Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC men suffered a 2-1 home defeat to Canadian rivals Montreal Impact in USL First Division action on Sunday evening.

First-half goals by the former Whitecaps pair of Eduardo Sebrango and David Testo earned Montreal some measure of revenge for the defeats they suffered to Vancouver in the 2009 Nutrilite Canadian Championship last month. Sebrango and Testo's goals came either side of Marcus Haber's third goal of the season that briefly drew the match level late in the first half at Swangard Stadium.

After the euphoria of Tuesday's Canadian Championship win over Major League Soccer club Toronto FC, the 'Caps were brought back down to earth by an Impact side that showed many of the qualities that still make them one of the clubs to beat in USL-1.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson made one change to the side that defeated TFC 2-0 at Swangard on Tuesday night. Captain Martin Nash returned from suspension to partner Gordon Chin in central midfield, with youngster Ethan Gage making way for the experienced playmaker.

Impact head coach Marc Dos Santos, meanwhile, made three changes to the side that started Thursday night's 1-0 away defeat to Portland Timbers. Two of those changes came in midfield, with Leonardo Di Lorenzo and Felix Brillant replacing former Whitecaps players Tony Donatelli and Joey Gjertsen. In attack, Sebrango replaced Roberto Brown to partner Rocco Placentino in the visitors' forward line.

On a sunny and pleasant evening on the Lower Mainland, a sold-out Swangard crowd of 5,288 saw the home side press their Quebec-based opponents hard in the first half, but concede two decisive goals.

Spurred on from their midweek win, the Blue and White set about attacking the Impact from the start, with Wes Knight looping Nash's corner from the right over the Montreal crossbar on four minutes.

To their credit, the Impact showed they have more than enough quality to hurt any opponent when they attack, and they gave Whitecaps fans a scare on 12 minutes, as Brillant took Testo's forward ball down the right flank before crossing to Sebrango in the Whitecaps box. The Cuban striker's header, however, flew high over the crossbar.

While the 'Caps kept moving forward with purpose, Montreal showed more patience in possession. Their organization allowed them to strike the game's opening goal on 19 minutes following a turnover in the Whitecaps half. Brillant found the ever-dangerous Placentino near the edge of the Vancouver box with a forward ball. The Montreal attacker eluded the attentions of 'Caps defender Jeff Parke before forcing goalkeeper Jay Nolly to save his initial shot. The rebound fell kindly for a streaking Sebrango to slot the ball home and give Montreal a 1-0 lead.

The goal stunned the home crowd, who had seen some excellent attacking endeavour from the Whitecaps before the goal. Vancouver's reply came on 25 minutes, but Lyle Martin could not keep his close-range shot down after getting on the end of Nash's corner from the left.

The Whitecaps remained undeterred in their search for an equalizer, with Ansu Toure heading Knight's ball into the box high and wide on 28 minutes after Montreal failed to clear Nash's free kick.

Chances were then traded at both ends before the home side got themselves back on level terms on 42 minutes. Toure's cross from the left reached Haber at far post, with the striker able to poke his shot past Impact goalkeeper Matt Jordan to make it 1-1.

Yet, just as fans had not even ended their celebration of the Whitecaps equalizer, Montreal claimed the match winner through another former 'Caps player, and in spectacular fashion as well. Testo took Simon Gatti's simple throw-in on the right-hand side before turning and unleashing a superb left-footed strike from the edge of the Whitecaps box that flew past a diving Nolly to make it 2-1 on 44 minutes.

One minute of time added on was played before both sides went to their respective dressing rooms, with the Impact leading by a single goal.

Montreal's potency to attack saw the visitors create first chance after the restart, but Sebrango was unable to hit the target after making a dangerous run in on the Whitecaps goal on 47 minutes. Three minutes later, Sebrango received a yellow card from match referee Domenic Scali after colliding with Nolly in the Whitecaps box, as he made a challenge for the ball.

Thordarson made several substitutions during the second half, and just before he replaced Parke with Justin Thompson at centre back, Haber forced a good save from Jordan with his header from Nash's free kick on 52 minutes. At the other end, Di Lorenzo struck a low shot just wide of the target two minutes later.

At this stage, the onus was on the home side to find another leveler, and on the hour mark, the 'Caps created a good chance when Toure put the ball through the legs of Impact captain Nevio Pizzolitto before moving towards the edge of the Impact box and playing in a cross to substitute Vicente Arze at the far post. The Bolivian then directed his header into the path of Nash, but the captain's strike ended up deflecting away for a Whitecaps corner.

At the other end, Montreal remained dangerous, with Sebrango heading Sandro Grande's corner from the right wide of the far post on 69 minutes, while Placentino struck a wayward shot high and wide three minutes later.

The 'Caps kept pushing forward in the latter stages, but on 79 minutes, fans were left frustrated by referee Scali's decision to book Toure for diving in the Montreal box after the winger had neatly eluded the attentions of two Impact defenders on his left flank.

Thordarson's last throw of the dice was to introduce youngster Dever Orgill to the match for fellow striker Charles Gbeke on 83 minutes, as the Jamaican partnered Haber in the Whitecaps forward line.

Though they pressed hard for a second goal, Montreal weathered the dying stages of the contest, which included six minutes of additional time. The final whistle confirmed Vancouver's winning streak versus Montreal ended at three matches, with the Impact now level on points with the Whitecaps in the USL-1 standings.


With the USL-1 champions currently trailing the league's frontrunners by a considerable margin, Nash feels the 'Caps must try and get their league form back on track. "We've got to step up and win some games now," he told reporters after the match. "We can't just rely on the Nutrilite Championship, we've got to get things done in the league as well. If we do go through to the CONCACAF Champions League, we'll have a lot of games at the end of the year, so we need to work hard and get some points now, while we have the chance."

Thordarson was also left disappointed by Sunday's events. "We just didn’t manage to follow up the good performances we had in the Canadian Championship," said the Icelandic tactician. "We didn't get the rhythm as we wanted in the match, and in the end, it was not good enough to beat Montreal."

The Whitecaps will now look to refocus and prepare for next Friday night, as they host Miami FC Blues in the second match of another doubleheader at Swangard. Montreal, meanwhile, will have an extended break before returning to action on Thursday, June 18, when they host TFC in the final match of the Canadian Championship at Stade Saputo. The 'Caps will watch that contest with close attention, with Vancouver in the driver's seat to win the Voyageurs Cup and Canada's lone spot in the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League. Only a four-goal victory over the Impact by TFC would deny Vancouver's claim to this year's three-club championship title.

Scoring Summary:
20' – MTL – Eduardo Sebrango (Rocco Placentino)
42’ – VAN – Marcus Haber (Ansu Toure)
44’ – MTL – David Testo (Simon Gatti)

Match Stats:
Shots: Montreal 11 - Vancouver 7
Saves: Montreal 1 - Vancouver 2
Fouls: Montreal 14 - Vancouver 16
Offsides: Montreal 2 - Vancouver 2
Corners: Montreal 4 - Vancouver 9

Cautions:
26' - VAN – Gordon Chin
29' - MTL – David Testo
51’ – MTL – Eduardo Sebrango
75’ – MTL - Felix Brillant
79’ – VAN - Ansu Toure
90’ – VAN - Takashi Hirano

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 6.Wesley Charles (18.Mason Trafford 74’), 22.Takashi Hirano, 24.Lyle Martin, 27.Jeff Parke (4.Justin Thompson 53’); 7.Martin Nash, 8.Wes Knight (23.Vicente Arze 58’), 16.Ansu Toure, 28.Gordon Chin (20.Ethan Gage 64’); 14.Marcus Haber, 98.Charles Gbeke (11.Dever Orgill 83’)

Subs not used: 99.Diego, 13.Kenold Versailles

Montreal Impact
1.Matt Jordan; 5.Nevio Pizzolitto, 13.Elkana Mayard, 23.Stephen deRoux, 24.Simon Gatti; 7.David Testo, 8.Sandro Grande, 18.Leonardo Di Lorenzo (2.Kevin Sakuda 71’), 21.Felix Brillant; 9.Rocco Placentino (19.Pa Amadou Gai 89’), 12.Eduardo Sebrango (10.Roberto Brown 78’)

Subs not used: 22.Srdjan Djekanovic, 6.Alex Surprenant, 14.Tony Donatelli, 17.Joey Gjertsen