Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC men claimed their first win of the 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship following a 2-0 away victory over Montreal Impact on Wednesday evening.

First-half goals by Marcus Haber and former Impact striker Charles Gbeke put the Whitecaps back in contention in the three-club tournament. The win moves Vancouver into second place in the Canadian Championship standings - three points back of leaders Toronto FC. It was also the Whitecaps first-ever win at Stade Saputo after failing to register a victory on three occasions at Montreal's soccer-specific stadium last season.

It was a fine all-round performance by the Whitecaps, who will feel vindicated after last Saturday's USL First Division loss at home to Rochester Rhinos, where they played extremely well in defeat.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson was forced to make one change from the side that started the 2-1 defeat to Rochester. Gordon Chin replaced Vicente Arze in the visitors' midfield for only his second-ever start with the Blue and White.

Impact interim head coach Marc Dos Santos, meanwhile, made five changes to the side that started last Sunday's 4-0 home win over Austin Aztex. Matt Jordan returned to the Montreal goal, as he replaced former 'Caps shot-stopper Srdjan Djekanovic. In midfield, Sandro Grande and Rocco Placentino replaced Stephen deRoux and the suspended David Testo. Captain Nevio Pizzolitto returned to the Montreal starting XI in his usual centre back position for the injured Cedric Joqueviel. Another former Whitecaps player in Tony Donatelli also made way for former Vancouver striker Eduardo Sebrango, who partnered Roberto Brown in the Montreal attack.

On a pleasant evening for soccer in Quebec, it was the Whitecaps in their away strip of all blue that made a sensational start by scoring inside the first 35 seconds of the match.

Chin made the most of his first start of 2009 by slipping a neat through ball into the path of Haber. The 'Caps striker eluded the attentions of Impact defender Adam Braz before slipping the ball past Jordan for a 1-0 lead. It was the first time in Impact history that a goal was conceded in the first minute of play by the home side.

Thordarson's side could not have asked for a better beginning to proceedings, though Montreal would keep the 'Caps on their toes on four minutes, with goalkeeper Jay Nolly making a fine save from Sebrango's shot that deflected off the sliding legs of Whitecaps defender Jeff Parke.

Vancouver, however, looked the more likely to score at this stage, with Ethan Gage missing the target with a dangerous turn and shot in the Montreal box after Gbeke played a fine through ball into the midfielder's path.

While the Impact strikers were struggling to stay onside, the Whitecaps were measuring their attacks to perfection. On 17 minutes, Vancouver increased their lead when Takashi Hirano took Gbeke's pass before making a surging run down the left flank. The Japanese defender played a fine cross to the far post, where Gbeke was on hand to head the ball past Jordan and make it 2-0.

Gbeke, seeking a second goal, nearly got on the end of Hirano's run and cross to the Montreal byline, but defender Zanzan Atte-Oudeyi made a timely tackle in front of the Impact goal to keep the Whitecaps from scoring a third goal.

Then came a moment of disappointment for Vancouver, as centre back Wesley Charles was booked for a foul on Sebrango in the Whitecaps half. The yellow card means the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international will miss next Wednesday's return match at Swangard Stadium after he was also booked in Vancouver's first championship game against Toronto FC.

It was from Grande's ensuing free kick that the Whitecaps were forced to change their other centre back, as Parke suffered a clash of heads with Impact striker Roberto Brown in the Vancouver box. Parke's injury saw Justin Thompson come on for the former New York Red Bulls player on the half-hour mark.

To their credit, Montreal made the match a contest, with the home side hitting the woodwork twice on 32 minutes. Placentino's fine run to the Whitecaps byline saw the winger cut the ball back to former 'Caps striker Joey Gjertsen. His turn and shot rattled off the crossbar before bouncing out to Brown, whose return header hit the bar again before bouncing off Charles for a Montreal corner.

Impact fans were wondering how they were not on the scoresheet after that chance, and they were left even more frustrated five minutes later, as Placentino drilled a long-range free kick off the Whitecaps crossbar again.

Chances were then traded in the four minutes of time added on, with Gage forcing a Jordan save before Nolly was equal to Simon Gatti's goal-bound effort. The Whitecaps took a deserved two-goal lead to the halftime break.

The early stages of the second half saw Thordarson's side continue to look good in possession of the ball, as their one-touch passing play kept Montreal from building much in terms of attacking endeavour after the restart.

On 57 minutes, Whitecaps captain Martin Nash struck a shot well off target shortly after Justin Moose came into the match for Chin. On the hour mark, Dos Santos replaced Zanzan with the more attack-minded deRoux.

Needing to find a way back into the contest, Montreal started to create chances. On 64 minutes, Gjertsen struck a shot high and over the bar before Brown somehow missed the target with a far-post header after connecting with deRoux's headed pass in the Vancouver box two minutes later.

With time winding down, Thordarson looked to shore up his backline by bringing on Geordie Lyall for his first men's team appearance of the season. The defender replaced Ansu Toure and went to right fullback, with the impressive Wes Knight moving up to right side of midfield and Moose switching to the left flank.

A big part of the Whitecaps victory on Wednesday was the performance of Nolly in Vancouver's goal. On 73 minutes, he denied former teammate Sebrango in the Whitecaps box before substitute Felix Brillant could only find the arms of the 'Caps number one with a run and shot two minutes later. On 78 minutes, Nolly brilliantly denied deRoux after Brown had slipped a fine through ball to the Jamaican midfielder in the Whitecaps box.

Yet, as Montreal kept pressing for their first goal, they were in danger of being hit on the counter-attack. On 81 minutes, Knight freed Moose with a cross-field ball to the left-hand side. The former D.C. United winger took on Impact defender Kevin Sakuda and side-stepped him in the Montreal box before curling a shot towards the far post. Jordan, however, was on hand to make an excellent diving save and concede a corner.

The dying stages saw Brillant and Byers squander further chances for Montreal, while in the four minutes of time added on, Pizzolitto was able to put the ball in the Whitecaps goal from Grande's corner, but the play was blown down for offside.

In the end, the final whistle confirmed three vital points for the Whitecaps, as they remain in the hunt for Voyageurs Cup title. For Montreal, a second-straight defeat likely means their defence as Canadian champions will soon be at an end.


Thordarson was beaming with the way things went on Wednesday night. "I thought we played an extremely good game," he told whitecapsfc.com. "In the first half, we were excellent, and deserved the two goals that we scored. In fact, we should have scored more goals before halftime. We were a little bit more tactical in the second half, as we dropped one of our strikers back to play in behind his strike partner, in order to try and close the midfield space on Montreal. I thought we did that extremely well, as well as keep possession of the ball during some difficult periods. Overall, it was a huge win for our side."

Both clubs will now have a week to prepare for an equally crucial Canadian Championship encounter in a week's time, as the Whitecaps host Montreal at Swangard next Wednesday night.

Thordarson expects the home game to be another big battle for his squad. "I don't think our home game will be an easy one for us," said the Icelandic tactician. "We will have to play as well as we did tonight to win that game next Wednesday. They showed how good a side they are at times tonight, so we will have to attack them straight away from kickoff and really show them that we want to go through in this tournament. We have to win, if we want to go through, while they have to win, if they're going to have a chance of retaining the title."

Scoring Summary:
1' - VAN - Marcus Haber (Gordon Chin)
17' - VAN - Charles Gbeke (Takashi Hirano)

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 6 – Montreal 18
Saves: Vancouver 9 – Montreal 3
Fouls: Vancouver 4 – Montreal 8
Offsides: Vancouver 4 – Montreal 7
Corners: Vancouver 3 – Montreal 12

Cautions:
8' - VAN - Gordon Chin
15' - MTL - Roberto Brown
24' - VAN - Wesley Charles
88' - MTL - Nevio Pizzolitto
90' - VAN - Martin Nash

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 6.Wesley Charles, 8.Wes Knight, 22.Takashi Hirano, 27.Jeff Parke (4.Justin Thompson 30'); 7.Martin Nash, 16.Ansu Toure (12.Geordie Lyall 71'), 20.Ethan Gage, 28.Gordon Chin (19.Justin Moose 58'); 14.Marcus Haber, 98.Charles Gbeke

Subs not used: 99.Diego, 11.Dever Orgill, 18.Mason Trafford, 25.Tyrell Burgess

Montreal Impact
1.Matt Jordan; 2.Kevin Sakuda, 3.Adam Braz, 5.Nevio Pizzolitto, 25.Zanzan Atte-Oudeyi (23.Stephen deRoux 60'); 8.Sandro Grande, 9.Rocco Placentino (28.Peter Byers 76'), 17.Joey Gjertsen (21.Felix Brillant 70'), 24.Simon Gatti; 10.Roberto Brown, 12.Eduardo Sebrango

Subs not used: 22.Srdjan Djekanovic, 6.Alex Surprenant, 14.Tony Donatelli, 18.Leonardo Di Lorenzo