Watching the Whitecaps from the commentary booth this season has given me a whole new appreciation for what this team has accomplished in a historic year.
From up in the booth, you see things that you might miss from the couch.
One thing that’s stood out to me more than ever is the impact of Yohei Takaoka.
The Whitecaps keeper has quietly put together one of the best seasons in MLS, leading the league with 13 clean sheets. He’s been everything you’d want in a shot-stopper, but what’s impressed me most is that his offence has been the best part of his defence. Vancouver has out-possessed opponents all year, and Takaoka is a huge reason why. There’s no one in MLS more comfortable or creative with the ball at their feet. His ability to unlock pressure and start attacks is the
most dangerous part of his game.
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That got me wondering: how many times have the Whitecaps scored a goal that began with a Takaoka touch?
When I asked Whitecaps communications ace and resident stat guru Sebastian Pereira, he said it’s not a stat that’s officially tracked, but if he had to guess, he’d say about five. I figured it had to be closer to ten. That was enough motivation to find out for myself.
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So, I went back and watched every single Whitecaps goal this season on my Apple TV Season Pass. After some generous (and probably debatable) accounting, including plays where a penalty was drawn, I counted 13 goals where Takaoka had a touch leading to a Whitecaps goal, with the opposition never regaining possession.
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A weird stat, sure. But to put that in context: of the 38 goals Vancouver conceded this year, only two came on sequences where the opposing keeper touched the ball beforehand.
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One of the best examples of Takaoka’s influence came in the 4–1 win over San Jose. He spotted Sebastian Berhalter in midfield, who turned and found Ali Ahmed on the left. Ahmed drove forward, picked out Thomas Müller at the top of the box, and Müller buried it. Takaoka doesn’t get an assist, but that attack doesn’t happen without his vision and precision.
Another came in Game 1 of the playoffs. Takaoka calmly pushed the ball right to Édier Ocampo, who found Emmanuel Sabbi. The winger did the rest, slaloming through Dallas defenders before being bundled down for a penalty.
These are the kinds of moments that can slip under the radar, but they’re a big reason why the Whitecaps have been one of the toughest teams to play against this season.
And for Takaoka, the goals are as clear as his distribution.
“For the team to win and a trophy. The MLS Cup, that’s all I want,” he told me this month. “And for me individually, I want to win the Best Goalkeeper of the Year.”
He didn’t take home that award this time, as Minnesota’s Canadian Dayne St. Clair did, but Takaoka’s steady influence and quiet excellence were at the heart of everything Vancouver achieved this season.
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