By Simon Fudge/whitecapsfc.com
There were mixed results for clubs in the USSF D-2 Pro League following the latest round of action.
Puerto Rico Islanders put themselves back on track with two good results, while Portland Timbers claimed an historic win in Vancouver. Montreal Impact and Athletic Club of St. Louis also got themselves back in the win column. The weekend ended with all six USL Conference clubs well in contention to make the USSF D-2 playoffs in October.
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The action started with two matches on Wednesday. In a battle of two USL Conference clubs, Puerto Rico earned a
1-1 draw
at NSC Minnesota Stars. Melvin Tarley gave Minnesota the lead before Sandy Gbandi claimed a share of the spoils for the Caribbean outfit. In Quebec, former Whitecaps centre back Wesley Charles made his Montreal Impact debut in their
3-0 home win
over struggling AC St. Louis. Reda Agourram, Tony Donatelli, and the returning Antonio Ribeiro had Montreal's goals at Stade Saputo.
There were two matches on Thursday, with former Whitecaps midfielder Jonny Steele making his FC Tampa Bay Rowdies debut in a
1-0 home defeat
to Rochester Rhinos. Rhinos substitute Isaac Kissi scored the winner in time added on at the end of the match at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Portland Timbers retained the fan-based Cascadia Cup after claiming their first away win over Vancouver Whitecaps FC since May 23, 2004, following a 2-1 result at Swangard Stadium. A Ryan Pore penalty and a winning strike by Mamadou Danso cancelled out Nizar Khalfan's opening goal for Vancouver.
Saturday saw AC St. Louis snap a three-match losing streak with an important
1-0 win
at Crystal Palace Baltimore. Mike Ambersley's late strike gave the Missouri outfit all three points in the Championship Stadium at the Maryland SoccerPlex. Palace, meanwhile, finished the match with ten men after defender Paul Robson was sent off in the dying stages. In Puerto Rico, the Islanders claimed an important
3-1 home win
over USL Conference rivals Rochester. Former Whitecaps striker Nicholas Addlery, David Foley, and substitute Kendall Jagdeosingh helped the Caribbean club end a four-match winless streak at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. Kissi scored his second goal in as many matches in a losing effort for the Rhinos.
Sunday saw FC Tampa Bay take a big step towards winning the inaugural Coastal Cup after a
2-0 win
over Florida rivals Miami FC. Julian Valentin gave the Rowdies a halftime lead before Aaron King sealed an important win for Paul Dalglish's side. Finally, in Vancouver, Minnesota extended their unbeaten run in the league, and on the road, to four matches after a 1-1 away draw with the Whitecaps. Simone Bracalello gave the Stars a surprise halftime lead before captain Martin Nash struck a second-half equalizer on his 250th career start for the 'Caps.