VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (3W-1L-0D) nabbed their third straight win on Saturday night, defeating Portland Timbers (0W-1L-3D) 2-1 in front of a sold-out BC Place crowd.
Here are three things that stood out to me.
Good teams find ways to win – even when they don’t necessarily deserve to.
That was the story for Whitecaps FC on Saturday night. As head coach Carl Robinson said, the ‘Caps were “average at best.” They struggled to get a grasp of the game in midfield – Portland controlled a whopping 65.7 per cent possession and completed more than double the number of passes than Vancouver. But Whitecaps FC still came away with three points.
That’s what happens when you get the job done in both boxes.
At one end, David Ousted was sensational – again. The Dane made four saves on the night, including a brilliant close-range stop on Fanendo Adi in the 89th minute.
What more can we say about him? Here’s what Robinson said: “He won us the game today.”
Hard to argue with that statement.
MOMENT OF MAGIC
For the second straight week, Robinson talked about a “moment of magic” in his post-game press conference. Last week, it was Octavio Rivero’s diving stoppage-time header.
And on Saturday night, it was Robert Earnshaw’s cool 90th-minute finish (though Nicolas Mezquida deserves a shout as well for his curling free kick tally in the first half). Earnshaw, who Whitecaps FC signed earlier this week, was subbed on just a few minutes prior.
“That’s why we signed him,” Robinson said of Earnshaw. “I told him, ‘You’ll have one chance.’ And when he gets a chance, he usually takes it.”
The goal, and subsequent celebration, is even better in slow motion as you can see below.
When you bring in quality players, sometimes they’ll win you points with moments of magic. And that’s what we’ve seen the last few weeks.
Speaking of quality players, you’ll notice that there’s a common denominator with Rivero and Earnshaw’s late-winners – aside from the fact that they were really late.
That would be Whitecaps FC captain Pedro Morales, who assisted both goals. Check out this still from Morales' pass to Earnshaw. He split two pairs of Timbers defenders with his off foot. Quality.
Last year, Morales’ first in MLS, the Chilean spoiled us with dominating performance after dominating performance. This year, teams are obviously aware of his tendencies and keying in on him a lot more.
But he’s clearly still finding a way to contribute in a big way when it matters most.
YOUTH IS SERVED
The ‘Caps ended the match with two 18-year-olds and a 20-year-old on the pitch. And it’s not like this was a meaningless preseason fixture. It was a derby game.
Sam Adekugbe, 20, started his third straight match (a career-high), while 18-year-olds Kianz Froese and Deybi Flores were subbed on in the second half. Both players didn’t look out of place.
It was Flores’ first appearance for the ‘Caps – he just arrived from his native Honduras last week. And he made an immediate impact.
The video you see below is literally moments after he stepped onto the pitch.
And as you can see below, both Flores and Froese played a part in the build-up to Earnshaw’s winner. Of course, Morales and Earnshaw did the heavy lifting, but the two youngsters did well to keep possession – something the ‘Caps struggled with on the night.
Time and time again, Robinson proves that he isn’t afraid to throw his young guns into the fire. And time and time again, they prove that they belong.
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.
