Match Thoughts: Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Montreal Impact

Montreal's Joshua Gardner and Vancouver's Y.P. Lee. (AP Images)

So this was the first of the MLS games from last weekend that I wanted to check out for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to see how the Montreal Impact would do in their debut. Two, Vancouver has done a little retooling that should help them challenge for a playoff spot. Unfortunately, the end product wasn't all that great from either side, but it was the first game of the season.

Montreal took the possession in the early going, but really seemed to me to be lacking in some confidence. While it's true that the lineup they put out has lot of MLS experience, most of them haven't played together much. Even the early attempts at goal were week, with Sanna Nyassi rolling a shot right at Joe Cannon in the first minute and Joshua Gardner missing well wide in the the third.

Once Vancouver got a hold of the ball they wasted little time. In the fourth minute they countered and Eric Hassli headed a ball over to Sebastian Le Toux, who took the ball and poked it by Donovan Ricketts to give the 'Caps a 1-0 lead early on. The rest of the first half continued in much the same fashion, with Montreal looking slightly lost and Vancouver posing a more realistic threat, but there were to be no more goals, and the first half ended 1-0.

Vancouver pretty much iced the match early on in the second half. In the 54th minute they put together what to me was the best build up play in the game that resulted in Camilo putting a goal inside the far post to make it 2-0 to the Whitecaps.

Montreal looked a little better in the second half. Their best chance of the match came in the 61st minute when Davy Arnaud put a header on target following a corner kick. He beat Cannon but Y.P. Lee was there to clear it off of the line and preserve the clean sheet. The 'Caps would ultimately go on to win by the 2-0 score.

Vancouver didn't look like world beaters by any stretch, but it really seems like they've improved. I really love the addition of Le Toux up front and Y.P. Lee and Bonjour on the back. If DeMerit can stay healthy, they should go a long way on solidifying the Whitecaps' defense.

For Montreal, it was the first game of their first MLS season. I'm not sure anybody expected all that much, reasonably. Davy Arnaud was the best for them, and Ricketts will be solid in goal. They're gonna need work on the back though, and the service out of the midfield will need to be better to help create goals. However, this should all improve the more these guys play together.