and on, bringing Austin to the brink yet again. In the 59th minute, Brian White would get his inevitable hat trick, as a deflected shot off the post fell right to Brian, the open net staring him in the face.

Things went from really bad to really, really bad for Austin as they gave away a dodgy penalty in the 71st minute. Brian White who won the penalty, gave it to Daniel Rios. Rios’ penalty was weak and easy to read, and Stuver, who really saved Austin despite the scoreline, saved it with the touch of his foot.

Finally, Ali Ahmed would pick his pass and play White in, similar to the second goal, where White would calmly slot the ball past Stuver to hammer home his fourth and the fifth of the evening.

Finally, the onslaught had ended and Austin even got a consolation through a banger from Dani Pereira.

The full time whistle blew, Vancouver still reigned top of the west, top of all MLS.

PLAYER RATINGS

Y. Takaoka: 6.5

Although he really didn’t have much to do throughout the match, Yohei was under pressure early on and saved the backline a few times. Yohei didn’t even really try for Dani’s goal, even if it was quite the strike. His long distribution was poor at times, giving Austin a chance here and there, while his short passes were bang on and swift.

T. Johnson: 7.0

Johnson had the most tackles out of any player, his passing was mostly accurate and faired well enough on his own. Adekugbe’s starting spot may just be at risk.

R. Veselinovic: 7.5

Veselinovic help up well, covering up any mistakes made by the backline. Ranko was the most accurate passer of any outfield player to play 45+ minutes and won all 3 of his aerial duels.

T. Blackmon: 7

Other than his early mistake, Tristan was solid both defensively and offensively, having made the most passes of any player on the pitch. He was a bit quiet, not having much to do.

E. Ocampo: 7.5

Ocampo made full use of his physical strength, holding up against opposition trying to take him down. His crossing was a bit off as usual, yet still led to a goal anyway.

R. Priso: 6.5

Unlike previous games this season, Priso felt comfortable in the midfield. He won half his ground duels, and had a 91% accurate passing rate. I still believe he shouldn’t start unless the squad is being rotated.

A. Cubas: 8.0

Cubas as always frustrated Austin’s attack. Vasquez and Uzuni were unable to get past Andres. Cubas won 2/4 of his aerial duels and 2/4 of his ground duels.

P. Vite: 6.5

Vite was rather quiet today, unlike the explosive seasons he’s been having. Still, he was solid defensively winning 3/4 ground duels.

D. Rios: 6.5

Rios adjusted well enough on the wing, getting that sweet assist for Whites first goal. The penalty was pretty bad, but Stuver was on one anyway.

B. White: 11.0 (out of 10!)

Brian White. When I doubt him, when my friends doubt him, when the community doubts him, he puts us all to shame. Brian has scored 9 goals in 13 games, against the likes of Rayados, Pumas, and now four against one of the strongest defenses currently in the MLS. Brian’s finishing was key, scoring four of his five shots on target. And the fifth hit the post! Brian even won the penalty, and had he taken it, I have no doubt he would score it. White won player of the MLS matchday (no duh) and really deserved it.

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E. Sabbi: 8.5

Sabbi was a problem for Austin especially in the second half. Running down the wing beating his man for pace, Shot after shot, clinical pass after pass, Emmanuel take a bow. Sabbi finished with a goal and assist, and has adapted well to the squad after a long injury.

Substitutes: 7.5

A. Ahmed: 7.0 - got the assist and hit the post.

J. Badwal: 6.0 - didn’t have much to do but had accurate passing.

J.C. Ngando: 8.0 - came on in the 59th minute and crated the most chances out of any player. Should’ve started.

G. Bovalina: 6.0 - didn’t have much to do but had accurate passing.

S. Berhalter: 7.0 - solid in defense and attack, accurate passing.

That’s all, STL match preview next up.