Whitecaps captain propped up for playoffs

Healthier Morales aims to make a noticeable difference in stretch run

Can’t make sense of this wacky year in Major League Soccer?

Like, how do the Whitecaps lose four of their last six and fall out of top spot overall, yet remain the only team with 15 wins?

Here’s another oddity to chew on: the Caps’ technical staff and the media members who regularly cover the team nominated five candidates for Player of the Year, which will be decided by an online fan vote. But neither the club’s leading scorer, nor its captain, the two designated players with by far the most lucrative contracts at $890,000 and $1.4 million a year, made the cut. Like we said, wacky.

The thing is, though, a successful playoff run by the Caps — assuming they make the post-season — will be highly dependent on what they can get out of striker Octavio Rivero (10 goals, but just two from the run of play over his last 23) and attacking midfielder Pedro Morales (six goals, four assists, but just 15 starts).

Getting Morales, the 30-year-old Chilean playmaker, back up to fitness and form, is probably the most pressing issue facing the Caps in October. Despite his passing wizardry, he hasn’t had an assist in 526 minutes, not since May 9 against Philadelphia.

A calf strain and a balky hamstring have limited the captain to only two starts and five substitute appearances over the past 14 games. The Caps did survive early with Morales on the limp, largely because of the work of relentless disrupter Nicolas Mezquida. But the young Uruguayan has been sidelined of late with his own hamstring issue.

It’s no coincidence that Vancouver’s goal scoring has suddenly dried up without Morales or Mezquida to initiate the attack.

Morales, in a 23-minute stint off the bench, scored the lone Caps’ goal on a penalty in Saturday’s tough 2-1 home loss to New York City FC. But it’s his ability to spray balls around the field with precision accuracy that Vancouver misses when he’s not available.

“In the first two or three minutes he was in, he hits one cross-field pass to Scooter (Kekuta Manneh),” assistant coach Martyn Pert said after the Caps returned to training on Tuesday. “That’s what you miss when he’s not in the team, the ability to find long-range passes and really open up the game.

“Everyone knows his qualities. We’ve not really missed it because of what everyone else has contributed up to this point. But when the game gets tight and you’re behind, you need that kind of ability to unlock defences.”

That’s been the prevailing wisdom, that the work of Mezquida and veteran Mauro Rosales at attacking midfielder and the goal-scoring contributions of wingers Manneh and Cristian Techera masked the loss of Morales.

But it’s not entirely accurate. Check out these numbers: the Caps are 9-4-2 with Morales as a starter this season, and just 3-4-0 with him coming off the bench and 3-4-1 when he doesn’t play.

“It’s good to have him back,” said fullback Steven Beitashour, while noting Morales was lively at training. “He’s a special player, so we definitely want him on the field just because of the things he brings to different players. He improves the whole team and is someone we’re going to need to go far in the playoffs.”

Morales, who battled a wonky back at times in 2014 when he was the club’s POY, said he’s been “unlucky” with injuries this season.


Montreal Impact Forward Didier Drogba Voted MLS Player Of The Week

Montreal Impact forward Didier Drogba was voted Major League Soccer Player of the Week by the North American Soccer Reporters (NASR) for Week 30 of the 2015 MLS season.

Drogba turned in yet another prolific performance on Saturday, leading Montreal to its third consecutive victory with a brace versus D.C. United. He now has seven goals and one assist in six appearances for the Canadian club. Montreal remains unbeaten with Drogba in the starting lineup, going 4-0-1 in his five starts, as it tightens its grip on an Eastern Conference playoff berth. Saturday’s match marked the striker’s third consecutive match with a goal and improved his goals per 90 minutes clip to 1.31. This is Drogba’s second Player of the Week selection.

The former Ivorian international got on the score sheet early in the 4th minute with a powerful, long-distance free kick. Lining up from 25-yards out, Drogba belted a curling effort up and over the wall and past a diving Bill Hamid into the top left corner of the net (watch goal).

Drogba doubled Montreal’s lead with an impressive solo effort in the 11th minute. The Chelsea legend picked up the ball just outside the center circle and skated past defender Steve Birnbaum with a slick stepover. Drogba then chipped the ball over an onrushing Hamid into the back of the net to secure the victory (watch goal).

The Montreal Impact return to MLS action on Saturday when they head to the Citrus Bowl to take on Orlando City SC at 7:30 p.m. ET (MLS LIVE).

The MLS Player of the Week is selected each week of the regular season by a panel of journalists from NASR. The group consists of members of print, television, radio and online media.