If the Vancouver Whitecaps learned anything about themselves following their 2-1 loss against the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium, it’s that they’ll enjoy more victories away from B.C. Place this season.

In 2012, the Whitecaps improved significantly, managing a fifth place finish in the Western Conference, but there was still a lingering problem from 2011: their away form. They only scored 1.06 goals on average, but their attack suffered the most on the road. They only bagged 10 in 17 matches away from home, averaging around 8.94 shots, but only two to three of those found the target. However, in Houston, the Caps mustered 10 on Tally Hall’s net and five of them forced a save out of them (one resulted in Darren Mattocks’ marker).

Mattocks, from jamaica-gleaner.com

A player the Whitecaps missed in the second half of last season was Davide Chiumiento. He was someone who was capable of changing the tempo of a match. His technique opened up defences and his playmaking ability was breathtaking. It’s no wonder that when he left for Switzerland, the Caps’ offence dried up in both goals and shots. Now that Daigo Kobayashi has filled that role, the team looks much more like the one that started the 2012 campaign. They’re fast, entertaining, and create chances whilst maintaining defensively responsible.

Speaking of the back line, one thing that head coach Martin Rennie wanted out of his team was resilience in defence. They achieved that last season and have continued that into Rennie’s sophomore year as Whitecaps boss, but the game in Houston showed some worrying signs. Jay DeMerit is missing and Johnny Leveron is trying to gain fitness as he’s been off for a few weeks due to work visa complications, but Brad Rusin showed moments of weakness. Whenever the ball was played along the ground, he looked uncoordinated and troubled. Since both he and Andy O’Brien are bigger defenders and are commanding in the air, Rennie will be itching for Leveron to be match ready.

One talking point coming out of Texas is the controversial comment made by Nigel Reo-Coker towards Darren Mattocks. The Jamaican striker opted to shoot rather than pass to an open Erik Hurtado, who could’ve scored easily as Hall was out of position in his area.

“With the level we’re at now, those are the small margins that we can’t let pass us by.We take our second chance, the game’s 2-0. It would have been very difficult for them to come back being 2-0 down at home with the [32-game home unbeaten streak] they had,” said Reo-Coker

“That’s the difference between being playing a higher level of football and a lower level of football. You take your chances. You might only get one chance away from home and you must learn to take that one chance that you may get.”

Reo-Coker was named as the stand-in captain with DeMerit out injured. The former England U-21 international captained that side and has taken leadership roles at his former clubs West Ham and Aston Villa. Many fans are worried that his “criticism” of Mattocks’ decision will spark Barry Robson 2.0, but it shouldn’t escalate into a dressing room conflict.

Mattocks is 23 years old and is playing his second season in MLS, he’s still learning and that was one moment that’ll force him to think twice when he’s in that situation again. Reo-Coker is only trying to help the youngster because he wants Vancouver to be the best and if he feels that a player needs to be given advice, he’ll be more than happy to provide it. The words are a bit strong, but Reo-Coker is a passionate individual and surely his experiences in Europe will garner him respect from teammates and coaches. If there’s anyone who wouldn’t let that get into his head, it’s Reo-Coker. As for Mattocks, there have been no reports of any bust up, so obviously he understands and isn’t going to make a big deal about it.

Toronto FC Making Improvements

Despite losing 1-0 in their opener to the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place, there were positives to take from that match. Firstly, the performances of draft picks Kyle Bekker and Emery Welshmen showed everyone that the future is bright for the club and Canada’s national team.  Second, striker Robbie Earnshaw impressed, even without scoring. The key from that fixture was the strong defensive display which is something that’s been missing from Toronto for almost seven years. Even goalkeeper Joe Bendik, who’s replacing the injured Stefan Frei, looked solid in his first appearance for his new side.

Fast forward to March 9^th for TFC’s home opener against Sporting Kansas City, and the trends continued.  Pre-match, a lot of focus was on Ashtone Morgan and Reggie Lambe’s ability to shut down dangerous SKC winger Graeme Zusi. It’s no coincidence that the Kansas City offence struggled because of Zusi being nullified from the tilt. Even though they conceded in the 77^th minute, Toronto did a brilliant job of closing down the 2012 Eastern Conference champions.

One difference from Toronto’s game against Vancouver compared to the Kansas City encounter was that the attack showed up in the latter match.  Earnshaw finally got service from the likes of Hogan Ephraim and new signing John Bostock who is on loan from Tottenham.  It was Bostock who ended up winning a penalty that Earnshaw buried past Jimmy Nielsen to give Toronto a 2-0 lead on 21 minutes. Bostock made the formation a 4-3-3 as opposed to the outlined 4-4-1-1 since he often joined Ephraim centrally, and that’s the beauty of Bostock.  The 20 year old midfielder can play out wide or through the middle. With his contract expiring in June combined with his young age, he’ll fit nicely into the “rebuild” model should he sign with TFC permanently.

With Luis Silva and Stefan Frei close to returning from injuries, the squad’s only going to get stronger. Frei has been one of the few bright spots over TFC’s run of futility and with him back in net fully fit and Silva’s technique and pace, Toronto will be a very difficult team to play against. They may not make the playoffs in 2013, but they won’t be bottom of the table.  They very well could be similar to the Columbus Crew of last year; a team without high profile players, but one that has chemistry and will improve as the season goes on.  TFC is now led by a knowledgeable manager who makes the most of his on field personnel, and if their early success is any indicator, they will be a strong competitor.

DeMerit, shown playing for the US Men’s National Team, ruptured his Achilles on March 2, 2013

Sadly, his 2011 was disappointing as he spent most of it out injured with a bad groin. Like their defender, Vancouver had an equally futile season, finishing bottom of the league with just six wins. However there was optimism heading into 2012, a new manager, their first full campaign at a newly renovated BC Place, and a healthy DeMerit in the lineup. He ended up making 32 appearances, scoring once. It appeared that the 33-year-old was ready to finally assert himself as a mainstay in the starting eleven.

Once again, the American has suffered another setback, this one even more crushing than the groin knock. He picked up a sore Achilles’ tendon in the 2013 opener on Saturday against Toronto FC. The injury occurred just seven minutes in, but the full prognosis wasn’t learned until Monday – surgery followed by six to eight months of recovery time. Many speculated that DeMerit’s career may be over, but that’s yet to be seen. He’ll be 34 in December, and defenders tend to last until their late thirties. On the other hand, an Achilles injury is one of the hardest to overcome, just look at David Beckham’s rehabilitation.

DeMerit being sidelined last season would’ve given Whitecaps manager Martin Rennie a headache as he really only had three primary centre-halves including DeMerit (the others being Martin Bonjour and Carlyle Mitchell). Alain Rochat can switch to the middle, but is favoured as a left back. Andy O’Brien’s arrival gave Rennie some options, but in 2013, he’s now fully prepared for a crisis at the back.

The club said goodbye to Bonjour in the offseason, but the Caps picked up two players to fill that void. First it was Brad Rusin from Køge in Denmark, one of Rennie’s old Carolina Railhawks. 23-year-old Honduran international Johnny Leveron was next to be signed. It was the former that got a chance to shine against Toronto, and the 26-year-old didn’t disappoint. He made several crucial interceptions, held TFC’s front men at bay, and even made some key transition passes from defence to attack.

While Rusin’s performance came against a side that’s rebuilding (for the umpteenth time) and whose squad was fully formed just two days before kickoff, he will be a valuable asset to the blue and white. He seems excited about the opportunity he’s getting, is focused on the prize, and isn’t getting carried away with being thrown into the action so early into the season. That comes down to his coach, but it’s up to the player to follow what his gaffer says, and it seems that he’s doing just that.

Johnny Leveron is still trying to figure out his visa issue and should be available for selection very soon. But whenever he does finally play, it’ll be a privilege to see him on the pitch. He’s already earned 22 caps for the Honduran national team, and is deemed one for the future by manager Luis Suarez. He’s commanding, quick, and very skilled on the ball, all things that his new bench boss will want out of him. All that stands in his way from featuring is a Canadian work visa.

Jay DeMerit’s loss will be big for the Caps. Martin Rennie has two players ready to back up the squad as central defenders. Perhaps as important, his leadership in the captaincy role will need to be filled, but there are many suitable replacements such as O’Brien, Nigel Reo-Coker, Kenny Miller, or Y.P. Lee. The long recovery for DeMerit shouldn’t be much of a problem, giving him plenty of time to rehabilitate without the pressure of needing to return as soon as possible. As for Rusin and Leveron, Whitecaps fans can look forward to two quality defenders starting game in, game out for the next few months.

Peter Galindo will be providing articles from a Canadian perspective for MLSTalk. He also enjoys writing about the Italian Serie A. You can find more of his work at ChampionsLeague.ca, Forza Italian Football, and on Twitter at pgalindo16.