WHITECAPS MEN WIN 1-0 IN MIAMI

June 22, 2007 - Vancouver Whitecaps 1
Miami FC 0

Friday, June 22, 2007
Tropical Park Stadium, Miami, FL (attendance:1,353)

Vancouver Whitecaps men returned to the top of the USL First Division standings after a late 1-0 victory at Miami FC.

In the first match of the club’s six-game road trip, a late goal by fit-again substitute Eddy Sebrango secured a valuable three points in South Florida on Friday evening. With Rochester Raging Rhinos being held to a surprise 1-1 home draw by last-place club California Victory, the Whitecaps moved above their Upstate New York rivals and back into first place with the win.

Whitecaps head coach Bob Lilley handed debuts to two members of his squad, with goalkeeper Richard Goddard starting in place of the departed Tony Caig, while Delta native Nigel Marples replaced the injured Steve Kindel at left fullback.

On a warm and muggy evening at Tropical Park Stadium, it was the home side that had the most of the play on a dry-looking surface. Goddard was tested in the early stages by Miami’s Stephane Guillaume before sweeping up a dangerous through ball played into the Whitecaps box moments later. Eric Vasquez then had a free-kick opportunity for Miami, but the midfielder squandered his set-piece effort after striking it over the Whitecaps crossbar.

After a slow start to the game, the Whitecaps created a major opportunity from a Lyle Martin cross on the right. His ball found Joey Gjertsen at the far post, but the Vancouver striker’s shot was not strong enough to beat Miami defender JP Rodrigues after the ball initially got past goalkeeper Pat Hannigan.

Hannigan was then called on to make a save from another Gjertsen shot, as his half-volley strike was not fierce enough to beat the Miami number one following an Alfredo Valente corner from the right.

Any concerns Whitecaps fans may have had regarding the introduction of Goddard to the starting line-up were surely alleviated by his first-half performance, as the Trinidad & Tobago native denied Vasquez on two occasions. Lilley was delighted with the way the former Toronto Lynx keeper handled his first game for the club. “In the first half, he made some saves that kept us in it, and he had a couple of good saves in the second half as well,” Lilley told whitecapsfc.com. “He’s has experience in this league, but the concern was he had not had a run of games. It was a lot to ask for tonight, and he had a lot of work to do, but he responded exceptionally well. It was nice to see him take that responsibility on.”

Vasquez then had the best chance of the opening 45 minutes with a low drive that flew just wide of the target before both teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime, locked in a goalless stalemate.

The second half saw Lilley introduce two faces that have not been seen for a while in a Whitecaps uniform, as Geordie Lyall came on for youngster Marples at left fullback, while Martin Nash appeared for Jay Alberts on 65 minutes. Nash arrived in Miami today after after completing CONCACAF Gold Cup duty with Canada on Thursday.

Lilley was pleased to see his team’s mindset change after the restart. “I don’t think we had a good first half,” he said. “We sat too deep and we were almost inviting trouble. I think the guys that started the game did a good job of turning the game right around at the beginning of the second half and they swung the momentum. We brought some experienced subs in and I think they helped as well. It was just a matter of could we get the goal. We would definitely have lost tonight had we not changed our mindset at halftime.”

It was Goddard who was putting in an UMBRO Man-of-the-Match performance for Vancouver, as he did brilliantly to deny Luchi Gonzalez after the Miami forward broke clear on the Whitecaps goal.

World Cup winner Zinho then looked to have some influence on Friday’s contest, but the veteran midfielder sailed a free kick over Goddard’s crossbar. The Brazilian then forced the Whitecaps goalkeeper to make another good save from his point-blank header, as Chiquinho de Assis’ side were left frustrated by the efforts of the Vancouver shot-stopper.

The Whitecaps themselves tested Hannigan more frequently in the second half, as Valente and substitutes Nash and Sebrango had efforts on target, while Tony Donatelli forced the Miami keeper to clear a dangerous bouncing ball in the home side’s box.

Having played all of his five substitutions, Lilley had an experienced side on the pitch for the final stages, as the Whitecaps looked to snatch all three points.

Gjertsen tried his best to break the deadlock with a turn and shot, but he missed the target at the near post before substitute Jason McLaughlin somehow headed a close-range effort high after Donatelli picked him out in the Miami box following a fine cross from the left by Nash.

With time running down, it was Vancouver that claimed all three points with the only goal of the game on 87 minutes. Adrian Cann found Donatelli with a fine through ball on the right and his shot beat the onrushing Hannigan and rolled towards the empty net, where Sebrango was on hand to make sure the chance was converted.

It may have been against the run of play, but the Whitecaps held on for an important win and a great start to their six-game road trip, with a visit to Puerto Rico Islanders next up for Vancouver on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT. “Hopefully, in Puerto Rico, we don’t spot a team the first 45 minutes because we were lucky to be in level at halftime here in Miami,” Lilley said. “We’ve got to stay aggressive if we want three points because we get ourselves into trouble when we sit deep and just counter-attack. Whenever a game is in doubt, we need to be attacking and going at teams.”

Scoring Summary:
87' Vancouver 1-0 Eduardo Sebrango (Tony Donatelli)
Adrain Cann won the ball in midfield and sent it forward to spring Donatelli charging into the box on the right. The keeper came out and Donatelli lifted the ball over him, and towards the open goal where Sebrango made sure it crossed the line. It was the striker's league-leading seventh goal of the season.

Game Stats
Shots: Vancouver - 8 - Miami - 14
Saves: Vancouver - 7 - Miami - 4
Fouls: Vancouver - 18 - Miami - 7
Offsides: Vancouver - 0 - Miami - 5
Corners: Vancouver - 4 - Miami - 5

Referee: Sandra Serafini
Cautions: none

Vancouver Whitecaps
30.Richard Goddard; 3.Steve Klein, 4.Adrian Cann, 22.Nigel Marples (13.Geordie Lyall 60'), 24.Lyle Martin; 2.Jeff Clarke, 6.Jay Alberts (7.Martin Nash 66'), 9.Alfredo Valente (11.David Testo 60'), 14.Tony Donatelli; 23.Joel Bailey (12.Eduardo Sebrango 63'), 17.Joey Gjertsen (15.Jason McLaughlin 80')

Miami FC
25.Pat Hannigan; 3.Chris Williams, 4.Cristiano Dias, 5.JP Rodrigues (7.Sean Fraser 76'), 6.Stephane Guillaume; 8.John Pulido, 10.Zinho, 11.Eric Vasquez, 12.Jamil Jean-Jacques, 16.Douglas Goncalves; 9.Luchi Gonzalez

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