VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (5W-3L-1D) suffered a 2-1 defeat to D.C. United (4W-1L-2D) on Saturday in a match that saw them reduced to 10 men when Matias Laba was shown his second yellow late in the first half.
Here are three things that stood out to me.
THING OF BEAUTY
The ‘Caps couldn’t have asked for a better start.
Skipper Pedro Morales opened the scoring in the second minute on a goal that very well could be in the running for MLS Goal of the Week. From the build-up between Steven Beitashour and Octavio Rivero to the classy Morales touch and finish, it was simply a thing of beauty.
The goal was Morales’ first of the season, while Rivero was credited with his first assist. As I’ve mentioned before, I think the Uruguayan’s playmaking ability is hugely underrated.
We know he can score goals and his work-rate/hold-up play is second to none (Saturday night was Exhibit A), but he also has a knack for creating chances for his teammates. In fact, Rivero is the league-leader in chances created among out-and-out strikers.
It’s also fitting that Beitashour picked up an assist on the goal, because I thought he had his best game of the season. The 28-year-old right back had a game-high five interceptions and was Vancouver’s second most involved player in terms of touches (58) and successful passes (34).
As you can see from the graphic below, which shows his attempted passes/crosses on the night, he also got forward a lot and posed a threat from the right flank.
COMING UP BIG
No, this is not a recording.
Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted came up big again on Saturday night, particularly in a two-minute sequence early in the second half.
First, the Dane came up with a fingertip save on a Fabian Espindola breakaway. Then he leaped to his left to deny a Chris Rolfe strike that was labeled for the top corner. What makes that second save even more impressive is that there were at least five bodies in the box between Rolfe and Ousted, which could have very well obstructed the keeper’s view.
And if that wasn’t enough, less than a minute later Ousted picked out Morales up field with a perfect toss, which led to the Mauro Rosales chance off the post.
Want to learn more about the Great Dane? We recently sat down with him to talk embarrasing songs, treasured possessions, and more.
‘NOT OUR DAY’
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<b>Post-match interview: Carl Robinson</b> |
As Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said after the match, it just wasn’t Vancouver’s day.
There were some positive individual performances and the team fought valiantly after going down to 10 men, but came up just short in the end. It wasn’t for a lack of effort.
As Marc Weber wrote in The Province, “the ‘Caps deserved credit for their fight but not their finish.” Whitecaps FC had five shots from inside the box in the second half alone, including the aforementioned Rosales post. If one of those goes in, we’re probably talking about a different result.
If the ‘Caps weren’t creating those chances, Robinson said he’d be “a little bit more worried” about the team’s dropped points at home. Certainly, there’s room for improvement (conceding so quickly after taking an early lead would probably be the biggest disappointment), but there’s also reason for optimism. After all, Whitecaps FC remain top of the table in MLS.
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