TUCSON, ARIZONA — A late goal by Carlyle Mitchell wasn’t enough for Vancouver Whitecaps FC to avoid their second straight 2-1 loss to Seattle Sounders FC on Sunday morning at the Kino Sports Complex.
Down 2-0 late in the match, the Trinidadian defender brought the ‘Caps to within one goal after heading in a Nicolas Mezquida corner in the 78th minute.
Vancouver nearly equalized moments later, when Uruguayan midfielder Sebastian Fernandez released Darren Mattocks into the Sounders 18-yard-box, but the Jamaican’s left-footed effort trickled just wide of the post as Whitecaps FC’s comeback bid fell just short.
<a href="//www.youtube.com/embed/x-6D_k1ld74"></a> |
<p style="margin: 0pt auto; font-size: 10px;"><b>Robinson's thoughts on Teibert, the </b><b>Uruguayans and the match</b></p> |
“Winning and losing is a fine line,” said head coach Carl Robinson. “You saw today that it was pretty even game. They took their two chances, we ended up scoring and missing a penalty and getting a chance in the last minute and we lose the game. It’s preseason … I’m not really focused on results at the moment. I’m focused on fitness and also on combinations.”
Unlike Vancouver’s first two preseason matches in Casa Grande, Sunday’s contest in Tucson was made up of three 30-minute periods rather than two halves. The 'Caps went with an experienced squad again on Sunday, with players like David Ousted, Jay DeMerit, and Nigel Reo-Coker making their second straight starts.
Right back Steven Beitashour also made his first start as a member of Whitecaps FC and midfielder Russell Teibert made his first appearance of the preseason. The 21-year-old Canadian, who played in a holding midfielder position alongside Reo-Coker, was lively throughout the opening 45 minutes in defending and attacking positions.
After a fairly uneventful opening 20 minutes, in which Whitecaps FC looked comfortable in possession, Seattle broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute on the strength of a Kevin Parsemain volley from the top of the box.
Teibert had Vancouver’s best chance to even the match in the 38th minute, as he took to the penalty spot after Hurtado was hauled down, only to see his attempt sail over the goal. Despite the miss, the ‘Caps manager said he liked what he saw from the young Canadian.
“I thought he was great,” said Robinson. “He wanted the ball all the time, he was dropping deep to get on the ball, and he was spraying passes. I thought it was a very positive performance from Russell.”
Andy Rose scored the eventual winner for Sounders FC in the 50th minute. In the build-up, Sean Okoli headed a Chad Barrett cross across goal to the near post, where Rose headed it in past a sprawling Marco Carducci.
The ‘Caps will return to Casa Grande on Sunday, where a number of Vancouver's trialists and recent draft picks will play a scrimmage against Indy Eleven on Monday, before flying back to Vancouver on Wednesday. Their next preseason match is set for Sunday, February 16 against the University of Victoria Vikes at Centennial Stadium.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Kevin Stott
Scoring summary:
23' - SEA - Kevin Parsemain
50' - SEA - Andy Rose (Sean Okoli)
78' - VAN - Carlyle Mitchell (Nicolas Mezquida)
Match Stats: Shots: Vancouver 6 - Seattle 10
Shots on Goal: Vancouver 3 - Seattle 5
Saves: Vancouver 3 - Seattle 2
Fouls: Vancouver 9 - Seattle 12
Offsides: Vancouver 3 - Seattle 0
Corners: Vancouver 2 - Seattle 4
Cautions:
47' - SEA - Chad Barrett
76' - SEA - David Estrada
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.David Ousted (44.Marco Carducci 49'); 33.Steven Beitashour (13.Solomon Kwambe 45'), 40.Andy O’Brien (6.Jay DeMerit 45'), 22.Christian Dean (24.Carlyle Mitchell 45'), 2.Jordan Harvey (3.Sam Adekugbe 45'); 8.Matt Watson (7.Sebastian Fernandez 45'), 20.Nigel Reo-Coker (28.Gershon Koffie 45', 26.Aminu Abdallah 66'), 12.Daigo Kobayashi (29.Nicolas Mezquida 45'), 31.Russell Teibert (27.Ethen Sampson 45'), 30.Ben Fisk (17.Omar Salgado 45'); 19.Erik Hurtado (11.Darren Mattocks 45')
Seattle Sounders FC
24.Stefan Frei (29.Josh Ford 60'), 42.Michael Azira (15.Dylan Remick 74'), 4.Jalil Anibaba (49.Jimmy Ockford 60'), 31.Damion Lowe (48.Tarek Morad 60'), 20.Zach Scott (11.Aaron Kovar 60'), 13.Sean Okoli (54.John Arroyo 60'), 25.Andy Rose (51.Fabio Pereira 60'), 53.Gonzalo Pineda (46.Stefano Rijssel 47', 44.Dzenan Catic 74'), 55.Marco Pappa (14.Alex Caskey 47'), 19.Chad Barrett (43.Miguel Gonzalez 60'), 41.Kevin Parsemain (16.David Estrada 60')
Whitecaps FC begin their 2014 MLS season on March 8 versus New York Red Bulls at BC Place. Season tickets start at just $349, subject to applicable fees. The 'Caps also offer a flexible range of ticket products, including half-season tickets ($244), 5-packs ($149), student season tickets ($199), and a youth soccer half-season ticket ($100). For more information on all Whitecaps FC ticket options, call 604.669.9283 ext. 2 or visitwhitecapsfc.com/tickets.
