VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps and Chivas USA took to the pitch at BC Place Stadium on Saturday night for a contest between a pair of surprising 2014 MLS teams. Chivas came into this match with a trio of 1-0 victories over the likes of Montreal, San Jose and Real Salt Lake, while Vancouver has had a terrific campaign under newly appointed coach Carl Robinson with a heavy South American influence. The Caps came in with 6-3-7 record and they looked to improve their win total against Wilmer Cabrera and Chivas USA.
Vancouver got off to a fantastic start and scored early, but it was not enough as Chivas USA scored three unanswered goals to win 3-1 before 19,383 spectators. The lone highlight for Vancouver was Carlyle Mitchell scoring his first career MLS goal off a first half corner from Pedro Morales. The turning point came in the second half when Jordan Harvey was shown a straight red. Erick Torres scored the game winner in the 81' and Vancouver squandered a chance to earn crucial points at home in the competitive MLS Western Conference.
Chivas USA setup man Mauro Rosales was quite pleased with the result his team was able to earn against Vancouver.
"We are very happy about the result that we got here. It's a tough team that we played against, it was an intense game and also good for us to come back after losing 1-0. I think the team did very well and did a very good job together as a team, and this is why we got the three points."
Carl Robinson elected to make no changes to his side that beat the Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 on Saturday, July 5. The Caps continued to start matches in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Erik Hurtado as the lone striker. Andy O'Brien returned to full training earlier during the week, but he did not feature in the 18-man roster. With Jay DeMerit still unavailable, Pedro Morales captained the Whitecaps.
Chivas USA opted for a 4-4-2 formation with red-hot striker Erick Torres and Marvin Chavez up top. Prior to this match, Chivas USA had scored 17 goals this season and Erick Torres found the net on 12 occasions for his side. The entire Chivas USA offense is running through Torres and Vancouver didn't do a good enough job tracking him.
Nigel Reo Coker entered the match in the second half and he talked to the media following the 3-1 loss.
"It's a tough game to lose. We've had meetings within the dressing room tonight. Sometimes you're going to play great and not get the result that you deserve. Today's one of those days. We've expected situations like this so the main thing for us is to keep our heads up and keep our focus. We got another two games to make things right."
The Opening 45
Whitecaps defender Carlyle Mitchell picked up a needless yellow card from referee Armando Villarreal just 1' minute into the match after taking down Eric Avila. Christian Dean was the only available natural defender on the Caps bench and Mitchell had to play the rest of the match cautiously as he did not want to be red carded or substituted from the match by Carl Robinson.
The Whitecaps looked to have opened the scoring in the 19', however Erik Hurtado's goal was called back because he was offside by a large margin. Kekuta Manneh had the original shot on target that Dan Kennedy turned aside. Hurtado was in past the Chivas back-four when he converted the rebound. The crowd roared, but the flag was up.
Vancouver carried the play in the opening 25 minutes of the match, and they were able to quickly out pace Chivas USA thanks to their speed and acceleration. The Whitecaps created chances on the counter attack, and all Chivas could do was boot the ball away or safely control it out of play for a Vancouver corner.
Tony Lochhead sensed his team was under siege and he played the ball out for a corner in the 26' minute. Vancouver skipper Pedro Morales took the ensuing corner and found an unmarked Carlyle Mitchell inside the visitors box. The Trinidad and Tobago native headed home the corner through Dan Kennedy's legs to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead. That was Carlyle Mitchell first career MLS goal and it came in the 27' minute of play. Pedro Morales picked up his team leading 7th assist of the season. The Caps lone goal scorer was thrilled with scoring his first MLS goal.
"It's a good feeling getting my first goal, but unfortunately we didn't get the result we expected. The other team beat us, but that's water under the bridge. We have to go back out and get a win. It was a great cross by Pedro (Morales) and I was able to finish."
Chivas USA weren't able to muster anything substantial during the opening forty-five. Erick Torres was kept on an island and the Whitecaps controlled much of the play in the first half. The teams entered the interval with Vancouver leading Chivas USA 1-0 as well as holding a 59% - 41% advantage in possession.
The Second Half
Chivas USA coach Wilmer Cabrera made a switch to his lineup before the second half kicked off. Eric Avila was substituted for 19 year-old midfielder Marco Delgado. The substitution and halftime break added a much needed spark for the visitors as they found the equalizing goal moments later.
Mauro Rosales earned the first of his three assists when Agustin Pelletieri headed home his corner in the 47'. Pelletieri hardly had to leave the ground as he was unmarked and all alone to score his first career MLS goal. David Ousted could do nothing on the play as Pelletieri caught the Whitecaps defense having a snooze. The former Seattle Sounders FC play-maker talked about the set piece that tied the match and got Chivas going.
"We work everyday and set pieces is something that we have to take advantage of because it's a good weapon for us. We need to keep in the same rhythm and the same quality that we are showing as a team. It's something that we wanted and we have worked on during these five months."
Vancouver had a terrific opportunity to take the lead in the 57' after Erik Hurtado was brought down by Chivas USA defender, Donald Toia. Pedro Morales took a free kick from just outside the top left corner. Unfortunately for the Whitecaps, Morales had his attempt sail over the Chivas wall and well over the opposition net.
Carl Robinson looked to inject some life into his side as he made a double substitution in the 68'. Darren Mattocks, and Nigel Reo Coker entered the match and replaced Kekuta Manneh and midfielder Gershon Koffie. Reo-Coker had a brilliant opportunity to put the Whitecaps back in the game when he was sent up by Erik Hurtado in the 74'. Reo-Coker was left unmarked, but his point-blank shot missed the target and instead squarely hit the advert sign to the right of the Chivas net.
To make matters worse for Vancouver, Jordan Harvey was shown a straight red card moments earlier in the 69'. The Mission Viejo, California native came in studs up with a sliding tackle on an unsuspecting Oswaldo Minda. The Chivas midfielder made a meal out of the challenge, but nevertheless Armando Villarreal had no choice but to send Harvey off. The crowd was not happy with the decision and delivered a strong chorus of displeasure. Carl Robinson used his final substitution to bring on Christian Dean to play left-back for the absent Harvey. Sebastian Fernandez made way for Dean.
The 10-men Vancouver Whitecaps carried the play after Harvey was sent off, but they were too aggressive as they tried to break the 1-1 deadlock. The persistent second half counter-attack from Chivas USA proved to be too much as Erick Torres caught the Whitecaps and scored the winning goal in the 81'.
Marco Delgado sent in a beautiful cross into the Whitecaps box that was not handled by the Caps. Steven Beitashour was late reacting to Erick Torres and he made no mistake as he headed home his 13th goal of the season. Torres celebrated his 2-1 goal by doing the robot and post-match he told this reporter why he celebrates that way.
"It's a celebration that I have been doing since my time at the academy, so now I get the opportunity to do it at the MLS level."
The Whitecaps did not quit and they continued to search for another goal even after Torres had put the visitors in front. Four minutes of stoppage time were added to the match and David Ousted left his net to try to help his team find a goal. Ousted was not able to get back to his net when Leandro Barrera beat Beitashour and delivered a long and slow rolling ball into the wide-open and vacated Whitecaps match. For Barrera that was also his first career MLS goal.
"I feel great and happy more than anything else, because we won another match as the away team. These three points are useful to continue the growth within this team."
Chivas USA came into Vancouver and made the proper halftime adjustments to come away with a 3-1 win over Vancouver. The Caps missed opportunities to score more goals, and they missed Jordan Harvey as well.
Man of the Match
Carlyle Mitchell
He could have packed it in and ending up being an early substitution for Carl Robinson after he picked up a yellow card just 40 seconds into the match. Instead the Whitecaps centre-back remained calm and continued to play his game. Mitchell was rewarded with his first career MLS goal off a Whitecaps set piece. With Andy O'Brien and Jay DeMerit hobbled, Carlyle Mitchell has stepped up and proven he is a capable replacement. Mitchell summed up the match with this statement when he met with the inquiring media.
"Obviously, it was disappointing, but this is soccer. As a team, we just have to concentrate more."
Honourable mention
He is such a quiet and unassuming player that you almost don't notice Mauro Rosales when he is on the pitch. Against Vancouver, Rosales earned three assists as he played the role of play-maker on every Chivas USA goal. With Vancouver focused squarely on stopping Erick Torres, Mauro Rosales was able to contribute offensively by setting up his teammates. Rosales is now second in Major League Soccer with 11 assists this season.
Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Carlyle Mitchell, Johnny Leverón, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Matias Laba; Sebastian Fernández, Pedro Morales(C), Kekuta Manneh; Erik Hurtado. (4-2-3-1)
Chivas USA Starting XI: Dan Kennedy; Donald Toia, Eriq Zavaleta, Carlos Bocanegra(C), Tony Lochhead; Mauro Rosales, Agustin Pelletieri, Oswaldo Minda, Eric Avila; Marvin Chavez, Erick Torres. (4-4-2)
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