VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps have never won a match against FC Dallas in Texas and the challenge of doing so was made harder by the Whitecaps current slew of injuries. The home-side was too strong for the Whitecaps as FC Dallas took full advantage and came away with a 2-0 win at Toyota Stadium before 11,848 fans.
Michael Barrios and Mauro Diaz had the goals for FC Dallas as Vancouver struggled again to find offense. Despite the loss, Whitecaps Coach Carl Robinson lamented his teams missed scoring opportunities.
"Certain moments change games. They managed to take their chances. They have good players. They're a good team, coached very well. We didn't take our chances. We had numerous chances, numerous shots, but we couldn't score."
Robinson was none too pleased with a first half penalty call awarded to FC Dallas. If Mauro Diaz had scored from the spot, the Whitecaps gaffer would have changed his tactics heading into the second half.
"Tactically, I think we were very good. David (Ousted) makes a save on a penalty at halftime, which maybe Casper (the Friendly Ghost) is given. I cannot believe it's a penalty. I've watched it about 10 times. It is, but if it would have gone in, I probably would have changed it earlier."
The Opening 45
A formation change to start the match was a surprise addition from Carl Robinson. The Whitecaps have found success with a 4-2-3-1 formation during the course of the season. With Mauro Rosales, Pedro Morales, Nicolas Mezquida all unavailable to play against FC Dallas. Vancouver went with a 4-1-3-2 formation with Kekuta Manneh and Octavio Rivero up top. Matias Laba was the lone holding midfielder with Russell Teibert, Gershon Koffie, and Deybi Flores setup in midfield.
The depleted Whitecaps were living dangerously in the early going. Michael Barrios found David Texeira inside the Caps box and the FC Dallas striker hammered the ball squarely off the post. Moments later in the 12' minute, full-back Je-Vaughn Watson was able to find some free space to force David Ousted into making a brilliant diving save.
Vancouver had a terrific chance to open the scoring in the 18' minute. Kekuta Manneh setup Octavio Rivero, who then laid the ball on a platter for midfielder Gershon Koffie. The Ghanaian defensive minded Koffie beat FC Dallas keeper Jesse Gonzalez, but could not beat the post.
The under-manned Whitecaps could not hold the fort for the entire first half. FC Dallas kept applying pressure and catching the Whitecaps on the counter-break. Mauro Diaz, and Ryan Hollingshead played a give and go with each other inside the Vancouver box, before Diaz delivered the ball to an open Michael Barrios. The Colombian midfielder fired a shot past Ousted before a defender could get to him. Vancouver got caught ball watching and FC Dallas were happy to pass the ball around and score in the 32'.
FC Dallas kept bringing the Texas heat as they ventured into the Whitecaps half. Michael Barrios picked off a Deybi Flores pass and was off to the races. Tim Parker was called for a highly questionable foul inside the Vancouver box. Referee Jose Carlos Rivero pointed to the spot and awarded FC Dallas a controversial penalty in the 42' minute.
Mauro Diaz stepped up to take the penalty and had his effort saved by David Ousted. The Whitecaps keeper dove to his right to deny the penalty effort and keep his team in the match. Ousted gave all the credit to the Whitecaps team video guys for helping him study FC Dallas penalty tendencies.
"The video guys help me out every time, every game. I sit down and go watch penalties and they give me all the information I need. I was well prepared today."
Heading into the interval FC Dallas held a 52% - 48% possession advantage and a 1-0 lead at home.
The Second Half
Whitecaps centre-back Pa-Modou Kah earned himself a yellow card early in the second half for tripping Mauro Diaz. Kah will now miss the Whitecaps final MLS match of the season on October 25 vs Houston Dynamo due to yellow card accumulation.
The Gambian born Kah did not see his luck change after his yellow card. Mauro Diaz nut-megged Kah, and left Jordan Harvey in the dust. The 24 year-old fired what looked like a soft shot on target. David Ousted got a piece of the ball as it slipped past him. Diaz was too much for the Whitecaps unstable defense and FC Dallas led 2-0 in the 52' minute.
Marco Bustos provided a bright spot for Vancouver as the 19 year-old attacking midfield residency prospect made his MLS debut in the 61' minute as Deybi Flores exited the match. It's been quite the 24 hours for Bustos as he earned his first Canadian international cap on Tuesday night vs Ghana at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
Visits to FC Dallas and the Houston Dynamo have been a place of nightmares for Vancouver Whitecaps teams over the years. Carl Robinson's team did not get out played in Frisco, Texas. They simply did not have much going forward and in the final third. All the Vancouver injuries meant that players had to play out of position. FC Dallas never let up and took all three points from Vancouver without question.
Man of the Match
Marco Bustos
Bustos has been a busy teenager. He made a pair of debuts in a span of 24 hours. The Whitecaps have a special player in Bustos and he made sure to show his talented side just minutes after making his debut. Bustos played with confidence and even had a dummy. Marco Bustos is a name to watch. His confidence and energy is exactly what Vancouver needs more of as they struggle to score, fight off injuries, and find any momentum heading into the MLS playoffs later this month.
"I felt like a little kid in the park. Getting the call to come in with 30 minutes left, it was a dream come true. I just wanted to go in there and have fun."
Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted(C); Steven Beitashour, Pa-Modou Kah (Christian Dean 81), Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba; Russell Teibert (Robert Earnshaw 75), Gershon Koffie, Deybi Flores (Marco Bustos 61); Kekuta Manneh, Octavio Rivero. 4-1-3-2
FC Dallas Starting XI: Jesse Gonzalez; Je-Vaughn Watson, Matt Hedges(C), Zach Loyd, Ryan Hollingshead; Ezequiel Cirigliano, Victor Ulloa, Michael Barrios, Mauro Diaz; David Texeira (Blas Perez
77), Tesho Akindele (Rolando Escobar 68) (Atiba Harris 80). 4-4-2
Notes: Whitecaps Manager Carl Robinson turned 39 years-old on Tuesday.
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