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Posted by
Har Journalist,
April 27, 2014 |
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VANCOUVER, B.C - After a pair of matches against the LA Galaxy, the Vancouver Whitecaps took on another MLS powerhouse in Real Salt Lake. The Caps travelled to Sandy, Utah to take on the unbeaten 3-0-4, 2013 MLS Cup runners-up. Real Salt Lake did not pull out the welcome mat for Carl Robinson's side as they quickly got out to a 2-0 advantage as the Whitecaps were extremely slow to getting going. Uruguayans Nicolas Mezquida, and Sebastian Fernandez came off the bench to rescue the and earn a 2-2 draw as a shocked 19,661 fans at Rio Tinto Stadium went home disappointed.
With Vancouver able to earn a point, Carl Robinson was feeling like the match was more of a win than a draw.
"Yeah I think it does,” Robinson told RedNation. “It is a get out of jail card because we were two-nil down and we dug ourselves a hole. It is important we learn from that. I said to them today that it is about character. In the last two games against top teams we have shown that if we go behind it isn't over."
First year head coach Jeff Cassar watched his team score goals in the 2' and 9' minute as Vancouver was in full scramble mode early on. Strikers Joao Plata, and Alvaro Saborio put their team in the good and Real Salt Lake looked to secure all three-points until Mezquida scored in the 86' and Fernandez scored a stoppage time goal in the 94+ as Nick Rimando and Real Salt Lake blew a two-goal lead at home.
Carl Robinson made a pair of changes to his lineup that played the LA Galaxy to a 2-2 draw last weekend. Kekuta Manneh made his way into the starting lineup for an ailing Pedro Morales (Back) and Johnny Leveron returned to the starting squad for a rested Jay DeMerit. The Caps went with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Gershon Koffie, and Matias Laba as holding midfielders. Nigel Reo-Coker did not make the trip to Utah as he has been dealing with a "virus" of some sort. Kenny Miller donned the skipper’s armband and Jordan Harvey played in his 150th career MLS match.
Real Salt Lake went with a 4-4-2 diamond formation with skipper Kyle Beckerman at the bottom and Javier Morales at the top. Ned Grabavoy played on the left while Luke Mulholland manned the right side. Joao Plata made a return to the starting eleven after injuring his hamstring in the home opener on March 22. Luis Gil was held out of the lineup as he is dealing with his own hamstring injury which he picked up on April 5 against Sporting Kansas City.
The Opening 45
It took just two minutes for Real Salt Lake to completely change the match and throw Carl Robinson's pregame tactics out the window. Russell Teibert needlessly gave the ball away as his pass was destined for nobody in a Whitecaps kit. Real Salt Lake countered and Johnny Leveron was turned inside out as he failed to contain Ecuadorian native Joao Plata. The former Toronto FC man had his shot find the inside far left post as David Ousted could not stretch to make the save.
The Whitecaps have shown that they've not been able to respond to quick turning points and game changing plays this season. This was true to form as their confidence was clearly shaken by the early Plata goal. Vancouver gave up another quick strike after a trio of Whitecaps players all failed to tackle Ned Grabavoy.
Russell Teibert, Matias Laba, and Johnny Leveron all went to cover Ned Grabavoy as he was in a dangerous position inside the Caps box. Unfortunately for those players, none of them got the ball off of Grabavoy. The ball went to an unmarked Alvaro Saborio and the San Carlos, Costa Rica native fired an absolute sublime strike into the top right corner in the 9'. David Ousted could do nothing but watch as Saborio displayed a perfect shot. Jordan Harvey was late getting to Saborio and the Caps were quickly down 2-0 after a shambolic display of defense.
Steven Beitashour couldn't quite put his finger on why Vancouver came out of the gate with such a slow start. However he was happy his side were able to battle and find a way to claw back into the match in the second half.
"I don’t know what it was,” Beitashour said. “We just were on our heels a bit. We didn’t play to our standards and we got punished. I think they had three good chances and they scored two but we stuck in there and fought to the end."
Johnny Leveron had quite the tumultuous first half as he was caught out of position on both Real Salt Lake goals. In his only previous start this season, Leveron and his central-half partner Andy O'Brien helped keep New England off the score-sheet in a 0-0 draw. Tonight was a completely different story as Leveron's play was highly questionable. His efforts to earn a roster spot for Honduras at the 2014 World Cup may have taken a serious hit after his poor play.
Real Salt Lake could have easily had more goals in the first half. Joao Plata came down the right flank in the 34' and sent in a cross that Saborio connected with. Leveron headed the ball away from just in front of David Ousted. Plata was the most dangerous player on the pitch and he tested David Ousted in first half stoppage time when he darted down the right side of the pitch and fired the ball at an on rushing Ousted.
David Ousted did his best to keep Real Salt Lake at bay and he was a big reason why the home side didn't have a bigger lead. Ousted was the best Whitecaps player on the pitch in the first half as everybody else failed to show up.
At the other end of the pitch Nick Rimando could have made a sandwich, taken a nap and gone to church as he had simply nothing to trouble him in the first half. The most offensive scoring opportunity Vancouver had came off a flick from left-back Jordan Harvey in the 35'. Harvey was in great position as he tried to sneak the ball under the bar and past a relaxed Rimando. The shot-stopper tipped the ball over the bar for a Vancouver corner.
Real Salt Lake held a 53-47 possession advantage in the first half and had five shots on target to the Whitecaps one. Vancouver had four corners to Real Salt Lake's two, but were unable to muster anything that gave Nick Rimando difficulty. The score was 2-0 Real Salt Lake heading into the break.
The Second Half
Neither team made any changes to start the second half. Vancouver showed more of a game plan in the first ten minutes of the second half, as they kept the ball and managed to enter the Real Salt Lake box. Vancouver had four early corners but were unable to mount a strong attack.
Just as the Whitecaps looked to be playing with more passion, poise, and persistence, Kekuta Manneh picked up the first booking of the match in the 57'. Luke Mulholland was dangerously brought down from behind and Manneh was lucky he did not see red from referee Kevin Stott.
In an effort to find some offensive flare, Carl Robinson looked to his bench and quickly used all three of his substitutions. In the 61', Sebastian Fernandez and Erik Hurtado came on for Russell Teibert and Kekuta Manneh. Nicolas Mezquida joined his fellow Uruguayan in place of Kenny Miller.
Vancouver's play was noticeably better in the second half as they pushed the pace with more involvement from full-backs Harvey, and Beitashour. Despite not being able to find a crack in the Real Salt Lake defense the Whitecaps were contributing more opportunities to score in the Real Salt Lake box as they took the action to Jeff Cassar's team.
On the 10th Vancouver Whitecaps corner of the match, Erik Hurtado almost scored his first MLS goal. Nicolas Mezquida took the corner and his cross found the shoulder of Hurtado. Nick Rimando was in great position as the ball came right to him when the Whitecaps sophomore came inches from scoring.
Alvaro Saborio had a glorious opportunity to put the Whitecaps away off a Real Salt Lake free kick from Javier Morales in the 79'. Saborio was able to out muscle Andy O'Brien as he headed the ball past an outstretched David Ousted. The ball hit squarely off the crossbar and then the post as Saborio narrowly missed out on a brace and a chance to silence the Whitecaps.
Just when it looked like the Whitecaps would never get a goal past Nick Rimando they did just that thanks to a persistent second half attack. Darren Mattocks fired a low shot on target that Rimando could not control. Nicolas Mezquida was in the right place at the right time as he pounced on an unlikely rebound and slotted the ball past Rimando in the 86' minute.
Carl Robinson was pleased with how is bench performed when called upon in the second half against Real Salt Lake.
"I told them a lot of games are won from the substitute’s bench and today was a perfect example and it is going to happen throughout the season,” Robinson explained.” It is important if you are in the starting team you give everything you got and if you are not and are on the bench, you are going to have an effect in the game. I have left young players out who aren't in the 18 because we have such a young talented group of players coming through and hopefully that will continue."
Vancouver had four-minutes of stoppage time to find the equalizing goal and they used every last second before finding the tying goal in 94+. Steven Beitashour got the play going when he took the ball off of Alvaro Saborio with a crunching tackle.
Sebastian Fernandez would play the hero has he fired a shot from well out that bounced and found a home past Nick Rimando. Fernandez's strike from 35-yards out appeared to catch the Real Salt Lake keeper by surprise as the ball should have easily been saved. Fernandez scored his second goal of the season and rescued the Whitecaps a point in the blink of an eye.
The Whitecaps will be happy to have earned a point as they looked lost and uninterested in the opening half. Carl Robinson's halftime speech seemed to spark his lads as they finally started to play football and generate scoring opportunities.
For Real Salt Lake this will feel like more of a crushing defeat after they blew a second half lead with a pair of Vancouver goals 8-minutes apart. It wasn't the best match for the Whitecaps, but it earned them a result and another point thanks to a Uruguayan duo that came off the substitutes bench.
Real Salt Lake skipper and United States World Cup hopeful Kyle Beckerman had a great view of the tying goal from Sebastian Fernandez and he had this to say after the match.
"They got the ball and then the guy just hit the shot that was probably a one in a hundred type shot,” Beckerman said. “ Unfortunately, we were just on the wrong side of the tie tonight. We just got to keep getting better and push on and get a win the next game."
Man of the Match
Sebastian Fernandez
Sebastian Fernandez earned the Whitecaps a crucial point as he fired a laser shot low and inside the left post past a screened Nick Rimando. Fernandez had been rather quiet since scoring in the opening match of the season against the New York Red Bulls, but tonight he picked a terrific time to show what he can do. His 35-yard bullet appeared to catch Rimando by surprise as it was from distance and should have been stopped. Vancouver stunned Real Salt Lake and Fernandez's ability to step up and shoot with just seconds remaining proved to be the difference on this occasion.
Honourable mention
David Ousted was in the spotlight for much of this match because of Real Salt Lake's potent attack in the first half. Ousted could not do anything to stop Saborio's goal, but he did absolutely everything necessary to keep Real Salt Lake from scoring a third time. The Dane was frequently tested by Saborio, and Plata as Vancouver took too long to get going. If not for David Ousted, Vancouver would not have been in a position to earn a point in stoppage time.
Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Andy O'Brien, Johnny Leverón, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Matias Laba; Russell Teibert, Kenny Miller(C), Kekuta Manneh; Darren Mattocks. (4-2-3-1)
Notes: Kenny Miller wore a black arm band in memory of former Scotland and Rangers full-back, Sandy Jardine, who passed away on Thursday after a courageous 18-month battle with liver cancer.
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