Player Focus: Resurgent Kenny Miller Benefitting Vancouver Whitecaps

As the Vancouver Whitecaps prepared for their third season in Major League Soccer, the likelihood of Scottish designated players Barry Robson and Kenny Miller remaining at the club appeared slim.

The duo failed to live up to their DP status in their first season with the Caps, with Miller particularly dismal, finding the net just twice all year.

Indeed Robson returned to Britain, signing for Sheffield United, yet Miller stayed in Canada despite coach Martin Rennie’s best efforts to free up some cap space.

Now, just six months later, Miller has signed a contract extension with the Whitecaps, keeping him at the Canadian club until June 2014.

Miller had been linked with a return to Scotland, primarily with former club Rangers, but Rennie has rewarded the striker for what has been a remarkable turnaround in form and standing with the Whitecaps.

So how has Miller turned things round at Vancouver and what has his role been in his side’s impressive streak of form?

The Whitecaps attack is currently tied with Real Salt Lake’s on 33 goals for MLS’ most potent strikeforce and Miller has become a pivotal figure in Rennie’s fluid 4-3-3 system.

While Miller might not be as prolific as striker partner Camilo, who has 13 goals compared to the Scot’s six, Miller’s link-up play around the box has become integral to what Rennie professes in Vancouver.

Miller plays an average of 1.3 key passes per game, an average only bettered on the Whitecaps roster by Teibert (1.6 per game). In front of goal Miller averages 1.8 shots on goal per game, with Camilo firing 3.7 efforts on goal per encounter.

The turnaround in form hasn’t just strengthened Miller’s position in the Whitecaps’ frontline, but that of his teammates as well. MLS top scorer Camilo Sanvezzo and young Canadian Russell Teibert in particular have benefitted from Miller’s presence this season.

Teibert leads the Whitecaps’ assists column so far this season, with six, compared to Camilo with three. The relationship between Rennie’s first-choice front three has given Vancouver the attacking platform they so often lacked last season, when they relied on the pace of Darren Mattocks to forge a route to goal.

Miller’s presence has been used by Rennie to solve a number of problems the Whitecaps found in attack earlier in the season. While difficult to illustrate with statistics, Miller’s hold up play as the pivot of the front three, with deep-lying midfielders Gershon Koffie and Nigel Reo-Coker eager to find the Scot with a direct ball forward.

This role briefs Miller with linking up attacking moves, playing more passes per game (27.3 on average) than any other Vancouver forward. Even more impressive is that even with his high-risk BRIEF, Miller maintains the highest pass success rate of any Whitecaps first-choice forward, completing 75.2% - only fringe players Darren Mattocks and Corey Hertzog have a higher rate.

For a Whitecaps team that often struggles to keep hold of the ball in midfield, Miller is the perfect outlet. His pace in exploiting space in the channels allows Vancouver to stretch the field on the counter attack, with Miller completing 0.8 successful dribbles per game - only Mattocks has a higher rate among the Caps’ strikers).

Miller himself has demonstrated an impressive degree of potency in front of goal, converting 27.3% of his shots on goal. His average match rating of 7.26 ranks him second in the Vancouver roster - Camilo, Miller and Teibert occupy three of the top four spots.

Of course one major factor in Miller’s renaissance is his fitness. The 33-year-old missed the first two months of the season and struggled to find match sharpness last year. His impressive form over the past 12 games has coincided with his first prolonged spell of full fitness.

When Miller was struggling last season, with form and injury, Rennie insisted the Scotland insisted would adapt to MLS with time. Now both Rennie and Miller are justified in persisting with each other.