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Posted by
Harjeet Johal,
September 10, 2014 |
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@HarJournalist
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VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps scoring drought finally came to an end at 449 minutes. Vancouver scored in both halves as they doubled the visiting San Jose Earthquakes with a 2-0 win in front of 17, 183 spectators at BC Place. Over the last month the Caps had been firing blanks anytime they came close to an opponent’s net, but a dreadful San Jose side proved to be just what the Whitecaps needed to bust their scoring slump and silence the critics. Vancouver had jumped back into the 5th and final MLS Western Conference playoff spot with seven all important matches left to play.
A first half penalty kick from Pedro Morales and a second half diving header from Kendall Waston paved the way for the Whitecaps to earn all three points. David Ousted picked up his 9th clean sheet of the season and Carl Robinson was extremely happy with the performance his boys put forth vs San Jose.
"What pleased me the most was a team performance today. Capped off with guys filling in for each other like Sebastian (Fernandez). Sebastian set the tone from the first minute of the game, he was absolutely fantastic in everything he did. And he was infectious to all the other players. And Russell stepped up a level, and Matias Laba was good as well. It was pleasing because it’s not easy when you’re in a tricky patch to perform, but we did that tonight.”
After a lacklustre 0-0 draw with DC United on the weekend, Carl Robinson elected to make two changes to his starting lineup. Steven Beitashour returned from a hip injury to start at right back, and Erik Hurtado found himself in the starting eleven for a slumping Darren Mattocks. The Whitecaps stayed in a 4-4-2 diamond formation with Pedro Morales and Mauro Rosales as the key playmakers and creative specialists for the likes of Sebastian Fernandez and Hurtado.
The Earthquakes played Portland in a back and forth 3-3 affair on Sunday night. Despite having only two full days to rest to recuperate before playing the Whitecaps, Mark Watson did not make a lot of changes to his lineup. Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi made way for J.J. Koval. San Jose went with a 4-4-1-1 formation with "little" Tommy Thompson playing in behind striker and Chris Wondolowski.
Andy O'Brien has been a big part of the reason why Vancouver has been so sound and stingy defensively in the last month. Vancouver have recorded back to back home clean sheets. The Harrogate, England native, expects the confidence level of the Whitecaps to improve after big win vs San Jose and that should be just what they need as they travel to play FC Dallas on Saturday night in Texas.
“When you’re winning games you want games to come thick and fast, and when things aren't going so well you’re anticipating the next game, but it’s nice to go into the next game with a good result at home.”
The Opening 45
The Whitecaps had the majority of possession in the first half and carried the play with great ball control and pressure. Eventually that paid off and resulted in a goal on 39' minutes thanks to some hard work, a free kick, and a foul inside the San Jose Earthquakes.
Pedro Morales took a free kick from the right flank and Kendall Waston was brought down in the San Jose box thanks to a small shirt tug from central defender Victor Bernardez. Referee Jose Carlos Rivero pointed to the spot and awarded Vancouver a penalty. Leading scorer Pedro Morales calmly stepped up and delivered a low shot to the right of Jon Busch to take the scoring curse off the Vancouver Whitecaps back.
Vancouver still did not score from the run of play but they continue to put San Jose on their back heels and cause them all sorts of trouble. They were well deserving of a goal after dominating the ball and keeping San Jose hemmed in their own half of the pitch. The Whitecaps crosses, free kicks, headers and through balls may not have directly resulted in a goal, but they all count no matter how they go in.
The Earthquakes had zero attempts on target, zero shots on target and an astonishing no blocked shots in the first half. They failed to get anywhere close to David Ousted's net. The visitors looked completely gassed going forward and they did not muster anything they made the Whitecaps feel uncomfortable.
Vancouver had a 58% to 42% possession advantage and lead 1-0 going into the interval.
The Second Half
Confidence is a huge indicator in how a football team performs when things aren't going so well. The Whitecaps have kept smiling and putting on a great front whilst not being able to score. After the Morales penalty the Whitecaps confidence came back to life and it wasn't long before they found the back of the net once again thanks to a terrific overall team play and strength and determination.
Vancouver have always struggled to score from free kicks, and especially corners. The addition of Kendall Waston was something the Caps hoped would improve their scoring abilities off of corners. Tonight they achieved that thanks to a brilliant display of football in the 56' minute.
Pedro Morales took the corner and earned his team leading 10 assist of the season. Kendall Waston did well to out muscle his defender to dive and head home the ball through the legs of Jon Busch. The Earthquakes did little to clear the corner and Waston used his large frame to dive and head the ball past Busch.
The Whitecaps kept coming and had a glorious opportunity to go up 3-0 in the 72'. A tired Sebastian Fernandez cut across the top of the San Jose box and laid a beautiful back heal to skipper Pedro Morales. The Chilean sent a booming shot to the right of the Earthquakes net. Jon Busch was able to dive and get a hand on the attempt that seemed destined for his net. Erik Hurtado also had a wonderful chance to score but he missed a wide open net when Busch stumbled and fell down.
Every Vancouver Whitecaps player put in a solid effort and that's exactly how you get a result. Nobody was slacking, everyone put in the work rate and that's why they scored, and earned all three points. San Jose did not show up and Vancouver was far better than the other team on the other half of the pitch.
Man of the Match
Pedro Morales
The captain lead by example and did his talking on the pitch. Pedro Morales took the free kick that earned Vancouver an eventual penalty when Waston was fouled, and he delivered a great corner that led to the Waston goal. Morales had been quiet for a few recent Whitecaps matches but he stepped up his game against the San Jose Earthquakes and helped lead his team to victory as they fight to make the playoffs.
Honourable mention
Newcomer Kendall Waston had his best showing in a Whitecaps kit since joining the club last month. The Costa Rican central defender was instrumental in drawing a first half penalty for Vancouver. He also did well on his goal that doubled the Whitecaps lead. Waston is not only a terrific defender, but his size and frame allow him to be a huge threat inside the box when Vancouver has a corner or free kick. Prior to the match Waston was not feeling any extra pressure with the Whitecaps scoring drought the talk of the back pages. He was simply happy helping his team win.
"Pressure, we have it every day because you need pressure for success every day. This game is about enjoyment, but having some good stuff – we knew today was the game that could help us to gain in the playoff spot. Tonight you could see everybody from the beginning was focused on what we were going to do, and that’s why we won today.”
Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Andy O’Brien, Kendall Waston, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Mauro Rosales, Russell Teibert, Pedro Morales(C); Erik Hurtado, Sebastian Fernández. (4-4-2 Diamond)
San Jose Earthquakes Starting XI: Jon Busch; Shaun Francis, Victor Bernardez, Jason Hernandez, Jordan Stewart; Cordell Cato, J.J. Koval, Sam Cronin, Shea Salinas; Tommy Thompson; Chris Wondolowski. (4-4-1-1)
Notes: The Whitecaps inducted Carl Valentine into the organizations ring of honour during a pre-match ceremony.
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