Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC earned their second away win of the USL First Division season after an important 3-1 victory over Rochester Rhinos on Friday evening.

Two goals by Marlon James - the first coming from the penalty spot - helped the 'Caps to their first regular season win in Rochester since August 7, 1996. Though the Rhinos replied through a fine finish from captain Tiger Fitzpatrick, Tyrell Burgess sealed the win with a superbly taken first goal for the club since joining the Blue and White in the off-season. Friday's result takes the Whitecaps record back to .500 (7W-7L-3D) and puts Vancouver back into the playoff positions in the USL-1 standings.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson made two changes to the side that started last Saturday's 4-2 home win over Puerto Rico Islanders. Mason Trafford replaced the departed Jeff Parke in the centre of the Vancouver backline, while James replaced Charles Gbeke to partner Marcus Haber in the Whitecaps attack.

Rhinos head coach Darren Tilley, meanwhile, gave former Whitecaps veteran Steve Kindel his Rochester debut against his former club, as he appeared at left fullback. In goal, Tim Melia took the place of Scott Vallow for the Upstate New York club.

On a cloudy summer's evening in The Flower City, the first half proved to be untidy, yet competitive, with numerous chances traded at both ends by either side.

After Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly made a routine save from Rhinos defender Kenney Bertz's header on eight minutes, Burgess struck two shots wide of the target on 10 and 13 minutes for the visitors.

Playing his first match of the season, Kindel tried to have an impact in Friday's match, as he set up Ryan Heins for a header with his cross from the left on 19 minutes. Heins' effort, however, flew wide of Nolly's far post. A minute later, the Rhinos nearly caught the 'Caps on the break, but Geordie Lyall did well to clear away Heins' low cross into the Vancouver box from the right.

Rochester then had another good chance to break the deadlock on 26 minutes, but more good defending – this time by Marco Reda – saw the Whitecaps centre back clear the danger from his own box after Nolly had initially spilled Andrew Gregor's dangerous cross from the left.

The visitors then replied with chances of their own, as Haber recorded Vancouver's first shot of the match of target on 33 minutes before James was unlucky to see a header from a fine Burgess cross fly just wide of Melia's near post five minutes later.

Then with five minutes left in the half, the Whitecaps were awarded a penalty after match referee Jan Halaska had adjudged Rhinos defender Brent Sancho to have handled Gordon Chin's cross in the Rochester box. The home side were left astonished by the decision, but that did not bother James, as the 'Caps striker stepped up to the spot to strike home his seventh goal of the season under the diving Melia on 41 minutes.

It was an important opening goal for the Whitecaps, who have struggled with their form away from home in the league this term. Full of confidence, James then tried his luck from distance on 44 minutes with a volleyed effort that was well off target, despite having an unmarked Burgess available to his left after the Blue and White had broke forward on the counter-attack.

It meant the 'Caps took a somewhat fortunate one-goal lead into the halftime break.

Where the first half lacked spark and excitement, fans at Rochester's Marina Auto Stadium were treated to a far more entertaining second half of soccer, though what they witnessed would not have been pleasing on the eye, as Vancouver dominated proceedings after the restart.

After Chin struck a shot wide of goal from Burgess' short corner on 54 minutes, the Whitecaps extended their lead through a fine finish from James on the hour mark. The striker played a ball out wide to Burgess on the left near the edge of the Rochester box. The young Bermuda international then returned the favour with a low cross that the unmarked James took possession of before drilling a low right-footed shot off the inside of the post and into the net for a 2-0 Vancouver lead. The goal took James level with Rochester's Johnny Menyongar for the USL-1 goalscoring lead with eight.

The visitors looked seemingly in comfortable at this stage, but the Rhinos only needed two minutes to spoil Nolly's clean sheet, as Fitzpatrick curled home a fine left-footed finish from the edge of the Whitecaps box for 2-1 after Reda failed to properly clear John Ball's byline cross in front of his own goal. The Rochester veteran had initially eluded the attentions of Whitecaps defender Takashi Hirano on the right-hand side before reaching the Vancouver byline and playing in his cross.

With the match back in the balance, Rhinos head coach Tilley took the unusual step of making four substitutions midway though the half, in a bid to give his side a strong finish to the contest. Two minutes later, Nolly needed to make a vital save from Bertz's far-post header to keep the 'Caps in the lead.

It was a pivotal stop by the Vancouver number one, as the Whitecaps went on to extend their lead with a sensational strike from Burgess on 69 minutes. The winger took a simple pass from Chin near the edge of the Rhinos box before cutting inside and unleashing an unstoppable right-foot shot past a sprawling Melia for a 3-1 Whitecaps lead. It was the Bermudan rookie's first-ever goal for Vancouver and in USL-1.

Having restored their two-goal lead, the Whitecaps finished the match in the ascendancy, with Melia needing to make a save from substitute Gbeke's close-range header on 79 minutes. Then ten minutes later, with Rochester pressed forward, another 'Caps substitute in Ansu Toure forced a good save from Melia with run and shot on the break. The loose ball then fell kindly for Gbeke, but the Canadian international was unable to get a tight-angle shot on goal off the ensuing rebound.

Though four minutes of time added on were played, the final whistle from referee Halaska ensured three crucial points on the road for the Whitecaps, with Vancouver making it two victories in a row with Friday's win. Defeat for Rochester meant an end to their unbeaten run of seven games in USL-1.


Thordarson was thoroughly delighted to claim such a vital win at one of his side's main rivals. "I'm very happy that we got the points, and I thought we deserved the win because we played very well," he told whitecapsfc.com on Friday night. "I thought it was quite an even game in the first half. We defended very well and worked hard not to concede chances or goals like we've done in previous games. There were some little things we needed to correct at halftime, but having the lead to start the second half, we weren't in a position to have to take chances. We just focused on keeping possession, which we did very well and in a good mix with our attacking play. Rochester are a difficult opponent to play against and always willing to fight until the last minute. Tonight, however, we dealt with them very well."

The Whitecaps will have little time to enjoy Friday's result in Rochester, as they travel down to Bedford, Ohio, for Saturday's USL-1 match-up versus the struggling Cleveland City Stars. Rochester, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from defeat when they host Carolina RailHawks next Wednesday evening.

Scoring Summary:
41’ – VAN – Marlon James
60’ – VAN – Marlon James (Tyrell Burgess)
62’ – ROC – Tiger Fitzpatrick
69’ – VAN – Tyrell Burgess (Gordon Chin)

Match Stats:
Shots: Vancouver 13 - Rochester 15
Saves: Vancouver 6 - Rochester 3
Fouls: Vancouver 13 - Rochester 10
Offsides: Vancouver 3 - Rochester 7
Corners: Vancouver 5 - Rochester 5

Cautions:
43’ – VAN – Takashi Hirano
45’ – VAN – Tyrell Burgess
77’ – ROC – Brent Sancho

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 12.Geordie Lyall (3.Luca Bellisomo 73’), 2.Marco Reda, 18.Mason Trafford, 22.Takashi Hirano; 8.Wes Knight, 7.Martin Nash, 28.Gordon Chin, 25.Tyrell Burgess (16.Ansu Toure 81’); 9.Marlon James (98.Charles Gbeke 77’), 14.Marcus Haber (20.Ethan Gage 86’)

Subs not used: 99.Diego, 13.Kenold Versailles, 23.Vicente Arze

Rochester Rhinos
1.Tim Melia; 4. Kenney Bertz, 5.Brent Sancho, 8.Steve Kindel (20.Warren Ukah 65’), 13.John Ball; 6.Tiger Fitzpatrick, 12.Andrew Gregor (16.Danny Earls 63’), 27.Nano Short (17.Chris Nurse 63’), 29.Tai Atieno; 10.Johnny Menyongar, 11.Ryan Heins (23.Errol McFarlane 63’)

Subs not used: 24.Scott Vallow, 7.Andrew Lorei, 21.Mike Ambersley