Whitecaps earn bye in MLS Playoffs with 3-0 win

Vancouver 3 (Manneh, Waston, Earnshaw) - Houston 0

The Vancouver Whitecaps used three second half goals from Kekuta Manneh, Kendall Waston and Robert Earnshaw to take 2nd spot in the MLS Western Conference and a bye into the Semi-Final round.  Manneh scored early in the 2nd half from 20 yards out, his shot just beating Dynamo keeper Joe Willis low to the right, while Waston used his head to double the lead off a corner on 72 minutes. Robert Earnshaw made his minute on the pitch count as his stoppage time header sealed the deal on the Whitecaps victory.

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The Vancouver Whitecaps played host to the Houston Dynamo in the MLS regular season finale at BC Place Sunday afternoon. Whitecaps Head Coach Carl Robinson was forced to make a few changes due to injury but still put out a fairly regular starting 11. David Ousted started in goal, with Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker and Jordan Harvey in defence. Matias Laba and Russell Teibert held defensive midfield duties, while Gershon Koffie was pushed up into attacking midfield alongside Cristian Techera and Kekuta Manneh supporting Octavio Rivero up front.

Octavio Rivero had a chance to score early on, his header catching Dynamo keeper Joe Willis out of position but Willis managed to tip it past the post for a corner. On the resulting 2^nd chance from the corner Matias Laba struck a shot from outside the box that Willis managed to get his hands on as well

In the 13^th minute Cristian Techera struck a shot from distance that beat Willis but not the crossbar, the ball bouncing just in front of the goal line after coming down from the crossbar before Willis collected the ball.

Houston finally got a chance on goal on 20 minutes as Giles Barnes struck a free kick on goal but Ousted was able to make the save. Barnes would test Ousted again later in the half on the run of play but Ousted kept his low shot from going in the net.

Early in the 2^nd half Luis Garrido would earn a yellow card for a foul on Cristian Techera just outside the box to the left of Joe Willis. The Whitecaps however would squander the free kick chance just after the restart.

On 58 minutes Kekuta Manneh would put Vancouver up in front, as he found himself with time and space 20 yards out and slotted home his shot low to the right of Willis to make it 1-0.

Houston took out Erick Torres for Mauro Manotas, and a minute later Leonel Miranda for Boniek Garcia as they looked to respond to the Manneh effort.

Vancouver would double their lead on 73 minutes as Kendall Waston headed home a Techera corner to make it 2-0. Techera would come off soon after for Mauro Rosales.

82^nd minute garrido foul on manneh missed by reff. Manneh would get a yellow card for diving on the play, replays showed that Garrido clearly fouled him on the ankle. Manneh would be subbed off after that for Jordan Smith.

Houston would counter late with Giles Barnes off for Rob Lovejoy.

Robert Earnshaw would come on for Octavio Rivero in stoppage time for a cameo appearance, and would make the most of his cameo, heading home a Mauro Rosales pass to make it 3-0. Earnshaw would then celebrate by sticking the landing on his front flip, then do a little dancing to seal the deal on a 3-0 win against Houston. With other results going their way the Vancouver Whitecaps finished in 2^nd place in the MLS Western Conference on 53 points, tied with the Portland Timbers but having more wins as the tiebreaker, earning the Whitecaps a by into the Conference Semi-Finals and their first ever MLS home playoff match.

Carl Robinson – Thoughts on the match:

“Obviously we're happy, we got what we deserved, I'm a big believer in this game if you put the hard work in and do things right you get your rewards and I think we got our rewards today, I think we deserved to win the game against a very good team, I know Coyley (Owen Coyle) very well and he'll get Houston firing without a doubt. We knew it would be difficult, they have good players in their team, but from the first whistle we went at them, I think at halftime maybe we weren't going to score when their keeper Joe (Willis) made a couple of good saves, but if you keep working hard, eventually it comes.”

Kekuta Manneh – On his goal:

It's a work in progress, we've been working on it in training and it finally paid off. We've had games where we've had chances and we've been unfortunate, but today things went our way.

Kendall Waston – On finally getting another headed goal:

“I was relieved, in the first half I had two chances, but the third one went in so hopefully a lot of them go in for me in the playoffs.”

David Ousted – On getting the bye to the MLS Western Conference Semi-Finals:

“It's huge, it gives us a break Wednesday, that one off game, and that gets us into a two-legged game which I think our chances are a little bit better than the one-off.”

The Whitecaps will face either Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders or LA Galaxy in a two-legged playoff, the first leg taking place Sunday, November 1st and the 2nd leg at BC Place Sunday, November 8th.