VANCOUVER, BC – Carl Robinson said it best after Saturday’s 1-0 win over FC Dallas: “Today, [we had to] roll up our sleeves, fight, scrap, run and tackle.”
Sometimes, that’s what it takes. It wasn’t Vancouver’s prettiest win of the season, but they sure put in a shift defensively.
“Every player to a man gave absolutely everything for me,” Robinson told reporters.
He’s not kidding.
Pedro Morales was flying in for tackles, Steven Beitashour worked his tail off to keep Fabian Castillo at bay, Octavio Rivero was battling for every inch up top, and so on.
You can go down the list.
But as illustrated by the numbers below, Vancouver was particularly strong down the spine, with centre back Kendall Waston and midfielders Gershon Koffie and Matias Laba leading the charge.
8
Waston was involved in eight aerial battles on Saturday. And he won every single one of them. The big man also had a game-high nine clearances.
Anyone else looking forward to a Waston-Drogba battle on Wednesday at BC Place?
32
As a team, the ‘Caps racked up 32 interceptions on Wednesday – their highest total of the season. Koffie, who Robinson called "outstanding," and Laba led the way with five apiece. Talk about a two-headed monster.
Also of note, Vancouver's back line contributed a combined 16 interceptions, while Kekuta Manneh and Cristian Techera each had three.
That's what you call a total team effort.
Whitecaps FC are back at BC Place on Wednesday to host Montreal Impact in the Amway Canadian Championship Final. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. PT and tickets are still available.
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are now on sale. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
