Sunday, September 27, 2015

Whitecaps Lose 2-1 Thriller to New York City

Vancouver 1 (Morales) – New York City 2 (Lampard, Villa)

A thrilling match at BC Place turned into the Ricardo Salazar show at the end as the referee for the match gave two dubious penalty calls, one for each side late in match as New York City escaped Vancouver with a 2-1 win. Frank Lampard scored for New York in the first half as a young Whitecaps team often looked starstruck with Lampard, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo in the lineup. Both teams ramped up the intensity in the 2nd half which lead to a free flowing, back and forth match. Vancouver was awarded a penalty late in the match which Pedro Morales would convert, before failing to convert a number of chances after as the game headed into added time. Vancouver would rue their missed chances as late in added time NYC was awarded a penalty as Matias Laba was judged to have fouled Frank Lampard inside the 18 yard box, and David Villa would convert to steal the three points for NYC.

Match Recap

The Vancouver Whitecaps hoped to put the past couple matches behind them as they hosted a star-studded New York City FC Saturday evening at BC Place. NYC had all of their DP's including Andrea Pirlo, Frank Lampard and David Villa in their starting lineup, while Whitecaps Head Coach Carl Robinson was forced to make a couple of changes as a few of his starters were dealing with slight knocks including Octavio Rivero and Pedro Morales, who were both on the bench, and Steven Beitashour who did not feature in the match.

Robinson's eleven included David Ousted in goal, Jordan Smith, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker and Jordan Harvey in defense, Gershon Koffie alongside Matias Laba in defensive midfield, with Kekuta Manneh, Mauro Rosales and Cristian Techera supporting Darren Mattocks up front.

In the 12th minute NYC's Shay Facey earned a yellow card for a foul on Darren Mattocks just outside the box to the right of Josh Saunders'goal. Mauro Rosales would step up and take the free kick and just miss the top corner, the ball curling just wide of the target.

A couple minutes later Kekuta Manneh would get a shot on goal from close range which Saunders just managed to keep out of the net before Mattocks tumbled over him trying to get to the loose ball.

In the 29th minute Frank Lampard went unmarked between a sea of Whitecaps in the box and put the Angelino pass into the net to give NYC a 1-0 lead.

The rest of the first half would fizzle out as NYC went into the break up 1-0.

The Whitecaps had the first chance of the 2nd half off of a Mauro Rosales free kick as he put the ball onto the head of Kendall Waston who struck goalward, but Saunders managed to make the save.

The Whitecaps started to push the intensity and create more chances, as a result the match opened up for both teams and to the benefit of the sellout crowd in attendance.

Andrea Pirlo would get a yellow card in the 62nd minute for not letting the Whitecaps play on after a foul was called. Pirlo would get a free kick of his own a couple minutes later, slipping it under the wall but not past David Ousted.

On 66 minutes Pedro Morales would come on for Gershon Koffie as the Whitecaps looked to add some offensive spark. Octavio Rivero would come on for Darren Mattocks a minute later.

On 70 minutes the Whitecaps had a golden opportunity to tie the match as Kekuta Manneh's passed was stopped by Mauro Rosales on the edge of the six yard box. Jordan Harvey came in with time and space but chipped his effort over the bar.

NYC would make their first substitution on 75 minutes as Ned Grabavoy would come off for Khiry Shelton.

On 80 minutes Robert Earnshaw would come on for Mauro Rosales as the Whitecaps continued to press for their equalizer. Pedro Morales would then get a yellow card for a foul on Andrea Pirlo soon after. Techera would then join Morales in the book for a push on Angelino by the NYC bench.

On 87 minutes, Jordan Smith took a shot from distance on a second chance from a corner kick with Saunders parrying the shot into Kendall Waston's path, Waston would get tripped up by Angelino and the referee would point to the spot for a penalty kick. Pedro Morales would step up and put it low to the right of Josh Saunders to tie the match late.

NYC would bring on Kwadno Poku for Mix Diskerud right after, and the Whitecaps would generate a number of chances on goal in stoppage time but would be unable to put away the match before Matias Laba fouled Frank Lampard just inside the box three minutes into added time. The referee pointed to the spot to the derision of the fans at BC Place, David Villa would convert the penalty and NYC would escape Vancouver with a 2-1 victory.

Post Match Quotes

Carl Robinson – On the New York Penalty:
"He's (Laba) got the ball, I think everyone in the stadium could see it, I don't know whether he's (referee) felt it was a make up call or whatever, the game is about tackling, the game's about contact, Mati Laba is one of the best players in that position, he's clearly won the ball."

On his players being Star-struck against Lampard, Pirlo, Villa:
"I thought we played as poorly as we played all season in the first half , I think we made wrong decisions, I think we were hesitant, and when you do that against a very good team then, you know, you're always going to give yourself problems and stuff like that and they played a very high line and credit to them, and we turned down opportunities to play in behind them. We have a lot of pacy guys in our team but we made wrong passes, wrong decisions and mis-controlled the ball, I just said tidy up, keep your mind free and go out, we can't be as bad as we were in the first half, we weren't we were better in the 2nd, but that's no consolation cause we got nothing out of the game."

David Ousted – Thoughts on the match:
"Not good enough. That first half is the poorest I've seen us play, and we weren't at it so, all in all we can't complain too much. We went at it in the 2nd half and we had our chances, but again, its a tale of if you don't take your chances, you don't win games."

New York City Head Coach Jason Kreis – On the last part of the match:
"Mania, pure mania. I honestly felt that both penalty kicks, decisions were very poor, that game should've ended 1-0."

On the performance of his star players:
"Yeah, I think they put on a good show. I think both teams really went after it. It was a great game, it was a great game to watch, a great game to be a part of."

Frank Lampard – Thoughts on the match:
"We're happy to win here, obviously, its a difficult place to come, Vancouver have had a strong season, its big for us, it keeps our hopes alive. We're in a must win situation now for the rest of the season, if we had lost those points when they had scored that penalty it would have been disappointing."


Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Whitecaps bow out of Concacaf Champions League with 3-0 Loss

Vancouver 0 – Seattle 3 (Neagle 2, Valdez)

The kids were not alright as they fell to the Seattle Sounders 3-0 in Concacaf Champions League Group F action. Lamar Neagle got Seattle on the board as he tapped in from close range on 32 minutes, before Nelson Valdez headed in a Marco Pappa free kick to make it 2-0 just before halftime. Neagle would add his 2nd of the match just after the restart as he took advantage of a Whitecaps mistake in the defensive end, as Seattle easily beat a young Whitecaps team playing eight players 24 years of age or younger 3-0. With the loss Seattle advances to the knockout round of the Concacaf Champions League while the now eliminated Whitecaps still have a match to go in their group against CD Olimpia on October 22nd.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match Recap

The Vancouver Whitecaps travelled down the I-5 to take on the Seattle Sounders in Group F Concacaf Champions League action with a chance to clinch passage to the next round of the competition. Whitecaps Head Coach Carl Robinson made numerous changes to the starting lineup, with Paolo Tornaghi in goal, Tim Parker, Pa-Modou Kah, Diego Rodriguez and Christian Dean in defense, with Deybi Flores and Matias Laba taking on defensive midfield duties. Kianz Froese, Nicolas Mezquida and Sam Adekugbe supported Robert Earnshaw up front.

Seattle would have the first good chance on goal 17 minutes as Chad Barrett found himself six yards in front of goal but could only head the ball straight at Paolo Tornaghi to squander the chance.

A few minutes later Matias Laba would try a long distance effort on goal, with his rising shot going straight into the hands of Stefan Frei.

Scary moment in the 26th minute as Nicolas Mezquida caught an elbow from Cristian Roldan and went to ground bleeding, but would manage to walkoff on his own and get back in the match.

Seattle would go up in front in the 32nd minute as Lamar Neagle tapped in a Chad Barrett pass to make it 1-0 in a match that up to that point had looked like mostly one way traffic for the Sounders.

In the 39th minute Chad Barrett would make up for his earlier effort by heading in a Marco Pappa free kick to make it 2-0 Seattle as Paolo Tornaghi came out late to try and get a fist on it but Barrett's head would get to it first.

Seattle would go into the half with a comfortable 2-0 lead with the Whitecaps rarely threatening the Sounders goal.

Seattle would add another goal soon after the restart as a poor pass by Pa-Modou Kah would eventually end up on the foot of Lamar Neagle who had time and space to put it past Tornaghi to make it 3-0 on 47 minutes.

On 55 minutes Kekuta Manneh would come on for Nicolas Mezquida as the Whitecaps hoped an injection of pace would help restore some parity to the match.

On 63 minutes both teams would make substitutions as Seattle brought on Michael Azira for Eric Friberg, and the Whitecaps brought on Russell Teibert for Matias Laba.

On 74 minutes Seattle would bring on Aaron Kovar for Nelson Valdez to get fresh legs as they looked to preserve the shutout. A few minutes later the Whitecaps would bring on Marco Bustos for Sam Adekugbe. Seattle would bring on Oniel Fisher for Chad Barrett a minute later as their final substitution.

Seattle had a stroll this evening and advance to the knockout stages of the Concacaf Champions League with a 3-0 win. The Whitecaps have one more match to play against CD Olimpia in a mean nothing match on October 22nd, but before that though they resume their MLS campaign this weekend as expansion team New York City FC come to town Saturday evening at BC Place.

Post Match Quotes

Sigi Schmid – Thoughts on the match:

"Obviously we're happy with the result it gets us into the next round, it's nice to have a lot more players healthy so that options and choices were a lot better so we've got a starting team that we play seven fresh guys tonight out of the 11, those guys acquitted themselves well, its always easier when a Roldan is next to an experienced player rather than have two young guys next to each other, it makes the game a little bit eaiser."

Carl Robinson – Thoughts on the match:

"Our first team that played on Saturday against Seattle we're young, and we knew that we were going to be even younger, we're banged up at the moment but we're not going to use that as an excuse, I made changes based on energy levels in the team, I picked a team that I thought was going to get a result today, and we've given away a couple of bad goals. Look at their lineup, very strong lineup, they've made a couple changes as well, their changes are experienced players, mine our young players, we've got to take that experience on the chin."

Tim Parker – Learning Experience in Champions League:

"It's our first time in the competition as a club and we have a lot to learn from it, looking forward to next year we have some things that we can take and strive from, getting wins at home, especially in this competition getting the first two home games and getting the most out of them is definitly important."

Russell Teibert – How going down to Honduras may help Canadian National Team:


" I can't wait to go down there, we as Canadians we know about the history in the past but, it seems like it's coming to be a new era, a lot of young talent that's coming through, a lot of young guys on the national team, its going to be a team that, a lot of guys weren't there in Honduras in the past, that's the national team and this is the Whitecaps and they two don't really go together, but for a lot of the Canadian guys I think, we've all played Honduras and all the other youth teams growing up and we show no fear."

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Whitecaps lose to Sounders 3-0 in Cascadia Cup Clash

Vancouver 0 – Seattle 3 (Ivanschitz, Pineda, Martins)

The Vancouver Whitecaps gave up a late first half goal, then were hit on the counter twice in the 2nd half as the Seattle Sounders won 3-0 to win the 2015 edition of the Cascadia Cup and move to within three points of the Whitecaps in the MLS Western Conference playoff chase. Andreas Ivanschitz scored his first MLS goal as he beat Jordan Smith and then went five-hole on David Ousted to make it 1-0 right before the half. In the 71st minute Gonzalo Pineda made it 2-0 as he took the Clint Dempsey pass and put his shot post and in. Dempsey would provide again late in the 88th minute as he ran past Russell Teibert in the box and then passed to an open Obafemi Martins who sealed the deal to make it 3-0.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match Recap

The Vancouver Whitecaps played host to the Seattle Sounders Saturday afternoon at BC Place in a Cascadia Cup match that also had implications in the MLS Western Conference playoff chase. Whitecaps Head Coach Carl Robinson was forced into a couple of changes as Steven Beitashour was a late injury concern and Pedro Morales had a hamstring problem. Matias Laba was suspended for the match as well. Robinson went with David Ousted in goal, Jordan Smith, Kendall Waston, Pa-Modou Kah and Jordan Harvey in defense, Gershon Koffie and Russell Teibert in defensive midfield, and Kekuta Manneh, Mauro Rosales and Cristian Techera supporting Octavio Rivero up front.

Seattle would get the first good chance on goal five minutes in as Brad Evans rose to meet a header and send it goalbound but David Ousted tipped over the bar to make the save.

Ten minutes later Octavio Rivero had a chance at the other end as he found himself in open space just inside the box, but his curling shot would go just wide of goal. A few minutes later Cristian Techera would find Rivero behind the Seattle defence but Rivero's shot would be saved by the onrushing Stefan Frei.

In the 22nd minute Russel Teibert would earn a yellow card for a foul on Clint Dempsey in midfield, Teibert would argue that was only his first challenge but to no avail. The referee would even up the cards a few minutes later as Brad Evans was booked for a challenge on Mauro Rosales in midfield.

Techera would have a chance on goal late in the first half as Pa-Modou Kah found him streaking down the right side but his low shot would be saved by Stefan Frei.

Just before the half Seattle would open the scoring as Obefemi Martins would find Andreas Ivanschitz behind Jordan Smith, and Ivanschitz would go 5-hole on David Ousted to give Seattle the 1-0 lead.

Early in the 2nd half there was a shout for handball as the Whitecaps went on the offensive. Replays showed that the ball did indeed hit the Seattle player's hand, but his hand was protecting his area.

The Whitecaps would start to pepper more long distance efforts on Stefan Frei, Kekuta Manneh in particular but Frei was able to save from distance.

On 63 minutes Jordan Smith would go into the book for a foul on Obafemi Martins. Seattle would send the resulting wide before pumping it into the box but David Ousted would collect the ball.

A few minutes later Nelson Valdez would come on for Seattle's goal scorer Ivanschitz for the Sounders first substitution.

In the 71st minute Gonzalo Pineda would make it 2-0 as he took the Clint Dempsey pass and put his shot post and in to double Seattle's advantage. Both teams would make substitutions after that as Brad Evans would come off for Cristian Roldan for Seattle, and Vancouver would bring on Nicolas Mezquida for Mauro Rosales.

In the 80th minute Osvaldo Alonso had to be taken off after an injury in which the stretcher originally came out but Alsons managed to walk off. In the interim Kendall Waston earned a yellow card for a foul on Clint Dempsey which brought all the players to the center circle as there was some pushing and shoving involved.

Alonso would eventually come off for Leonardo Gonzalez, and the Sounders would eventually put the match to bed in the 87th minute, as Dempsey ran past Russell Teibert in the box before passing to an open Obafemi Martins to make it 3-0.

Carl Robinson would bring on Sam Adekugbe and Kianz Froese for a cameo appearance as the Whitecaps got it all wrong on this night and lost 3-0. Seattle's win puts the only three points back of the Whitecaps in the MLS Western Conference and Seattle also becomes the 2015 Cascadia Cup Champions.

The Whitecaps will get a chance at redemption Wednesday as they travel down the I-5 to take on the Sounders in a Concacaf Champions League match in which they have a chance to clinch progression to the next round.

Note: For those of you travelling to the match, allow extra travel time as the Chinese President is on an official state visit to the Seattle area Wednesday.

Post Match Quotes

Carl Robinson - Thoughts on the match:
"I can't fault my boys today, they were fantastic, its easy for me to say that but we lost 3-nil. But I'm proud of 'em because of the way they went out, it was a sucker punch, we had two or three good chances and didn't take them and they had one and they took theirs, they're a good team so that happens. In the 2nd half I thought we played on the front foot, I could throw out how many shots and chances we had in the final third, but we lost."

Jordan Harvey - Match could have gone either way:
"It's difficult man, because I thought we did play well, we were organized that first half, we created some good chances, it's a tale of two games I feel like, whoever scores first had the upper hand, and the other team pushes, then the other team gets three goals, I mean we go into their place we do this to them, so I really feel like it was a game of whomever scores first."

David Ousted - Overall thoughts on the match:
"I thought in periods of the game, we did well, we got at them, but at the end of the day the scoreboard doesn't lie, they were better than us at what's important in this game and that's scoring goals."

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Whitecaps Grind Out 1-0 Victory

Vancouver 1 (Froese) – CD Olimpia 0

Vancouver used a late first half goal from Kianz Froese to get past Honduran champions CD Olimpia Wednesday night at BC Place in a bruising encounter in Concacaf Champions League Group F action. Froese pounced on a loose ball after Darren Mattocks got the ball caught up in his feet, and Froese got the final touch of the ball to loop it over the keeper and in the net. Matias Laba and Nicolas Mezquida where on the receiving end of some hard tackles in the first half, and a player from each side would required to be stretchered off in the 2nd half, although the Whitecaps Deybi Flores would suffer no more than a knock. The result leaves the Whitecaps tied for a share of the lead in Group F with four points from two matches, although they have a better goal differential than the Seattle Sounders, who they welcome to BC Place in MLS action on the weekend before heading down the I-5 Wednesday with a chance to clinch top spot in the Group.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match Recap

The Vancouver Whitecaps returned to action Wednesday evening as they hosted Honduran champions CD Olimpia in a Concacaf Champions League tilt at BC Place. Head Coach Carl Robinson went with an experimental lineup, with Paolo Tornaghi in goal, and Jordan Smith, Kendall Waston, Diego Rodriguez and Sam Adekugbe on the back line. Honduran national Deybi Flores got the start alongside Matias Laba in defensive midfield, while Kianz Froese, Nicolas Mezquida and Darren Mattocks supported Robert Earnshaw up front.

Olimpia would get the first good chance on goal off a free kick as Ever Alvarado headed the ball off the cross bar off of the free kick just over 10 minutes into the match.

As the half progressed Olimpia became more rash in their challenges, with Matias Laba and Nicolas Mezquida both on the receiving end of bookable offenses – but the referee left his cards in his pocket.

In the 42nd minute the Whitecaps would take the lead. The Nicolas Mezquida pass would find Darren Mattocks in alone on the keeper but Mattocks flubbed his lines – and faked out the keeper in the process, leaving Kianz Froese to mop up and put it in the net to give the caps a 1-0 lead.

Mattocks fluffed his lines again a minute later as he was on the edge of the six yard box, and tried to go top corner short side but could only shoot high over the bar.

The Whitecaps would go into the half up 1-0.

Early in the 2nd half the refereee finally pulled out a card, booking Matias Laba for a foul near midfield. A few minutes later Olimpia's Johnny Palacios would join him in the book, fouling Kianz Froese on the far side of midfield.

Olimpia would make their first substitution on 55 minutes, with Carlos Mejia coming off for Michael Chirinos.

Soon after that there was a heavy collision in the Whitecaps box as Paolo Tornaghi, Kendall Waston, Diego Rodriguez and Olimpia's Romell Quioto all went for the ball, with Quioto coming out the worst of it. He had to be taken off on a stretcher, before walking back to the bench, and then needed to be stretchered from the bench to the locker room. Javier Estupinan would eventually come on to replace Quioto, who would eventually be stretchered off to the locker room.

On 67 minutes Darren Mattocks had to come off after sustaining an upper body injury, with Marco Bustos coming on to replace him.

On 75 minutes Deybi Flores had to be stretchered off before getting treatment on the bench. As Christian Dean waited to replace him, Olimpia made their final substitution, with Kevin Alvarez coming off for Roger Rojas.

Olimpia started to get some good chances on goal, with substitute Chirinos shooting from inside the 18 yard box but right at Tornaghi who held the shot.

Nicolas Mezquida would come off after taking a knock on 85 minutes, the stretcher coming out before Mezquida would walk off on his own before being replaced by Tim Parker.

Robert Earnshaw had a chance to seal it as he found himself in alone on the keeper but could only put it off the head of Noel Valladeres.

Soon after Olimpia's Bryan Johnson would get a yellow card for a foul on Sam Adekugbe.

The Whitecaps would manage to hang on to the 1-0 victory as they now have four points from two matches and are in the drivers seat to advance to the next round as both Olimpia and the Seattle sounders only have one match left to play.

Note: The Canadian Men's National Soccer team announced it will play its next World Cup Qualifying match against Honduras Friday, November 13th at BC Place. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday through ticketmaster.

Post Match Quotes

Carl Robinson – Expectations of the game:

"It was exactly the way I thought it would play out. I thought it was a very tough game for us, we knew that. They're a fantastic team, they've got top, top players in their team and we knew it would be a test for us, we managed to get our noses in front in the first half and we played very very well, but we huffed and puffed in the second half but we defended brilliantly."

Paolo Tornaghi – Thoughts on the match and the clean sheet:

"I was waiting to have a clean sheet at BC Place, so I got it, I'm happy about it for sure, we got the three points in this competition so I'm quite happy."

Robert Earnshaw – Thoughts on the match:

"Difficult game, but I think overall we came through it, its a good experience, and we have to give credit because they're a team that made it difficult for us and they came to play so, number one we had to get the win, we did that, and I thought we had some good plays as well."

Deybi Flores – Thoughts on the match and playing against friends:

"Thank God for the three points, its obviously great to get the result, the main thing here was to have them respect us here at our house, and obviously its nice to play against my friends, a lot of folks from the (Honduran) national team that we played (together) not too long ago and I've got some goo d friends, but most important was to get the three points."

Kianz Froese – On scoring the goal:


"When you're able to score a goal like this its always a great feeling, and to help the team win the game its the best feeling for me; I wasn't too sure, I tried to get myself centrally, and I thought Darren would shoot it would get blocked and maybe I'd be in there, but it got stuck in his feet and I kicked it, and it went in so...."

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Vancouver Tops MLS Standings With 2-0 Win

Vancouver 2 (Rivero, Techera) – Colorado 0

An uninspiring first half gave way to an exciting 2nd half as the Vancouver Whitecaps used two 2nd half goals, the first off a Rivero header and the 2nd off a Techera shot from close range to beat their bogey team 2-0 Wednesday night at BC Place. The win puts the Whitecaps at the top of the MLS standings with 48 points, with only six matches left in the regular season.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Match Recap

The Vancouver Whitecaps returned to action after an extended break as they hosted the Colorado Rapids Wednesday night at BC Place with a chance to regain top spot overallin the MLS. Whitecaps Head Coach Carl Robinson was forced into a couple of changes due to suspensions and international commitments, as both Kendall Waston and Matias Laba were both suspended for the match, and Russell Teibert and Darren Mattocks both played World Cup Qualifiers for Canada and Jamaica respectively the day before.

Robinson therefore went with David Ousted in goal, Steven Beitashour, Tim Parker, Pa-Modou Kah and Jordan Harvey in defense, Gershon Koffie and Pedro Morales in defensive midfield, and Cristian Techera, Mauro Rosales and Kekuta Manneh supporting Octavio Rivero upfront.

The Vancouver Whitecaps would dominate possession in the first half but would rarely threaten the Colorado goal, with a Gershon Koffie shot from distance the only shot to find the target midway through the first half. Koffie would then get booked late in the half for inadvertently sticking his arm out towards a Colorado player in midfield, causing the player to go down in the center circle.

The first half would end in a 0-0 draw. Vancouver was forced to make one change to start the 2nd half as Pedro Morales withdrew with a tight right hamstring, with Carl Robinson opting to replace him with Kianz Froese.

Steven Beitashour would join Gershon Koffie in the book as he would also foul a Colorado player in midfield in the 53rd minute.

Colorado would make their first substitution, with Kevin Doyle coming on for Gabriel Torres.

On 68 minutes Marc Burch would go into the book for a foul on Cristian Techera, the refereee counting out a succession of fouls before issuing the card.

On 70 minutes David Ousted was forced into a sprawling save as Kevin Doyle got his head onto the ball and sent it goalward, but Ousted sprawled to his left to make the save.

In the 73rd minute Octavio Rivero put the Whitecaps on the board, as he headed home a Cristian Techera delivery past Rapids keeper Clint Irwin to make it a 1-0 lead. Rivero took his shirt off after the goal, earning a yellow card in the process.

In response Colorado would make their 2nd substitution with Nick Labrocca exiting for Vicente Sanchez. However the substitution had the opposite effect, as Cristian Techera would score soon after, taking a pass from Kekuta Manneh before getting a bounce off a defender, then shooting past the keeper to make it 2-0.

Soon after both teams would make substitutions with the Whitecaps bringing on Jordan Smith for Kekuta Manneh and Colorado bringing on Diillon Powers for Lucas Pittinari.

In the 82nd minute Kianz Froese earned a yellow card for a foul on the edge of the Colorado 18-yard box.

James Riley earned a yellow card for a foul on Cristian Techera late in the match, with brought a few players from both teams together as they engaged in a bit of a shouting match.

Robert Earnshaw would make a late cameo appearance replacing Mauro Rosales, as the Whitecaps killed off stoppage time to preserve the 2-0 win. Cristian Techera earned man of the match honours, and with the win the Whitecaps return to top spot overall in the MLS standings with 48 points.
The Whitecaps next match will be a Concacaf Champions League match as they host Honduran Champions CD Olympia next Wednesday at BC Place.

Post Match Quotes

Carl Robinson - On Cristian Techera's performance:

"I don't think it was particularly his best game, nor was it Kekuta's or Octavio's or you could name a number of my players that on the ball, performed a number of levels lower than wanted, off the ball, they were fantastic."

On a rusty first half:

"I think from the first 5 minutes they took about 10 seconds every time for a throw in, and you do that away from home. I tell my players when we go to tough places to slow the game down, that's certainly what they did, they were trying to hit us on the counter. I never thought we were really in danger, and that's the pleasing thing about today's performance, we didn't really click attacking wise but we certainly defended very well."

Cristian Techera – Thoughts on the match:

"The first half was really tight, the defenders were playing close to the ball, in the 2nd half we came out and regrouped and found some more spaces in the 2nd half and we got the result that we needed."

On his involvement in both goals:

"For the 1st cross there, me and Octavio get along really well since we're both from Uruguay so its nice we have that understanding and I saw his run and I was able to pick him out and we know he's pretty strong in the air and he finished off the chance. For the 2nd chance it was a ball that was right in front of me so I just put it in the back of the net, not too much thought there."

Octavio Rivero – thoughts on the match:

"The first half was very tight, not a lot of space, and then before the 2nd half we came into the locker room, regrouped, and talked about what we needed to take care of in the 2nd half, and I was fortunate to get the goal and get the three points."

Tim Parker – thoughts on the win:


"I think we didn't play as well as we wanted to, but it shows a lot of character that we got the result, especially at home with these last couple games, we really want to get the crowd and the home supporters behind us, so winning at home is important."