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Posted by
Har Journalist,
March 22, 2014 |
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Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 0 New England Revolution
VANCOUVER, B.C - The Whitecaps continued their road trip in New England on Saturday against the winless Revolution at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Revs home opener provided an ample opportunity for the home side to break out of a funk and earn their first points of the season. New England lost 4-0 in Houston and 1-0 in Philadelphia last week. The up and down Whitecaps have looked like two different teams during their first two matches. Vancouver defeated New York 4-1 at home and played an uninspiring match against Chivas USA that resulted in a 1-1 draw.
The wind howled and the scoring chances for both teams did not warrant a goal being scored. The 13,103 supporters at Gillette Stadium left sour-faced as a scoreless 0-0 draw was played out. One keeper played lights out and earned a point for his team, while the other helped earn the first point of the season for his team. The home side were the better looking team over the course of 90 minutes but they simply could not buy a goal.
New England features a trio of former Whitecaps players on their team, but only Lee Nguyen earned a start against the Whitecaps. Daigo Kobayashi, and Brad Knighton both sat on the bench to start the match. Kobayashi entered the match as a sub in the 58'. The Revs were boosted by the return of their skipper Jose Goncalves who sat out the team’s match last week due to his contract displeasure. Jay Heaps trotted out a 4-1-4-1 formation with Andy Dorman sitting in front of the back-four, and the Revs gaffer decided to go with Teal Bunbury up top as the lone striker.
Vancouver was boosted by the return of Russell Teibert who missed last week’s match with a hamstring injury. Jay DeMerit did not make the trip to New England, with Johnny Leveron replacing him in the lineup next to Andy O'Brien. The Whitecaps big designated player Pedro Morales and substitute hero Kekuta Manneh both started on the bench thanks to minor back niggles. Kenny Miller wore the captain’s armband and, thankfully, he moved back to a no.10 role behind Darren Mattocks. Miller was lost against Chivas USA when he was slotted in on the right-wing.
The Opening 45
New England got off to a brilliant start. The Revolution had three corners, and two dangerous free kicks in the first 9' minutes of the match. David Ousted made a fantastic save of off Andy Dorman in the 4' minute after a New England corner. Chris Tienery sent in a cross that Ousted got his right hand on to knock the ball over his crossbar. Moments earlier Lee Nguyen had his free kick sail over the bar after Sebastian Fernandez was whistled for a foul. To make matters worse for Vancouver, defensive midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker earned an early yellow card.
New England were completely out pacing Vancouver in the opening forty-five. Ousted was called on to make another lovely save off of the foot of Saer Sene in the 19' as he dove to his left to turn that attempted on target away. The Revs did not look like a side that was struggling to score goals. They had Vancouver on their heals, and the visitors were second best in the first half.
The great Dane was standing large for the Whitecaps as New England's quick counter attack was proving to cause some difficulty for Vancouver. In the 32' Teal Bunbury, and Diego Fagundez teamed up to test the Caps keeper. Ousted was on par as he made another save to keep his team in the match. Tienery played a ball into the Caps box in the 37' that somehow went through the box, and past six players without finding the back of the net.
The Revs kept pressing forward, and David Ousted was by far the only reason why the Revolution did not have a lead. He kept New England at bay while the Whitecaps offense failed to get any rhythm going in the first half for the second consecutive match in a row.
Thanks to a great start the Revs carried a 4-1 advantage in corners, but surprisingly the Whitecaps held 55-45 advantage in first half possession. New England had 3 shots on target from 5 attempts while Vancouver tested Bobby Shuttleworth with 1 shot on target from Kenny Miller.
The Second Half
Vancouver had a pair of early corners, but the most dangerous opportunity came from a Whitecaps free kick from about 26 yards out. With Leveron, and Morales standing over the ball, Morales fired a low shot that just missed going inside the far left corner. The confidence level for Vancouver perked up with Morales on the pitch, and he showed how vital he is on the attacking side of the ball.
Looking to add an even bigger spark to his side, Robinson brought on Kekuta Manneh for Russell Teibert on 67'. Manneh scored a second half goal to salvage a 1-1 draw away to Chivas USA last weekend. Manneh is still recovering from a disk injury in his back, and that's the main reason why he has not earned a start yet. The final substitute for Vancouver came in the 70' with Nigel Reo-Coker making way for Gershon Koffie. This was Koffie's first appearance of the season after a strong showing this week in training.
Diego Fagundez was easily the most potent Revolution player on attack. The Revs first home-grown player led New England in scoring last season with 13 goals and so far this season he has been snake bitten early into this campaign. The Uruguayan-American had a shot roll wide of the Caps net in the 67', and he was pouncing on the ball whenever New England was a threat to score.
Daigo Kobayashi almost broke the hearts of Whitecaps fans everywhere when he missed an absolute sitter int he 77'. The Revs worked the right-flank and centred the ball into the Caps box. Kobayashi was left unmarked, and his shot was blocked by the Whitecaps defense. Kobayashi struggled during his lone season with Vancouver, and it will be imperative that he has a strong season with New England if he wants to stay in MLS beyond 2014.
A deflected New England shot gave the Revs one last opportunity to find a goal. With 30 seconds left in the three minutes of stoppage time the Revolution brought seven players forward for a corner. Chris Tienery's cross was not converted as the Whitecaps cleared the ball out of danger.
Neither side was able to find a goal, and for the third straight match the New England Revolution failed to score a goal this season. Ousted did his part in turning the Revs away whenever they got forward. David earned his first clean sheet of the season in a 0-0 draw in Foxborough.
Man of the Match
David Ousted
David Ousted was the only reason why Vancouver escaped New England with a draw. Vancouver was unable to consistently get their offense going. The Whitecaps top goalkeeper was terrific when the Revs came out of the gate with a quick attack that caught Vancouver off guard. His early saves kept Vancouver in the match until halftime arrived. Ousted was deserving in obtaining his first clean sheet of the season by stopping a hungry team that has yet to score this season. Ousted provided confidence and support from his position, and that's exactly what you need from your keeper on the road. With this type of form David Ousted should be considered one of the top keepers in MLS.
Honourable mention
Diego Fagundez was clearly the best player on the pitch for New England. The teenager that helped lead the Revs into the playoffs last season was all over the ball when New England tried to scored. Despite not finding a goal this season, Fagundez has shown he is still the type of player who can change a match with one flick of the ball. The New England offense will go directly through Fagundez and his team will go only as far as he can take them. The Whitecaps weren't able to keep him in check until the last line of defense, David Ousted, showed his true top form. There won't be many occasions when Diego Fagundez doesn't score or earn a brilliant assist. Today was a day where he was ousted by the keeper.
Vancouver Whitecaps Line-upDavid Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Andy O'Brien, Johnny Leverón, Jordan Harvey; Nigel Reo-Coker, Matias Laba; Russell Teibert, Kenny Miller(C), Sebastian Fernández; Darren Mattocks. (4-2-3-1)
Notes: The Vancouver Whitecaps return home next week to take on the Houston Dynamo on March, 29 at BC Place Stadium.
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