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Posted by
Harjeet Johal,
May 3, 2015 |
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@HarJournalist
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VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps travelled down to Oregon to take on Cascadian rival, the Portland Timbers at Providence Park. A crowd of 21,144 spectators watched a physical and dominant defensive performance by both Carl Robinson's side and Caleb Porter's squad. Both goalkeepers weren't tested enough as the match ended in a scoreless affair.
David Ousted earned his MLS league leading 5th clean sheet of the season and Vancouver jumped into a first place tie with FC Dallas at the top of the MLS western conference standings with 17 points. Carl Robinson was pleased with how his team has continued to play defensively on the road.
"That’s five times we’ve been away from home now, conceded one goal. A lot of positives, a lot of strong work, from the back four especially, Kendall (Waston) and Pa (Modou Kah) were outstanding. So defensively, fantastic. Attacking wise we didn’t really click tonight which is disappointing because I felt like there were gaps we could exploit. We huffed and puffed and the longer the game went on they were getting a little more desperate which opened up space for us but we didn’t execute the transitions we’re so good at."
The Opening 45
Vancouver were without defensive holding midfielder Matias Laba. The Argentine tackler served a one match suspension. Steven Beitashour was also absent from this encounter with Portland due to gluteus maximus injury. The Caps right-back joined Diego Rodriguez on the injury list after both defenders experienced setbacks during training earlier in the week.
Ethen Sampson made his first start of the season and also earned the first booking of the match in the 19' minute. The homegrown full-back went diving in on Jorge Villafana. Allen Chapman reached for his pocket and issued a yellow.
Portland and Vancouver know one and other very well and the first 25' minutes of this match reflected that. Neither side was wanting to give an inch of space. The midfield was hotly contested as both managers went with a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Controversy struck in the 28' minute when Alvas Powell had his cross hit Pa-Modou Kah in the arm and elbow. A momentary delayed call to give a penalty to Portland was awarded by the assistant referee. Kendall Waston, Kah, and Carl Robinson all protested the decision to no avail.
Darlington Nagbe stepped up to take the PK... and he somehow managed to hammer the ball squarely off David Ousted's left post. The Danish keeper was well beaten as he dove to his right. The Caps caught a break as Nagbe couldn't convert. The 24 year-old attacking midfielder has yet to score a goal this season and Portland have had a difficult time finding the back of the net with only 7 goals this season.
Carl Robinson shared his opinion of the penalty called against Pa-Modou Kah.
"At the time I didn’t think it was a penalty. I stood right behind it. It seemed to hit his leg, then hit his arm, then hit his elbow. I don’t know. Sometimes they’re given, sometimes they’re not. Referees have a hard enough time as it is. Last thing I'm going to do is disagree. If they score the penalty I might be standing and saying something different."
The first forty-five concluded with very little offensive scoring opportunities for both sides. Darlington Nagbe had the best chance to break the dead lock. Portland held a 64% - 34% possession advantage and a 4-0 advantage on corners.
The Second Half
Diego Valeri made his 2015 MLS season debut in the 52' minute as he came on for Ishmael Yartey. The Argentine midfielder who turned 29 on Friday tore his ACL in the Portland Timbers final match of the 2014 season. Valeri received a huge roar from the Timbers faithful. Caleb Porter was delighted to add another explosive weapon to the Timbers attack.
"To have Valeri back will help a lot because if you look at his production for us, he’s had the lion’s share of our production over the last several years. So that’s probably a big reason why we haven’t scored. How would Seattle play if Dempsey’s out? LA’s managing a little bit with Robbie Keane, but you look at every week it’s interesting. You are going to start seeing Valeri on that box score and some of the others when they step up."
Vancouver struggled to create offense against Portland. Octavio Rivero was left alone on an island with little to no service. Pedro Morlaes was non-existent and the Whitecaps did not utilize the flanks often enough. Vancouver made their first substitution in the 58' and Kekuta Manneh entered the match for Darren Mattocks in an effort to add a spark of energy and speed on the left side.
David Ousted needed treatment in the 61' when Kendall Waston and the Whitecaps keeper had a minor collision. Ousted had his right ankle looked at by the Vancouver medical team and was able to stay in the match and continue on moments later.
Ousted's only save of the match came in the 71' minute. Jack Jewsbury found himself in perfect position as he had an attempt on target from the top of the Vancouver box. Ousted was up for the task and gathered up the ball after making the key save.
Whitecaps rookie centre-back Tim Parker made his MLS debut late in the match. Ethen Sampson made way for the Hicksville, New York native. The Caps gaffer wanted to shore up his team defensively as the closing minute of the match ticked away with Portland mounting an attack for a late goal at the death.
Portland and Vancouver did not play the most exciting match for those of you who like scoring. Defense was at the forefront and neither side threatened enough times to score a goal. On this night a draw was a well deserving result for both Cascadian rivals.
Man of the Match
Kendall Waston
Kendall Waston had several important clearances for the Whitecaps. With Pa-Modou Kah by his side, Waston had to be sharp against a possession based Timbers squad. The Costa Rican centre-back was the best Whitecaps player on the pitch. His defensive efforts shone through. Vancouver have now recorded four clean sheets away from BC Place.
"I think it was a good performance for us because it was a nice atmosphere. We felt the pressure of the other team obviously but we stayed calm. We tried to do our best. We didn’t concede no loss, that’s good. We know that this point is good for us looking forward for what we want."
Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Ethen Sampson (Tim Parker 88), Kendall Waston, Pa-Modou Kah, Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Russell Teibert; Mauro Rosales (Nicolás Mezquida 78), Pedro Morales(C), Darren Mattocks (Kekuta Manneh 58); Octavio Rivero. (4-2-3-1)
Portland Timbers Starting XI: Adam Kwarasey; Alvas Powell, Nat Borchers(C), Liam Ridgewell, Jorge Villafana; Diego Chara, Jack Jewsbury; Ishmael Yartey (Diego Valeri 52), Darlington Nagbe, Rodney Wallace (Gaston Fernandez 78); Maximiliano Urruti (Fanendo Adi 66). (4-2-3-1)
Notes: The Vancouver Whitecaps will face FC Edmonton in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday night in Edmonton, Alberta.
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