NOTES
- Whitecaps FC improve to 11W-12L-9D on the season
- Vancouver remains in fifth place in the Western Conference with a 42 points from 32 matches, FC Dallas is in sixth with 37 points from 31 matches
- Whitecaps FC remain undefeated all-time (2W-0L-3D) against Chivas USA
- The win eliminates Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids and Portland Timbers from playoff contention
- The win ends Vancouver's seven match winless streak and are now undefeated in three
- Four-goal win is largest margin of victory for Whitecaps FC in MLS
- VWFC posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since July 4 (1-0 W vs. Colorado) / July 7 (0-0 vs. Chivas USA)
- Vancouver earned its 11 clean sheet on the season - tied for third most in the league with RSL. Only Sporting KC and Houston have more
- Striker Camilo was named Budweiser Man of the Match after scoring one goal and adding two assists
- Camilo has scored four goals all-time in the month of October
- Dane Richard and Barry Robson each had one goal and one assist
- First time VWFC have had three players in a match score at least one goal and add one assist (Dane Richards, Barry Robson, Camilo)
- Brad Knighton started his five consecutive match and earned his second shutout
- First MLS match this season VWFC have not received a caution
- Captain Jay DeMerit played his 50th match for VWFC
- VWFC improve their overall record in October to 3W-2L-0D
WHITECAPS FC – QUOTES
HEAD COACH MARTIN RENNIE
Thoughts on the match:
“I’m very pleased with the performance tonight. I think it was a crucially important game for us, and all the players knew that and responded really well to that little bit of pressure, which you have to be able to play under if you’re going to be successful. Tonight we did that well. You saw the highs and lows of soccer: We saw Camilo’s disappointment of the chance he missed on Saturday, and then tonight he was involved on every goal. Our group’s really coming together and getting stronger. We’re on a good run now with two ties and a win, two clean sheets in a row, and I think our fans got good value for their money tonight.”
On playing Chivas USA:
“Sometimes when a team is struggling it can be a hard team to play against because there are expectations on you. We managed to get in behind them, we created problems there and we caught them on the break a lot. I actually think Chivas are a good team. They are very well coached. I think [Chivas USA head coach] Robin Fraser’s got them playing really good football when they have the ball, but when they don’t have possession I think the players are letting them down a bit. When they were good early in the season they were very compact and hard to catch on the break. If they can do that, then they’re a very good team.”
On getting off to a quick start:
“Kenny set the early goal up really well and Koffie finished it excellently. We knew that they would be open when they had the ball, and it would give us a chance to catch them on the break.”
On Kenny Miller’s injury:
“I don’t think it’s anything too major, but he felt a little bit of pain and we couldn’t risk it.”
GOALKEEPER BRAD KNIGHTON
On taking advantage of Chivas’ struggles:
“Everyone knows that they have been having a rough season and we are looking to pick up points where we can. This is a great opportunity for us and we just wanted to make the most out of the game and put ourselves in a good position.”
On his performance:
“They [Chivas USA] possess the ball very well, going side to side and there were a few crosses here and there that I had to go up for. But I wasn’t really tested that often, it was just a matter of communicating with the back four and we really wanted the clean sheet.”
On the break coming up:
“It’s just a matter of everyone staying professional and knowing what they need to do on and off the field. They need to do their things on their own, rest and recuperate. We have a couple of guys banged up and hopefully we can get the ball rolling when we get back and get everyone on all cylinders going into [the] Portland [match].”
MIDFIELDER BARRY ROBSON
On the team scoring four goals tonight:
“I think we did fine. The other week we got two goals and we have been pushing hard. We are good at home, we can score goals at home and we are sure of that, but maybe on the road were having a bit of trouble, but we are trying to make some goals away from home.”
On Camilo’s performance:
“It’s strength of character. He had a good game, but he missed a chance [last game], we all miss chances. In my long career I have missed lots of chances. That’s football for you. He went out there tonight, makes a few goals and everything is fine again.”
On the team’s confidence:
“It’s good. We have been working at training a lot and having the midfielders bursting into the box more. When we are away from home, we were tracking two or three players and that’s where it wasn’t working. We were flooding the box with players tonight and you get goals from it.”
DEFENDER JAY DEMERIT
On the win (and his mullet):
“I wish the mullet could take all the credit, but it can’t. It’s been a performance we have been waiting for a long time. It takes a certain effort from a lot of guys to do a performance like we did tonight. For once, we put a performance together. The defenders defended well and the goalscorers went and scored goals. At the end of the day, it comes down to pretty simple things and pretty simple jobs; it’s just a matter of guys taking responsibility to do them. “
On the team having fun tonight:
“It helps when you get an early goal. It’s fun when you win and it’s fun when you score goals and again, when guys are taking responsibilities for their jobs and what we are out there to do. We are here to enjoy what we do and we haven’t been enjoying it lately.”
On the upcoming break before the next match:
“In a way, it does come at a bad time, but that just sets up an excuse if things don’t go well. It’s about staying focused and continuing on building on these types of performances. It’s about us making sure we do what’s necessary off the field and on the training ground. The good thing about it is that we can get back on the training ground and continue to gel as a team.”
CHIVAS USA – QUOTES
HEAD COACH ROBIN FRASER
Thoughts on the match:
“Obviously we weren’t effective enough in front of either goal. We started off pretty well, controlling most of the game, but in the end it doesn’t mean anything if you make critical mistakes in front of your goal and you don’t finish plays in front of their goal. It’s disappointing, we put together a lot of passes in the middle of the field but unfortunately the goals were on both ends and we didn’t do well enough in front of them.”
On what the team can take out of its next three matches:
“There are a lot of things. There are players being evaluated for decisions going forward. There’s personal pride more than anything else, and anytime you play, you play to win and regardless of what is at the end of it all, every match is a match to be won and as a professional athlete you are always going to be judged on how competitive you are and as professional athletes we have to stand up and be accounted for.”
DEFENDER SHALRIE JOSEPH:
Thoughts on the match:
“The first 15 minutes of the first half I thought we did good, we moved the ball and our passes created a couple of chances here and there and we kept possession well. There was just one kind of attack where they got numbers forward and they played a great ball and Koffie had a great finish. I don’t think he will ever make that again but credit to him it was a great finish. On the second one we were just sloppy. We gave it away and little did we know they counterattacked and score. We were just trying to push the game, push the tempo and try to find a way to get our first one and then we left ourselves a little bit exposed and they found a way to get a third one and after that you could say the game was over.”
On what the team can take out of its final three matches:
“We’ve just got to keep our heads high and try to come back for the weekend and try to build on that. It’s a tough end to the season, but we’ve still got to keep fighting and fighting and don’t give up even though we are out of the playoffs. There’s a lot on the line still, there’s guys’ jobs and pride on the line so we’ve got to be ready to play for each other, play for the group, play for the team and play for the colours everyday.”
MIDFIELDER PETER VAGENAS:
Thoughts on the match:
“Disappointing, obviously. Everything that sometimes seems to go wrong, does go wrong. Credit to them, I thought we started the game pretty bright, we were on top of the ball, we always emphasize trying to be the ones pushing the game and I thought we did that, then Gershon scores a fantastic goal and it’s difficult. Obviously things haven’t been going well for us and when things starts to slide the other way it’s difficult. But you’ve got to give them credit, they were disciplined and defensively they were very organized, so compliments to them. They got 10 guys behind the ball at all times and dared us to beat them and I thought we were fairly comfortable on the ball. But as a whole we just maybe lacked a little class in the end. That being said, it’s obviously a difficult result.”
On what the team can take out of its remaining matches:
“One of our coaches laid it on the line for us and spoke the truth. Guys here are in different points of their careers. This is a difficult profession, it’s supposed to be hard so it’s up to each individual to get out of it what they want because at the end of the day this is their livelihood. No one can predict what’s going to happen in the future and obviously this club is a little bit in flux right now, so it’s about individual pride and personal pride because every time you step onto the field you obviously represent yourself.”
