PORTLAND, OR – Vancouver Whitecaps FC captain Kendall Waston scored his fourth goal on the season, but Liam Ridgewell and Darren Mattocks each found the net as the Portland Timbers rallied to win 2-1 at Providence Park on Decision Day on Sunday afternoon.
With the loss, the ‘Caps bid for first place falls just short as they finish third in the Western Conference with a 15W-12L-7D record, and will host sixth-place San Jose Earthquakes in the Knockout Round at BC Place. Stay tuned to whitecapsfc.com for schedule confirmation and ticket information.
The ‘Caps drew first blood in the 29th minute on Waston’s header off Yordy Reyna’s well-delivered free kick. With the score, the 2017 WFC Player of the Year sets a new MLS career-high for goals in a single season.
O Captain, our Captain. #ForVancouver#DecisionDayhttps://t.co/lGuvBTEFCr
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) October 22, 2017
It did not take long for the Timbers to respond, however, as the home side capitalized on the second phase of a corner kick just three minutes later. WFC goalkeeper Stefan Marinović, making consecutive starts for the first time, stopped Darlington Nagbe’s initial attempt from distance, but Ridgewell was lurking on the opposite side to clean up the rebound and tie the match, 1-1.
Portland got the eventual winner early in the second half when Mattocks finished a finely-timed feed from Vytautas Andriuskevicius, after Sebastián Blanco initiated the attack with some persistent work at the top of the box.
With the victory, Portland (15W-11L-8D) clinches the top seed in the West, earning them a bye to the Conference Semifinal, while also winning the 2017 Cascadia Cup.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Fredy Montero subbed on in the second half after taking a knock during training earlier in the week. He finishes the regular season with 13 goals to win the WFC Domenic Mobilio Golden Boot award… Nosa Igiebor made his WFC debut, starting at midfield and playing 73 minutes.
MATCH DETAILS
Budweiser Man of the Match: Kendall Waston
Referee: Allen Chapman
Attendance: 21,144
Scoring Summary
29’ – VAN – Kendall Waston (Yordy Reyna)
32’ – POR – Liam Ridgewell
48’ – POR – Darren Mattocks (Vytautas Andriuskevicius, Sebastián Blanco)
Statistics
Possession: Portland 59.6% – Vancouver 40.4%
Shots: Portland 18 – Vancouver 7
Shots on Goal: Portland 7 – Vancouver 2
Saves: Portland 1 – Vancouver 4
Fouls: Portland 14 – Vancouver 16
Offsides: Portland 2 – Vancouver 0
Corners: Portland 3 – Vancouver 5
Cautions
31’ – VAN – Nosa Igiebor
33’ – VAN – Jordan Harvey
45’+5’ – POR – Diego Chara
58’ – POR – Liam Ridgewell
81’ – POR – David Guzmán
89’ – VAN – Kendall Waston
Portland Timbers
1.Jeff Attinella; 2.Alvas Powell, 33.Larry Mabiala, 24.Liam Ridgewell ©, 5.Vytautas Andriuskevicius; 21.Diego Chara, 20.David Guzmán; 10.Sebastián Blanco (27.Dairon Asprilla 84‘), 8.Diego Valeri (13.Lawrence Olum 90’+5‘), 6.Darlington Nagbe; 11.Darren Mattocks (17.Jeremy Ebobisse 87’)
Substitutes not used
90.Jake Gleeson, 7.Roy Miller, 16.Zarek Valentin, 23.Jack Barmby
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
24.Stefan Marinović; 28.Jake Nerwinski, 4.Kendall Waston ©, 26.Tim Parker, 2.Jordan Harvey; 7.Christian Bolaños (13.Cristian Techera 67‘), 66.Aly Ghazal, 50.Nosa Igiebor (19.Erik Hurtado 73’), 20.Brek Shea; 29.Yordy Reyna, 23.Bernie Ibini (12.Fredy Montero 56’)
Substitutes not used
1.David Ousted, 8.Andrew Jacobson, 11.Nicolás Mezquida, 17.Marcel de Jong
