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Posted by
Harjeet Johal,
October 23, 2015 |
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@HarJournalist
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VANCOUVER, B.C - The reigning MLS Cup champions visited B.C. Place looking to clinch a playoff spot on MLS decision day. Vancouver was hoping to play spoiler as they had already been knocked out of postseason contention. The Timbers ended the Whitecaps playoff run in 2015, and Carl Robinson's lads were looking for sweet revenge in front of a home crowd of 24,083. Vancouver scored early and often as they thumped the Timbers 4-1. Giles Barnes had a first half brace, Pedro Morales and Nicolas Mezquida continued the scoring in the second half. Vancouver finishes the 2016 season with a 10-15-9 record.
Giles Barnes was pleased as punch to have scored a brace, but more relieved that the team put on a show for the fans. It's been a trying season for the Whitecaps, and Barnes was glad to send them into the off-season with a quality winning performance.
"You know, I think it was just important to stay away from the goals, but how the team performed in general," said Barnes. "I think it's great to end the season giving the Caps fans something to shout about. It's been a very up and down season but it gives them insight for next year and something to really look forward to, to be honest with you. I'm happy that we've obviously won the cup as well, but I'm most relieved that the fans got a show for the last game of the season."
Coming into the match, goalkeeper David Ousted had a bit of a training pitch altercation with Pedro Morales. He questioned if the Whitecaps leading scorer had mentally checked out. Ousted had a different tune following the win over the Timbers. The Danish shot-stopper wasn't thoroughly busy against Portland, but finished the match with two saves on the afternoon.
"I thought he (Pedro Morales) was fantastic today, that goal was brilliant and I thought he played really well today. Again, like I said in the week, that's stuff that needs to happen. On my part, it should of come earlier."
Whitecaps FC 2016 BMO Player of the Year, Jordan Harvey also spoke to the media following the match and he lamented the frustration that many Vancouver supporters have felt all season. The Caps waited until the final match of the season to bring the best performance of the campaign. It was too little, too late, but Harvey is glad the Whitecaps were able to win the Cascadia Cup.
"I think you've seen it in doses throughout the year," said Harvey. "Unfortunately we haven't been able to put it through a full 90 minutes and that's frustrating to look at, but it was a really great performance A really great way to end the year on a good note. Cascadia Cup, we needed three goals to win it and we were able to do that."
The Opening 45
The Caps came out pressing and hungry for a goal. Vancouver applied constant pressure on the Timbers back-line and finally broke through with an early goal in the 13' minute. Fraser Aird had sent in several crosses into the Portland box. Giles Barnes was the recipient of an Aird cross in the box and he rifled his shot top corner into the Timbers net from 15 yards out.
The Whitecaps goal seemed to awaken the visitors. Former Whitecaps FC striker, Darren Mattock beat two of his former teammates along the baseline before finding Fanendo Adi. His shot hit the near post with David Ousted out of position, Lucas Melano had an open net to convert the rebound. The Argentine midfielder flubbed his shot right into the arms of Ousted.
Vancouver was too much for the Timbers to contend with in the first half. The Whitecaps quickly took back control of the matched and tallied another goal in the 32' minutes. Giles Barnes nicked the ball off of defender Alvas Powell and raced into the Portland box. The Barking, London native, hammered his shot off the inside of the near post and past keeper Jake Gleeson.
It was all going wrong for Portland. Going into the half, they needed to overturn the deficit and pick up win or they would join Vancouver on the sidelines for the playoffs. Vancouver carried a possession advantage of 53% - 47% heading into the interval.
The Second Half
The onslaught from the Vancouver Whitecaps kept coming and the beleaguered Portland Timbers had no answer on the final day of the season. Maligned captain, Pedro Morales got in on the action with his 9th goal of the season in the 54' minute. The Chilean maestro delivered a rocket of a shot from distance that Jake Gleeson had no chance at stopping.
It only got worse for Portland as Vancouver wasn't finished. Soon after the whistle blew, Nicolas Mezquida raced by Timbers captain, Jack Jewsbury to corral a loose ball. Mezquida fired his shot past Jake Gleeson and it was quickly 4-0 Whitecaps in the 55' minute. Portland was unravelling fast and Vancouver had turned on an offensive foray not yet seen this season.
The Timbers finally got on the score sheet with a goal in the 72' minute. Substitute Jack Barmby was taken down by Jordan Harvey in the box. Referee Alan Kelly generously pointed to the spot and awarded Portland a penalty. Diego Valeri calmly stepped up and sent David Ousted the wrong way. The visitors had cut the lead, but only by one. Vancouver was still in complete control.
The Whitecaps closed the 2016 MLS season on a high after defeating arch rival, Portland Timbers FC 4-1. Vancouver also won the coveted Cascadia Cup thanks to a better goal differential than Portland and Seattle. It hasn't been the brightest of seasons for Vancouver, but closing out the season with a convincing win and a cup is a great building block heading into next season.
Man of the Match:
Giles Barnes
Giles Barnes was on fire and the Portland Timbers were clearly terrified as they had no answer for the Jamaican striker. Barnes scored his first MLS goals outside of Houston's BBVA Compass Stadium in over two years. Barnes had struggled since joining in the Whitecaps, but in his 10th game with the club, he broke through and showed his value. Giles Barnes could very well be a valuable asset for the club going forward if he continues to adjust and adapt to his new team. On this day, he was worth the price of admission, and he single handily sent the Timbers into an early off-season minus any playoff action.
"I think you've seen dribs and drabs of what I'm capable of, but not consistently," revealed Barnes. "Obviously I like to score goals. When you're not scoring goals, your confidence is a bit low. It just gives everyone a little bit of insight of what I'm capable of."
Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Fraser Aird, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Pedor Morales(C); Christian Bolanos 86 (Blas Perez), Nicolas Mezquida 74 (Andrew Jacobson), Giles Barnes 84 (Brett Levis); Erik Hurtado. 4-2-3-1
Portland Timbers FC Starting XI: Jake Gleeson; Alvas Powell, Steven Taylor, Jermaine Taylor 67 (Gbenga Arokoyo), Vytas, Jake Jewsbury(C), Darlington Nagbe; Lucas Melano, 45 (Jack Barmby), Diego Valeri, Darren Mattocks 82 (Jack McInerney); Fanendo Adi. 4-2-3-1
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