For soccer fans in Vancouver, this year looks to be remarkable. It’s been known for some time that their city will play host to the Women’s World Cup Final this summer, but what we didn’t know, is just how good their resident MLS side, the Vancouver Whitecaps, would be in 2015. The answer, at least at the moment, is not just good—the best.
After five matches, the Whitecaps have won four and lost only one (with those four victories a current streak, having lost the opener to Toronto), and their 12 points are enough to see them both top of the Western Conference, and top of the entire league. This past weekend, Vancouver dominated the reigning champions, LA Galaxy, 2-0, and Robbie Keane admitted in the post match interview that Vancouver “just played better than us; they were the better team all around.” ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle consequently rewarded the Whitecaps with the top spot on his Power Rankings for this week.
After barely edging Portland for the final playoff spot in the West last season—and subsequently losing 2-1 to FC Dallas in the first round of the playoffs—what, or who, is responsible for Vancouver’s excellent start?
There is a double standard in professional soccer. No, I’m not talking about the MLS vs. the National Women’s Soccer League (that double standard is a topic for another day); I mean the ‘striker vs. everyone else’ double standard. It’s all too common to laud the achievements of strikers, singling out the goalscorer as the hero, while ignoring the other aspects of a team’s play. Of course, if a team wins 1-0, then whoever scored that goal is, in a literal sense, ‘the difference maker’ between 3 points and 1, but so much more is at play. Time and time again, the forwards get the headlines, while the workhorses in defense, in midfield or on the back line, are not given the credit they deserve. A key pass cut out in the final third can be just as important as a great strike from distance, but is less likely to make the highlight reel.
Now, with that said, I’m afraid that, in this instance, I’m going to have to let the unsung defensive midfielders fall by the wayside once more: if you’re looking for the root of Vancouver’s strong start, look no further than their new striker, Octavio Rivero.
Rivero, a Uruguayan who arrived from Chilean club O’Higgins in the offseason, has played all but four minutes of Vancouver’s five matches this season, and for good reason. His goals have been excellent and varied, from rebounds to link up play, brilliant shots to diving headers, and twice they have been “the difference maker,” earning victories over both Chicago and Orlando, the latter a last-gasp header in stoppage time.
But beyond his goalscoring brilliance, Rivero is a team player. For his latest goal, Rivero took the ball into the area, then left it for his teammate at the edge of the six-yard box, curled back around, and positioned himself perfectly to score the rebound after the keeper saved the first shot. Earlier in the match, Rivero was involved in his team’s first good scoring chance, as he released teammate Nicolas Mezquida down the right hand side with an excellent ball. Although he is without an assist this season, that statistic does not do justice to his unselfish play.
Vancouver are not a one man team, but it’s difficult to look at this year’s Whitecaps and not define their success by the addition of Rivero. After a season of scraping into the playoffs, and doing so by a mere point (with a goal differential that was anything but impressive at a paltry +2), the Whitecaps were looking to add quality that would take them to the next level, and particularly quality in attack; such is easier said than done. Finding the right player for your team, who is willing to sign up, and all at an affordable price for your club is a much more difficult task than FIFA on Playstation’s Manager Mode might have us believe.
In Octavio Rivero, the Whitecaps front office have found themselves a gem. He is a striker whose movement, positioning and finishing are all excellent, but also rounded out by great passing and a truly professional work-rate. Although it’s too early in the year to pretend we could define the playoff picture in full, the young Uruguayan is well on his way to firing the Whitecaps into the postseason.