

Posted by

Steve Bottjer ,

May 11, 2014 Email

Steve Bottjer

On Twitter:

@BottjerRNO

Back in January, not many people would have guessed that the Vancouver Whitecaps would end up being the biggest beneficiaries of Michael Bradley’s decision to return to Major League Soccer. However, with the domino effect of Bradley’s arrival in Toronto pushing Young Designated Player Matias Laba out of Hogtown into the open arms of Carl Robinson and the Vancouver Whitecaps, it looks like not one but two Canadian clubs are benefitting from the return to North America of arguably the top American player in the world.



While TFC have struggled in recent weeks, Vancouver (4-2-4) have taken flight with a strong start to their 2014 season and they currently sit as the lone Canadian MLS club in a playoff spot. A big part of their positive start has come as a result of the strong play of Laba, who has fit in perfectly with the talented young squad that Robinson has at his disposal.



With starting central defenders (Jay DeMerit and Andy O’Brien) who are experienced but not particularly fleet of foot and a stable of young attacking players who are mostly forward thinking, the 22 year old Laba has very quickly become a vital part of Vancouver’s starting eleven. While his considerable qualities don’t usually standout on the stat sheet, the Argentine holding midfielder’s ability to shield the back four, win the majority of the midfield battles and use his passing ability to quickly transition from defense to offense has been absolutely vital with respect to getting the best out of both Vancouver’s aging central defenders and the squad’s lightning quick forwards.



Vancouver’s offseason transformation has given the team more of Latin feel to it and Laba has looked very comfortable linking up with South American players such Pedro Morales and Sebastian Fernández. Reading between the lines, it is not a stretch see Laba’s fine play as one of the reasons that Vancouver and Nigel Reo-Coker are now rumoured to be parting ways in the coming days.



It had been a rough several months for Laba in the lead up to the 2014 season. His 2013 campaign was cut short due to a broken toe just when he had looked to be establishing himself in the North American top flight. That was followed by an uncertain offseason in which the signing of Bradly had placed him in limbo until a deal to send him across the country to Vancouver was agreed upon.



With two months of the season with his new club now under his belt, Laba looks like he is again on track to establishing himself as one of the best central midfielders in the league.



TFC supporters who watched the Whitecaps defeat the Columbus Crew on Saturday probably did so wistfully, as Laba dominated the proceedings and shut down Federico Higuaín so completely that many people likely had to check the Crew lineup to confirm that he wasn’t out injured.



In addition to TFC fans, you have to wonder what was going through the head of Columbus Head Coach Gregg Berhalter on Saturday. He was offered Laba over the offseason and made some near disparaging remarks about the Argentine in an article featured on the league website. Having second thoughts yet, Gregg? In any case, let us know when you relocate your own Designated Player that went missing on Saturday.



Toronto FC supporters now face the very real possibility that their beloved former player could play a crucial role in eliminating their club from the 2014 Canadian Championship tournament on Wednesday. With Vancouver having a bye week of its own next week, Carl Robinson is expected to field more of a first choice lineup on Wednesday, setting up the possibility that observers will get to see Laba going head to head with Bradley for the first time.



Of course, the bigger story will play out over the next number of weeks as Bradley heads to Brazil for the World Cup while Laba continues to ply his trade for Vancouver. How both teams do over those weeks will not only be crucial with regard to whether or not either or both make the postseason this year, they will also answer the question of whether or not Toronto would have been better off just keeping Laba rather than signing the U.S. International at his expense, especially during a World Cup year.



With one of Toronto’s three offseason DP signings, Gilberto, already struggling mightily to score, Jermain Defoe oft injured and not getting much service recently and Bradley looking like a player who has played not to get hurt over the last few weeks in advance of the World Cup, it can be argued that right now the most productive of the four Designated Players on TFC’s roster prior to March is now playing for a Canadian rival.



While it would be easy to paint Laba’s fine play as an everybody wins situation in which the player himself and the Whitecaps are benefitting from TFC’s need to trade him and the Reds are benefitting the influence that Bradley brings when he is on the pitch, you have to wonder what the response from Reds supporters will be if Laba and the Whitecaps are playing in November after their own club misses the postseason yet again.



Make no mistake, if Vancouver surprise most preseason prognosticators and make the 2014 MLS Cup Playoffs, Laba will likely have played a big role in that achievement. And if that comes to pass, Carl Robinson and Bob Lenarduzzi will certainly have send a big thank you to Michael Bradley and Toronto FC.