Subs pay off as Vancouver Whitecaps pick up win in Colorado

Second half substitute Brek Shea was the hero of the hour as Vancouver Whitecaps FC snatched a 1-0 win away to the Colorado Rapids on Friday night.

Away wins, it turns out, are like Vancouver buses. You wait eight months for one, and then two come along one after the other. Also, they tend to break down in the snow.

Before last week’s win in Montreal, you had to go back to September 10th of last year to find an away win for the Vancouver Whitecaps in the league. On Friday night against the Colorado Rapids, the Whitecaps made it two in a row.

Brek Shea, in his first match back from injury, scored the only goal in the 84th minute. Colorado suffered their fifth straight loss and were shut out for the third match in a row. Here’s what Whitecaps fans can take away from this performance.

Substitutes make the difference

The match seemed to be headed towards a goalless stalemate in the 84th minute. Until Nicolás Mezquida’s long, diagonal pass found Brek Shea in space on the left wing. Shea’s first touch was perfect as he broke away and raced in on goal, and his finish was also perfect as he put the ball between Tim Howard’s legs.

Carl Robinson will be happy with his substitution decisions. Shea, making his return after suffering a knee injury against Tigres UANL back in April, had been on the field since the 69th minute. Mezquida had been on less than five minutes. The third sub, Alphonso Davies, also caused havoc among the Colorado backline. Robinson’s changes were the key to breaking down the Rapids defence.

New formation shines with settled team

Robinson named the same starting XI as in his last two matches. The decision was partly driven by injuries; Tim Parker and Kendall Waston are the only fit centrebacks he’s got at the moment, and Fredy Montero is the only option up front. But it was also a sign that Robinson has finally hit on a successful formula.

The 4-1-4-1 formation, with Matías Laba sitting between two banks of four, first saw the light in the defeat to Portland. In the two games since then, the players have looked increasingly comfortable in their new roles.

The key has been in midfield. With Laba protecting the centrebacks, Tony Tchani and Andrew Jacobson have had the freedom to bring the ball forward. Fredy Montero has no longer been as isolated up front. The end result was Vancouver actually dominating midfield for long stretches of the match.

The biggest flaw at the moment is that, with Laba, Tchani, and Jacobson the ‘Caps have three defensive midfielders on the field at the same time. Replacing one of the three with a more creative player should improve their goal scoring.

Whitecaps up to fifth

The win was enough to move the ‘Caps up to fifth in the West. With the distraction of the CONCACAF Champions League left behind and many of last season’s weaknesses addressed (at least partially), Vancouver have been quietly finding some form and are solidly in the playoff spots.

Colorado are one of the weakest teams this year and remain glued to the bottom of the Western Conference standings with four points. However, it’s difficult to understate the importance of three points away against conference rivals. While the ‘Caps would doubtless have been happy with a point, this win could prove important in the long run.

Final Score:

Next: Top 5 MLS Newcomers of 2017

Next week sees Vancouver wrap up their four-game road trip with another Friday match, this one in Houston.