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Davies stormed down the pitch on the left side, outmuscling Sounders defender Chad Marshall for the ball, drawing three defenders before laying a perfect pass at the feet of Fredy Montero for the goal.

“That’s what Alphonso Davies is. He’s young and has lots of energy,” said Montero, who scored his 11th of the season and third against his former team this year.

If they’re going to need anything on Saturday, it’s energy. Against the Sounders, they were dominated in every statistical category, from shots (25-8) to corners (10-4) to possession (66 to 34 per cent). Travel to Orlando includes a stopover in Houston, with a total of about 4,500 kilometres and three time zones covered. To top it off, they’re on a short week, with just three days between games.

This season, when the Whitecaps have six or more days off, they’re unbeaten at home (4-0-1) and 4-5-2 on the road. With under five days’ rest, Vancouver is 2-3-2 at home, and 0-1-0 on the road.

Davies’ sparkplug effect will be a big part of that. Heading into this week, the Caps averaged 1.5 goals and 0.8 goals against per 90 minutes in the 715 minutes that he plays. In the 1,384 minutes without him, they average 1.3 goals and 1.7 goals against.

But Davies has been nursing an injury he picked up in the Gold Cup, and had only made three appearances as a substitute in eight games before Wednesday, totalling just 42 minutes of playing time.

“I still don’t think he’s 100 per cent,” Robinson said after Wednesday’s game.

“Maybe we’ll get to see on Saturday if he is. He needed a break — a mental break, a physical break — and you have to remember how old the boy is, and there’s lots going on. It’s important we support him, and you respect my decisions and listen, because I know what’s going on with the boy.

“When he comes on like that, he’s exciting to watch. We want to try to encourage him to play like that more. And he will. You’ll see Saturday.”