VANCOUVER, BC – Whitecaps FC (10W-9L-4D) defeated Houston Dynamo (10W-8L-7D) 2-1 in a crucial home match at BC Place on Saturday, courtesy of goals by Fredy Montero and Yordy Reyna.
It was a gritty first 15 minutes at BC Place for both teams, but eventually the ‘Caps offensive engine really got going.
With Houston favoring a more counter-attacking style, Vancouver were able to dictate the pace of the match in the early minutes. Half chances were the only real threatening moments for Vancouver before a penalty kick broke the deadlock.
Peruvian Yordy Reyna was taken down just inside the penalty box following a poor challenge by Houston midfielder Boniek Garcia in the 17th minute of the match. With referee Drew Fischer pointing to the spot immediately, ‘Caps striker Fredy Montero stepped up to beat Houston keeper Tyler Deric with a low-driven strike to find the back of the net for his team-leading 10th goal of the season.
Not to be outdone, ‘Caps keeper David Ousted made sure to mark his return between the sticks in spectacular fashion when he denied Honduran international Romell Quioto’s direct free kick attempt with a highlight-reel save in the 28th minute to keep the ‘Caps in the lead.
The ‘Caps would then extend their advantage in the 32nd minute with a piece of individual brilliance by Reyna.
With pressure to win the ball and a quick layoff from Montero in the attacking third, Reyna took matters into his own hands with a world-class curling strike that nestled into the top corner, doubling the score line.
DIP, CURL ... It's "Reyna" GOALS here on pride night. https://t.co/THaqbRoW0P
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) August 20, 2017
But Houston made sure to keep the match tight, reducing the deficit by only a goal in the 51st minute when Quioto finally did manage to beat Ousted on a give-and-go play with Houston forward Mauro Manotas to make it 2-1.
The Dynamo would get one last chance at salvaging a road point late into stoppage time on a close-range free kick just outside the penalty box but the strike from substitute Tomás Martínez would not get past the ‘Caps wall in front of him.
Whitecaps FC now look to continue their playoff push in a midweek Cascadia match against Seattle Sounders FC at BC Place this Wednesday, August 23before traveling to Florida to face Eastern Conference Orlando City SC on Saturday, August 26. For tickets to Whitecaps FC home matches, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MCMILLAN 'CAPS CORNER KICK DONATIONS
For every 'Caps corner kick at home, McMillan donates $100 to the United Way. An additional $500 is donated for every goal scored off a corner kick. This match McMillan Corners for Kids has donated $700 for a running total of $8,400.
MATCH DETAILS
Budweiser Man of the Match:
Yordy Reyna
Referee:
Drew Fischer
Attendance:
21,183
Scoring Summary
17’ – VAN – Fredy Montero (penalty)
32’ – VAN – Yordy Reyna (Fredy Montero)
51’ – HOU – Romell Quioto (Mauro Manotas)
Statistics
Possession: Vancouver 45.2% –Houston 54.8%
Shots: Vancouver 10 – Houston 14
Shots on Goal: Vancouver 4 – Houston 2
Saves: Vancouver 1 – Houston 2
Fouls: Vancouver 19 – Houston 15
Offsides: Vancouver 0 – Houston 0
Corners: Vancouver 7 – Houston 4
Cautions
31’ – VAN – Jordan Harvey
41’ – VAN – Jake Nerwinski
46’ – HOU – Adolfo Machado
71’ – VAN – Fredy Montero
73’ – HOU – Boniek Garcia
79’ – VAN – David Ousted
83’ – HOU – Juan Cabezas
90'+3 – HOU – AJ DeLaGarza
Whitecaps FC
1.David Ousted; 28.Jake Nerwinski (17. Marcel De Jong 88’), 4.Kendall Waston ©, 26.Tim Parker, 2.Jordan Harvey; 8.Andrew Jacobson, 16.Tony Tchani; 7.Christian Bolaños, 29.Yordy Reyna (67. Alphonso Davies, 85;), 13.Cristian Techera (23. Bernie Ibini, 72’); 12.Fredy Montero
Substitutes not used
24.Stefan Marinović, 11.Nicolás Mezquida, 20.Brek Shea, 31.Russell Teibert,
Houston Dynamo
1.Tyler Deric; 20.A.J. DeLaGarza, 3.Adolfo Machado, 22.Leonardo, 7.DaMarcus Beasley; 27. Boniek Garcia (25.Tomas Martinez, 76’), 5.Juan Cabezas, 14.Alex; 11.Andrew Wenger (18. Memo Rodriguez 85’), 19.Mauro Manotas, 12.Romell Quioto (23.Jose Escalante, 89’)
Substitutes not used
2.Jalil Anibaba, 6.Eric Alexander, 15.Dylan Remick, 31.Joe Willis
