Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC men ended a three-match losing streak in the USL First Division with a 3-2 home win over Miami FC Blues on Friday evening.

Two goals by Charles Gbeke led the defending USL-1 champions to an important league win at Swangard Stadium, with Marco Reda's second goal of the season resulting in being Vancouver's winning goal. This despite a fine first-half strike by Miami defender Zourab Tsiskaridze and a late second-half goal by Blues defender Richard Perdomo.

It was also a match full of incident, with referee John Oliva sending off three players during the contest. Miami midfielder Leo Inacio Nunes was the first to leave the game just before halftime, while late on in the contest, defender Wesley Charles and striker Gbeke were also given their marching orders.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson made two changes to the side that lost 2-1 to Canadian rivals Montreal Impact last Sunday. Reda replaced the injured Jeff Parke at centre back, with the former Toronto FC and Charleston Battery player partnering Charles in the centre of Vancouver's backline. In midfield, youngster Ethan Gage returned to the starting XI, as he replaced Gordon Chin. On the right-hand side, Wes Knight changed positions with Lyle Martin. Knight went to right fullback, while Martin pushed up to the midfield line on the right-hand side.

Miami FC's Brazilian head coach Zinho, meanwhile, made no less than nine changes to the side that started the club's Lamar Hunt US Open Cup first-round victory over amateur side Lynch’s Irish Pub FC from Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday evening. Only defender Tim Merritt and striker Paulo Araujo jr. were retained from the Blues' midweek starting XI. Former Whitecaps forward Alen Marcina, meanwhile, was one of only three players on the Miami substitutes' bench.

On a very warm Friday evening on the Lower Mainland, a fourth-straight sell-out Swangard crowd of 5,288 saw an open and entertaining first half of soccer, which included three goals and plenty of talking points.

Like in previous matches, the Whitecaps made a bright start, with Martin forcing a very good save from Miami FC goalkeeper Kenny Schoeni, as he tipped the winger's fierce drive over his own crossbar from close range on five minutes. Gbeke then had a chance taken away at his feet by the Blues shot-stopper from the ensuing corner before the Canadian international tested the former Columbus Crew keeper with a long-range drive two minutes later.

The visitors replied on 10 minutes when they were awarded a free kick after Takashi Hirano had fouled Araujo close to the Whitecaps box. Tsiskaridze stepped up to hit the set-piece that forced 'Caps goalkeeper Jay Nolly to tip the Georgian defender's effort over his crossbar for a corner.

Miami, however, would make the breakthrough seconds later. Walter Ramirez's well-hit corner from the right found the head of an unmarked Tsiskaridze. The defender's fine header found the far corner of the goal to give the Blues an early lead. The strike was also Miami's first league goal in five matches.

Again, Whitecaps fans were left disappointed to see their team fall behind, but on 16 minutes, Vancouver restored parity with a set-piece of their own. Knight's long throw-in from the right found Gbeke. His first-time header beat Schoeni at the near post to make it 1-1. It was the striker's third goal of the season in all competitions for the Blue and White.

The equalizer quickly revitalized the home side, with Perdomo needing to block Marcus Haber's strike for goal on 19 minutes, while Charles headed Ansu Toure's cross well wide of the target seconds later.

To their credit, Miami FC remained a threat going forward, and after a poor Martin Nash back pass to Hirano on 24 minutes, Danny Vasquez beat the Japanese defender to the ball, but the striker's shot for goal flew wide of the near post.

The Whitecaps then took the lead in controversial circumstances on 34 minutes. Haber and Martin did well to win the ball for Vancouver near the right corner flag before finding Knight. The fullback's cross from the right reached the hands of Schoeni, but as he looked to claim possession, Gbeke went up and challenged the Miami goalkeeper, with Schoeni inadvertently putting the ball into his own net. Though it looked to be a foul on Gbeke, referee Oliva awarded the goal to the home side – much to the disbelief of the South Florida club. Miami's protests then saw Oliva book Nunes before play could resume.

Fortuitous as it was, the Whitecaps grew in confidence from the second goal, with Schoeni needing to save Gbeke's far-post header, while Nash blasted Martin's lay-off high and wide from close range on 40 minutes.

Then on 45 minutes, Miami's evening was made more difficult when they were reduced to ten men. Nunes was shown a second yellow card for a push on Nash after the Whitecaps captain remonstrated with Vasquez at the halfway line. Nash also received a booking following an angry melee that involved both sets of players.

One minute of time added on was played before Oliva blew his whistle for halftime, with Miami players and Zinho making their unhappy feelings felt to the match official for some of his first-half decisions.

Facing the second half a man short, Zinho used all three of Miami's substitutions after the restart, with the Brazilian tactician's first two changes seeing Marcina replace Vasquez in attack and Cristiano Dias taking the place of Merritt in the Miami backline. Yet, despite the fresh legs, the Whitecaps used the man advantage to heap more pressure on the Blues.

Gbeke headed Martin's curling cross from the right wide of the far post on 52 minutes before Toure tested Schoeni with an indirect free-kick strike. At the other end, Tsiskaridze drove his free kick effort wide of goal four minutes later.

Looking to secure victory, Thordarson introduced Marlon James into his attack for Haber on 62 minutes, while Vicente Arze replaced Martin on the right side of midfield five minutes later.

On 68 minutes, youngster Gage was unlucky to see his deflected shot tipped on to the crossbar by Schoeni before Gbeke was unable to turn the rebound into an empty net. Four minutes later, James struck a header right at the Miami goalkeeper from Arze's cross from the right.

After constant pressure in the visitors box, Vancouver finally extended their lead through Reda on 76 minutes. Nash's corner from the right was flicked on by Gbeke to the Whitecaps centre back. Reda was able to then turn the ball into the goal with his left thigh for 3-1.

At that stage, it looked like the home side would coast to victory, but credit to Miami, they kept it a contest by scoring their second goal two minutes later. Ramirez's well-hit free kick beat Nolly and struck the underside of the crossbar before bouncing out kindly to Perdomo. The Miami defender easily dove to head the ball into the empty net for 3-2.

The Blues were then unlucky not to equalize on 80 minutes. Perdomo was left unmarked in front of the Whitecaps goal, but he struck Ramirez's corner off the top of his shoulder and over the crossbar – much to the relief of the home fans. Three minutes later, Gbeke missed the target again with another headed opportunity from a Nash corner from the right.

On 84 minutes, the 'Caps had a great chance to seal the win when Gbeke and James broke two-on-one on the counter attack. After playing a couple of passes between each other, James squandered the chance when Schoeni was able to come off his goal line and close down the substitute in the Miami box before knocking the ball away from danger.

Then on 85 minutes, an incident at the halfway line between defender Charles and striker Gbeke saw referee Oliva send off the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines international and show a yellow card to the Vancouver goalscorer.

The Whitecaps then lost another player in the 90th minute. After Chin came on for Gbeke, the big striker's frustration over the previous incident saw him kick several water bottles along the Vancouver substitutes' bench. Gbeke's actions were seen by referee Oliva, who quickly showed the forward a second yellow card, then a red card for a second Vancouver sending off.

With fans trying to come to terms with those events on the pitch, an additional five minutes of time added on were played, with Miami causing a scare from a Ramirez corner. Nolly initially fumbled the midfielder's set-piece, but fortunately earned a free kick after being fouled in his attempt to claim possession of the ball at the near post.


The final whistle confirmed the end of Vancouver's three-match losing streak, with Thordarson's side now turning their attentions to an away trip to Montreal next Saturday afternoon. Defeat for Miami, meanwhile, saw their winless run go to six matches in USL-1. The Blues now return home and prepare to host expansion club Austin Aztex at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday night.

Thordarson was pleased his side's losing run in the league was at an end. "I'm happy to get the three points. I thought the guys worked really hard for that," he told reporters after the match. "We were able to claim control of the match in the second half when we were playing 11 players against 10. We then created enough goalscoring chances to score two or three more goals than we did. In the end, I'm more happy that we got the result tonight."

Post-match, the Whitecaps wish to acknowledge the unusual incident that occurred between two Whitecaps players during the match. The club views this incident seriously and will be issuing further comment on Monday after reviewing the actions of all involved parties.

Scoring Summary:
MIA - Zourab Tsiskaridze (Walter Ramirez) 10'
VAN - Charles Gbeke (Wes Knight) 16'
VAN - Charles Gbeke (Wes Knight) 34'
VAN - Marco Reda 76'
MIA - Richard Perdomo (Walter Ramirez) 78'

Match Stats:
Shots: Miami 8 - Vancouver 18
Saves: Miami 7 - Vancouver 3
Fouls: Miami 13 - Vancouver 19
Offsides: Miami 8 - Vancouver 2
Corners: Miami 7 - Vancouver 9

Cautions:
35' - MIA - Leo Inacio Nunes
38' - VAN - Ethan Gage
45'+ - VAN - Martin Nash
56' - VAN - Marco Reda
86' - VAN - Charles Gbeke

Ejections:
45+ - MIA - Leo Inacio Nunes
86' - VAN - Wesley Charles
90+ - VAN - Charles Gbeke

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 22.Takashi Hirano, 6.Wesley Charles, 2.Marco Reda, 8.Wes Knight; 16.Ansu Toure (18.Mason Trafford 88'), 7.Martin Nash, 20.Ethan Gage, 24.Lyle Martin (23.Vicente Arze 67'); 14.Marcus Haber (9.Marlon James 62'), 98.Charles Gbeke (28.Gordon Chin 90')

Subs not used: 99.Diego, 13.Kenold Versailles, 25.Tyrell Burgess

Miami FC Blues
25.Kenny Schoeni; 2.Richard Perdomo, 3.Zack Kirby, 6.Zourab Tsiskaridze, 12.Tim Merritt (4.Cristiano Dias 45'); 14.Jarryd Goldberg, 14.Nicolas Torres (20.Orlando Bueso 60'), 21.Walter Ramirez, 10.Leo Inacio Nunes; 9.Paulo Araujo Jr., 30.Danny Vasquez (11.Alen Marcina 45')