Match Report:

By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com

Vancouver Whitecaps FC earned a creditable 0-0 home draw with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday afternoon.

In what was their third friendly meeting since the Sounders entered MLS in 2009, neither side were able to make a decisive breakthrough in what was the first match of 2010 at Swangard Stadium.

With the USSF D-2 Pro League season still several weeks away from beginning, the 'Caps again showed their ability to compete with clubs from MLS, as their commitment and skill matched the fine qualities of the Washington State outfit.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson made three changes to the side that started the 2-1 friendly win over 2009 MLS Cup champions Real Salt Lake in Casa Grande, Arizona, on February 20. Former D.C. United defender Greg Janicki replaced Luca Bellisomo in the Vancouver backline, while the Caribbean duo of Jamaica's Dever Orgill and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines native Cornelius Stewart came in for the injured Marlon James and the versatile Zourab Tsiskaridze.

Fresh off a three-match trip to Spain to play in La Manga Cup II, Sounders head coach Sigi Schmid named the same starting XI that defeated Norwegian club SK Brann 1-0 on February 25. The line-up included veteran keeper and team captain Kasey Keller in goal, while in attack, former Arsenal FC star Freddie Ljungberg played alongside 2009 MLS Newcomer of the Year Fredy Montero. There were also two former United Soccer Leagues First Division (USL-1) players in Seattle's line-up, as Sanna Nyassi (USL-1 Sounders) and Osvaldo Alonso (Charleston Battery) started in the visitors' midfield.

On a beautiful sunny day at Swangard, a crowd of 3,895 took in the highly anticipated pre-season encounter between these two Interstate 5 rivals, with a large and vocal contingent of Sounders fans having made the trip to Burnaby, BC, to support their side.

What they saw was a tentative start to an even first half, with the first notable piece of action occurring on nine minutes when Stewart was booked for a late challenge on Sounders midfielder Nathan Sturgis.

It was at that point that proceedings livened up, with the Blue and White creating the first chance of the match a minute later. Stewart took Nizar Khalfan's through ball on the right flank before playing a low cross into the path of Orgill. Unfortunately for the Jamaican youth international, the ball was just out of his reach, with Keller able to make a routine save. The Sounders response came three minutes later, as the dangerous Montero forced a good save from Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly with his volleyed strike.

Seattle then had the ball in the back of the Whitecaps net on the quarter-hour mark, but to the dismay of the travelling fans, Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani was adjudged offside after heading home Sanna Nyassi's cross from the right. Vancouver looked to reply two minutes later, but Takashi Hirano's cross from the left just missed the head of Stewart in front of the Sounders goal.

One of Seattle's qualities is their pace on the flanks with Nyassi and Zakuani. On 21 minutes, Zakuani showed his speed when he broke down the left and eluded the challenge of Whitecaps newcomer Chris Williams before forcing an excellent save from Nolly with his fierce goal-bound strike.

With the visitors starting to gain a foothold in the match, Thordarson made a substitution on 35 minutes, with youngster Alex Semenets replacing Stewart in attack. A minute later, Hirano had to be alert to clear a dangerous ball from Ljungberg in the 'Caps box for a corner, while on 38 minutes, Orgill struck a close-range shot straight at Keller after taking a pass in the Sounders box from Khalfan.

The last chance of the half fell to former Swedish international Ljungberg, but after taking advantage of a Whitecaps turnover near the edge of the Vancouver box, the talented Scandinavian could only roll his shot across the face of Nolly's goal and out for a goal kick.

The halftime whistle from match referee Steven Depiero meant both sides went to their respective dressing rooms level at 0-0.

The second half saw the home side start in a bright fashion, with halftime substitute Justin Moose striking a shot wide of the target on 51 minutes.

Then moments after Blake Wagner came on for his Whitecaps home debut, Nyassi caused a bit of a scare in the Vancouver backline when his cross from the right hit the top of Nolly's crossbar on 58 minutes. Moments later at the other end, new signing Ricardo Sanchez tried to impress the home fans with a free kick opportunity, but the Mexican's set-piece only found the arms of Keller in the Sounders goal.

The final half-hour saw a predictably high number of changes from both sides, with the 'Caps introducing Tsiskaridze, Wesley Charles, Philippe Davies, Randy Edwini-Bonsu, and Wes Knight to the action in the latter stages. Seattle also made several substitutions, which included former Whitecaps defender Jeff Parke replacing Colombian import Jhon Kennedy Hurtado at centre back on 73 minutes.

Where Seattle edged the run of play before the break, Vancouver looked better in the second 45 minutes. The impressive Wagner brought some premature excitement to the home fans on 75 minutes when his low shot flew just wide of the Sounders goal. The winger's effort, however, would not have counted, as the former FC Dallas player was deemed to be in an offside position. On 84 minutes, substitute Tsiskaridze headed Knight's long throw-in from the right over the Seattle crossbar.

Defensively, Vancouver were solid throughout the friendly contest, with Janicki making a particularly positive impression during his home debut. "Our focus was keeping our defensive shape, which we lost in a couple of our games in Arizona," the former D.C. United defender said after the match. "We didn't give Seattle too many chances, which was a big thing for us. We didn’t give Ljungberg or Montero a lot of time on the ball, which is what you have to do with those guys. I thought all guys in the back did a fine job of covering for each other today."

Even four minutes of time added on could not separate the two Pacific Northwest clubs, with the final whistle confirming a stalemate conclusion to an intriguing and competitive pre-season friendly match.


Thordarson was pleased his side matched up well versus their high profile opponents. "In these games, it's important to give your whole roster the experience of playing teams of this level," he told reporters. "That was why we got as many players on, as we could today. There are things for us to work on, but I thought we did very well with our performance."

Even his Sounders counterpart Schmid was impressed by the efforts of the Whitecaps. "Vancouver played well. In comparison to the first time we played them (in Arizona), I thought they were better organized defensively," he said. "They were more compact as a group, and I thought their line-up did a pretty good job at the back. At times, it was a staggering game today. I thought both teams had the wide players pushed up too high, so it became a 4-2-4 formation."

The Whitecaps will return to training next week, with Thordarson's side set to play more friendly matches, as they look to fine tune their preparations for the 2010 campaign. The Sounders, meanwhile, complete their seven-match pre-season schedule by hosting another Pacific Northwest rival in Portland Timbers on Thursday, March 11, before visiting fellow MLS club Colorado Rapids on Friday, March 19. Seattle raise the curtain on the 2010 MLS season when they host expansion club Philadelphia Union at Qwest Field on Thursday, March 25.

Scoring Summary:
None

Match Stats:
Shots: Seattle 4 - Vancouver 5
Saves: Seattle 2 - Vancouver 2
Fouls: Seattle 2 - Vancouver 12
Offsides: Seattle 9 - Vancouver 7
Corners: Seattle 6 - Vancouver 1

Cautions:
9' - VAN Cornelius Stewart
60' - VAN Takashi Hirano

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Jay Nolly; 4.Chris Williams (8.Wes Knight 64'), 2.Nelson Akwari (6.Wesley Charles 69'), 14.Greg Janicki, 22.Takashi Hirano; 29.Nizar Khalfan (19. Justin Moose 45'), 7.Martin Nash, 99.Ricardo Sanchez (15.Philippe Davies 74'), 16.Ansu Toure (23.Blake Wagner 56'); 11.Dever Orgill (77.Zourab Tsiskaridze 69'), 36.Cornelius Stewart (26.Alex Semenets 35'; 17.Randy Edwini-Bonsu 74')

Subs not used: 27.Dan Pelc, 3. Luca Bellisomo, 20.Ethan Gage

Seattle Sounders FC
18.Kasey Keller; 7.James Riley (20.Zach Scott 86'), 34.Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (33.Jeff Parke 73'), 14.Tyrone Marshall, 19.Leo Gonzalez (5.Tyson Wahl 73'); 23.Sanna Nyassi (2.Michael Fucito 63'), 12.Nate Sturgis (8.Peter Vagenas 78'), 6.Osvaldo Alonso (15.Stephen King 78'), 11.Steve Zakuani (9.David Estrada 63'), 10.Freddie Ljungberg (30.Kevin Souter 83'), 17.Fredy Montero (32.Michael Seamon 83')

Subs not used: 22.Derby Carillo, 29.Jamel Wallace, 27.Lamar Neagle, 31.Ellis McLoughlin