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On Tuesday morning, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC held a press conference to announce that Martin Rennie will take over as head coach of the team at the end of the current season. For more on that story, read this coverage from The Vancouver Sun.

ReCaps August 7, 2011: Chicago Fire

For those who watched and attended Sunday’s Whitecaps FC match, it was an altogether rare experience: a beautiful day to watch soccer and a beautiful day in the results column. For the first time since games 1 and 2 of the season, there was an overwhelming optimism heading into this one. Chicago had been terrible all season, and Vancouver was looking more dangerous every week.

Despite the fact that Mustapha Jarju was away playing for the Gambian National team, with the way Eric Hassli and Camilo had been playing lately, we knew they could fill the net.

The Great

Hassli was at his best as he scored the first and last goal in Vancouver’s 4-1 triumph. He was a force in the middle, imposing his will on both goals, drawing defenders all day, creating space in behind him. Camilo’s goal was all about finding the space created by the focus on the big man.

If he had managed to get his penalty shot attempt past Fire goaltender Sean Johnson at the 42′ mark, he would have had a hat-trick. Still, that didn’t stop him from a very strange celebration of his second goal:

The Question

How will Jarju fit back into the offense when he returns? Since Camilo looked very dangerous playing off Hassli’s central threat, will Tubabo be able to play a similar role and find some chemistry in the same way?

The Good

Gershon Koffie has been shooting more lately, and it finally paid off as he scored his first professional level goal. A more confident Koffie playing with Shea Salinas, Peter Vagenas, and a finally healthy John Thorrington has created an imposing Vancouver midfield.

The Ugly:

It’s an old refrain, but the defending has a long, long way to go. Both Chicago goals were a result of lack of pace in the middle; Alain Rochat and Jason Harvey were each exposed on a goal.

Both are playing out of position as centre backs, which is the heart of the problem. If Jay DeMerit’s injury problems continue, the Whitecaps need another true centre back.

The Atmosphere:

Looking around the stadium, there were empty seats everywhere, yet despite this, the crowd seemed more lively than the one at the Beckham (A.K.A. Galaxy) match. The Southsiders were great and even some at the North end made noise. For those who made the trip to Empire, it was well worth the effort – a 4 goal output by the home team will have that effect.

-Post written by Patrick Johnson (@risingaction)