Railhawks Review and Portland Preview

By: Lee | October 1st, 2009

Whitecaps vs. Timbers

The Whitecaps are still alive and kicking in the USL playoffs. Tomorrow is the first leg against the of the semifinals against the Portland Timbers, the USL’s best team this season. This will be an interesting series as the Whitecaps are playing some of their best soccer.

But before we get to that, lets review what went right in the quarterfinals against Carolina.

Railhawks Review

The Whitecaps were winless against the Railhawks during the regular season, so why did they beat them this time?

Several reasons, the biggest of them being defending.

Our defending was solid over both legs; we did not concede a single goal. It has gotten stronger with the return of Luca Bellisomo from injury and the addition of Shawn Pejic.

Another key to winning was that our goalkeeper Jay Nolly come up big when our defense cracked. Jay Nolly coming up big. And did he ever, making a penalty save on what would have been the tying goal. Not only did his save preserve our lead in the series, but it deflated the Railhawks as well.

Lastly, this team has been boosted by the return of several players from injury, most notably Martin Nash, Luca Bellisomo and Justin Moose. Their performances were a big difference in why the Whitecaps were able to win this tight series.

Portland Preview

Portland will be a much stiffer test than Carolina. They were the league’s best team this season and were 2-1 against the Whitecaps. This season they scored the most goals (45) while at the same time conceding the fewest (19).

The good news for the Whitecaps is that every team in USL is very beatable, even the best one. In addition, Portland did not end the season in great form, finishing 2-3-1.

Keys to beating Portland

Winning at Home: It’s critical that the Whitecaps get a lead in the series , as it will be difficult to get a win in Portland.

Neutralizing the Counter Attack: The Portland Timbers are a very speedy team and have burned the Whitecaps several times this season on the counter-attack. Wes Knight and Lyle Martin will be relied upon to neutralize Portland’s speedy attackers.

Stop Keita: The Whitecaps will need an answer for Portland’s leading scorer and the league’s leading point-getter this season.

Be Champions!