VANCOUVER, B.C. – Much has been made of the Vancouver Whitecaps' first ever win at the LA Galaxy two weeks ago, but as far as the 'Caps are concerned, that victory – as sweet as it was – is in the history books.
For every impressive win over a top team like LA this year, Vancouver have suffered disappointing defeats against teams like San Jose and Colorado. For the LA effort to truly mean anything, the ‘Caps have to follow it up with a solid performance on Saturday at the New York Red Bulls (7 pm ET, TSN2 in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US), the third match in a five-game road trip that will also see Vancouver travel to New England and Colorado.
The win against the Galaxy gave the Whitecaps a solid blueprint for their upcoming stretch of road games, especially for this week’s clash at the high-pressing Red Bulls, who won’t allow Vancouver much time in possession.
"I don't think every time we can get most of the ball but when we don't have it, being sound defensively and doing the small jobs well, like we did in LA, is going to be important,” said Vancouver ‘keeper David Ousted.
"Then when we're on the ball, we need quality. We had quality against LA. We showed that the times that we had the ball, we're good at keeping it and getting chances. If we can do that in the next three away games, it's looking positive."
Under manager Carl Robinson, the Whitecaps have turned into a solid road side, registering a respectable 7-8-10 in away regular season matches since the start of 2014. Vancouver seem to have found a winning formula on the road, with the head coach using his personnel to perfection.
Their fast-paced, counterattacking style may not have looked pretty at times in the possession stats, but with four wins and 13 points from their travels so far this season, it's hard to knock it’s success away from BC Place.
"It's finding that balance of being able to win a game but being able to dominate the ball, being able to create more chances," Robinson said. "We're still searching for solutions, as most managers are in this league. You've got to find a way to win. Against the reigning champs, we found a way to win. It was a performance that we needed to be disciplined and organized, and we were.
"New York [are next]. They’re a good team. [Head coach Jesse Marsch] has got them organized, he’s got a certain way of playing, we’ll be prepared for that and we’ve gotta put our stamp on the game."
The Red Bulls will be the Whitecaps third opponents on a five-game road stretch that's seen them travel coast-to-coast and now back out east again for their next two matches.
Whereas such a tough spell may have been daunting to some previous Whitecaps' sides, veteran defender Jordan Harvey thinks the current squad relishes the opportunity to pick up road points.
"We're looking forward to New York and the next games," he said. "We're playing really well right now so it's just carrying that on from when we left. The coaching staff and all the players are really stressing that we need to get back into that mentality again and so we're going to do that."
