Welcome to Counter Attack, Sportsnet’s Monday column that recaps the weekend and previews the week ahead for the three Canadian teams in Major League Soccer.

What happened this weekend?

• Toronto 2, Philadelphia 1

• Kansas City 2, Montreal 1

• Portland 1, Vancouver 1

Records

• Vancouver: 10-8-3, 33 points (3rd in Western Conference)

• Toronto: 8-7-3, 27 points (4th in Eastern Conference)

• Montreal: 6-8-3, 21 points (8th in Eastern Conference)

What did we learn?

Delgado a gem for TFC: With Michael Bradley still away on Gold Cup duty, Marky Delgado started at the top of TFC’s midfield diamond against the Union. The ex-Chivas man continued his recent run of strong form, linking up effectively with the rest of the midfield, and scoring the Reds’ opener. He’s also shown his versatility during his recent stretch of games, playing on the right side of midfield, and helping out on both side of the ball. “He has such a big engine to help us defend a little bit deeper, but also to get out and help Jozy (Altidore) and Sebastian (Giovinco) in transition,” coach Greg Vanney said.

Whitecaps pass depth test: Vancouver entered Saturday’s road game vs. Portland without several starters, including both centre backs (more on that later) and influential playmaker Pedro Morales. Fellow midfielder Russell Teibert wasn’t 100 percent following his run at the Gold Cup with Canada, and started on the bench. But the Whitecaps passed the test, in large part due to the play of central defenders Christian Dean and Tim Parker, and Nicolas Mezquida filling in for Morales. Also, Matias Laba, not exactly known for his goal-scoring prowess, netted the equalizer for the Whitecaps.

Impact’s road woes continue: Montreal’s loss in Kansas City on Saturday means the Impact have now won only once in their last 27 road games, and have picked up just one of a possible 12 points away from hone since defeating Columbus on June 6. Are the Impact that much worse on the road then they are at home? Coach Frank Klopas doesn’t think so, suggesting that it’s a matter of cutting out the mental mistakes and playing more cautiously. “We’ve got to realize that we can’t take risks and chances away from home against a quality team,” Klopas said. “The focus was to win the second half. I felt we did that. We pushed the game. Unfortunately, those early mistakes we made cost us.”

Upcoming schedule

• Columbus vs. Toronto (Saturday, 7:30pm ET)

• Toronto vs. Sunderland (Wednesday, 7:00pm ET)

• Montreal vs. Seattle (Saturday, 8pm ET)

• Vancouver vs. San Jose (Sunday, 7pm ET)

Saturday programming alert: Watch Columbus Crew vs. Toronto FC on Sportsnet 360 at 7:30 pm ET. || Sportsnet World NOW || Broadcast schedule

Stories to follow

TFC squad rotation: The Reds have a busy week, as they host English Premier League side Sunderland in a friendly on Wednesday, and then travel to Ohio for Saturday’s MLS contest against the Crew. Coach Greg Vanney told reporters after the Philadelphia win he plans to rotate his squad for the friendly and give as many minutes as he can to those who’ve struggled to earn playing team this season. Don’t be surprised if he calls up a player or two from TFC II, aslo. “Saturday’s game (vs. the Crew) remains the priority,” Vanney affirmed.

Defensive decisions for ‘Caps: With Pa Modou Kah out injured, and Kendall Waston away on international duty, Vancouver coach Carl Robinson started rookie Tim Parker and sophomore Christian Dean in the centre of defence against Portland. Despite their inexperience, the young duo looked very solid and composed. It’ll be interesting to see if Robinson sticks with the youngsters this weekend—Kah may be fit to return, and Waston is done with Costa Rica at the Gold Cup. Jordan Harvey is suspended for this weekend’s game, so Dean starting at left fullback is a possibility.

Will Bekker play in Montreal?: The Impact received Canadian midfielder Kyle Bekker in last week’s trade with FC Dallas (defender Bakary Soumare went the other way). Bekker didn’t travel for the Kansas City game, so this weekend’s home game against Seattle will be his first chance to make his Impact debut. But it’s hard to see Bekker getting any more playing time in Montreal than he did in Dallas (he played just eight times and 313 minutes in this season), as he joins an Impact side with a great deal of midfield depth. At best, he’ll pick up minutes as a substitute.

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