After two straight wins and a busy month of May, the Vancouver Whitecaps have two weeks off.
A break is always good to have. It gives them a chance to reset and charge their batteries. At the same time, there is extra preparation for the summer and fall months as the MLS Western Conference standings are as tight as the SkyTrain during rush over.
After 16 games, Vancouver sits with a 7-4-5 record and fifth in the Western Conference. With 25 points, the Whitecaps sit only three behind Minnesota United and the Los Angeles Galaxy who are tied for third.
After a decent start, the Whitecaps fizzled out in May but as mentioned, won their last two games. We are pretty much at the halfway point of the MLS season and it is clear that there are still improvements that need to be made with the Whitecaps.
As we do every midseason and after the season ends, it is time to hand out the grades. Which players are passing, which are failing? So let’s give out our 2024 midseason Whitecaps player ratings. If you don’t know how this works, I will give out a rating for each player and explain why in five sentences or less.
Feel free to agree or disagree as much as you like
Goalkeepers
Yohei Takaoka: 9/10
Other than a bad goal given up against the New York Red Bulls and the third goal in the blowout loss to LAFC, Takaoka has been consistent this season. He has made some great saves and has continued to demonstrate how good he is with his feet. According to FotMob, Takaoka is second in MLS in goals prevented with a 6.0 rate.
Isaac Boehmer: N/A as he hasn’t played much
Boehmer played in the two Canadian Championship quarterfinal legs against Cavalry. Those were his only appearances this season. He looked good and kept the Whitecaps in the second leg with a huge save late. He hasn’t played a lot but has done well when needed.
Defenders
Tristan Blackmon: 7/10
Blackmon has once again demonstrated he’s a reliable centre-back. While there were times when he would make a careless giveaway or get flat-footed, Blackmon has impressed with his clearances, tackling and passing.
Ranko Veselinovic: 9/10
Speaking of clearances, Veselinovic is one of the best in MLS at it. His 78 clearances are second in the league according to Football Reference. Veselinovic is only behind former Whitecaps Michael Boxall, now with Minnesota United. The Serbian defender has been reliable with his blocks and tackles.
Bjorn Inge Utvik: 9/10
Other than getting a red card for a handball in the box, Utvik has been a solid addition to the backline with his aerial ability, clearances and long passes. Utvik deserves more starts and he deserves them
Mathias Laborda: 4/10
It’s a good thing when Laborda isn’t noticeable. When he is, it usually isn’t a good thing. Unfortunately, Laborda has made some reckless challenges, got beaten on one-on-ones and has been often seen way too high up the pitch. It feels very chaotic when Laborda is on the pitch and perhaps the two-week break would be good for him
Javain Brown: 6/10
Brown has only made seven starts of the 11 appearances. He hasn’t been too bad. The Jamaican has demonstrated excellent crosses and long throw-ins. There were times when he has gotten beaten easily defensively but other than that, he’s had a fine season.
Sam Adekugbe: N/A as he hasn’t played much
Again, it’s hard to evaluate a player when he hasn’t played much. Adekugbe has only played six matches and started three in all competitions but has missed most of the year with a calf injury. When he played, Adekugbe’s crosses, pace and ability to win the ball benefited the Whitecaps. Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini stated he hopes Adekugbe will be playing on June 15 against the New England Revolution per Har Journalist of Daily Hive. They shouldn’t rush him and when he returns, he can show how important he is to the Whitecaps
Luis Martins: 7/10
Last season, Martins struggled with tracking back when the opposing team was on the transition. This season, he’s been better at that. He’s done a decent job of creating chances with his passing and crossing.
Ryan Raposo: 6/10
Raposo has demonstrated that he is great at crossing and creating chances in the box. However, there are times when he would make careless giveaways and he could be better defensively. One thing he is very good at is cutting inside, which is something I would like to see more.
Giuseppe Bovalina: N/A as he hasn’t played much
Bovalina joined the club from Australia’s Adelaide United over a month ago and has mainly come off the bench and did start the Canadian Championship quarterfinal second leg against Cavalry. He has shown promise with his playmaking and even made a huge goal-line clearance late in the match against the Colorado Rapids. The 19-year-old’s career will continue to be watched with great interest.
Midfielders
Ali Ahmed: 7/10
Ahmed has done fine this season but hasn’t been great. This year, we haven’t seen that dynamic, explosive player we saw in 2023, other than the first few games of the season. Still, Ahmed has been one of the Whitecaps’ most creative players while playing out wide. Perhaps, he should be shifted back into the midfield as one of the number eights. Then he could really cook.
Alessandro Schöpf: 6/10
It looked like Schöpf found a home as a wingback early in the season but has been moved back to the midfield for the past few weeks. There are moments when Schöpf makes a good tackle and creates but other times, he is invisible. There needs to be more consistency from him because he has shown he can be a quality player for this team.
Andres Cubas: 10/10
What more can I say about Cubas? He’s been dynamite in the midfield and shows no signs of stopping. The Paraguayan international has been all over the pitch looking to take the ball back like a dog with a bone. According to FootballReference, Cubas leads MLS in tackles in the middle third, (28) tackles plus interceptions (79) and is tied for second in MLS in interceptions. (30) Yeah, he’s pretty good.
Ryan Gauld: 10/10
Speaking of pretty good guys, Gauld also gets a perfect score. There isn’t much to say that has already been said. Gauld has been working hard creating offence and even helping out defensively with his tackling. It is worth noting he is one of the league leaders in key passes. The Working Class DP is having another great season.
Sebastian Berhalter: 7/10
Berhalter had a slow start to the season as he was losing the ball easily. But in the past few weeks, he has been shifted back into the midfield and not playing as a wingback. Berhalter is back to doing what he does best, winning the ball and creating service. His free kicks do need to be better and not hit the wall all the time but it seems he is getting back on track.
Pedro Vite: 5/10
Vite hasn’t been the same creative player as he was in 2023 and has looked off defensively. His passing is still good but there are times when he would make a bad giveaway or get dispossed easily. As Nathan Durec pointed out, his underlying numbers when it comes to creating look worse than last season. Still, he has looked better in recent weeks and playing him higher up the pitch might do wonders for him.
Ralph Priso: N/A as he hasn’t played much
Acquired from the Colorado Rapids back in March, Priso has only played the two legs against Cavalry and 29 minutes against the New York Red Bulls on April 27. He hasn’t done much to impress as he has looked lost defensively and shaky on the ball. However, there is still lots of time for him to figure it out.
Forwards
Brian White: 7/10
After a good start to the season, White has cooled off. He hasn’t scored since April 27 and has looked isolated. Still, he has five goals and that is two behind Gauld for the team lead. But once he finds himself in the right areas and after he gets one, White is hard to stop. The break is a good opportunity for White to recharge his batteries and hopefully, he’ll be firing once again.
Damir Kreilach: 6/10
It is clear that Kreilach’s legs don’t work like they used to before. The 35-year-old is slow when it comes to the transitions which is one of the Whitecaps’ signature moves. While he might not offer what he used to, he came big off the bench against Colorado
Fafa Picault:8/10
Picault has impressed with his speed and ability to win one-on-ones. After his back spasm injury, he kind of has cooled off. Nonetheless, the Whitecaps look way more threatening when he is on the pitch and has been one of their best-attacking players
Levonte Johnson:5/10
Johnson has the tools to become a good MLS player. We’ve seen flashes with his playmaking and dribbling. However, the final pass and touch are what have been holding him back. Johnson is now 25 years old and has entered his prime years, will he figure things out?