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Posted by
Matthew Low,
April 13, 2013
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@LowMatthewJ
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Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 1 Real Salt Lake
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The Prelude to Battle
After a rather underwhelming road trip that saw Vancouver take just one point from three games, it was expected that returning home to BC Place would provide the Whitecaps with the boost needed to get back to their winning ways.
One of the main problems that has plagued Vancouver through the first five games of the season is their finishing, and if they were to beat Real Salt Lake on Saturday, they’d need to be clinical with their chances against Nick Rimando, one of the league’s top goalkeepers.
Unfortunately they’d have to do so without Kenny Miller for the second straight week as he remains sidelined with an injury. Corey Hertzog and Russell Teibert retained their spots in the starting eleven, and Camilo made his second start of the season on the left wing.
The Opening 45
Home field advantage proved to be the confidence booster Vancouver needed, as they showed composure on the ball that had been lacking in the past three matches. Teibert, getting his second straight start, was influential early on, spraying the ball around the pitch. It was his work that eventually set up Y.P. Lee for Vancouver’s first chance of the game, but his well-hit shot was well-saved by Rimando.
That save set the tone for much of the first half as Vancouver created some excellent scoring opportunities, but failed to convert on any. The most glaring miss came off the ensuing corner, as Brad Rusin headed the ball back across the box to Camilo. His initial header was saved, but the rebound fell right back to his feet, but he was similarly stopped by Rimando. The ball however once again fell to Camilo, but his third effort was no charm as he put the ball wide from just a few feet away from goal.
Midway through the first half, Vancouver caught a break as Kyle Beckerman was forced off with a rib injury. Beckerman had been questionable coming into the match, but was still proving to a strong competitor before the injury took him out of the game.
With his absence, Vancouver dominated even more and by the end of the first half they had already attempted 10 shots, with half of those hitting the net. Unfortunately, as the case has been so far this season, they had nothing to show for their efforts and went into halftime tied at 0.
The Second-Half
Real Salt Lake came out of the break a much different team, and one that had a lot more fight in them. The run of play was much more even, as Salt Lake pushed up the field more and began to put pressure on Vancouver’s defense.
It finally paid off in the 67th minute, as Olmes Garcia put Real Salt Lake up 1-0. After some good work on the left flank, the ball was cutback for Garcia; from just outside the 18, and no imminent pressure, he took aim and guided the ball over Joe Cannon’s outstretched fingertips and into the top corner.
Finding themselves behind for the fourth straight game, Vancouver searched in desperation for an equalizer, however any chance that developed was either cut out by Salt Lake or ended with a poor cross from the wings.
But as was the case with last week’s lucky bounce that led to Hertzog’s tying goal against San Jose, Vancouver was once again graced with a bit of luck at BC Place.
Once again Vancouver had developed a nice play on the counter, but substitute Kekuta Manneh’s weak cutback was easily cut out by Nat Borchers. Luckily for the Whitecaps, Borchers slipped inside the box and knocked the ball into his hand.
The play was promptly whistled down and Vancouver was awarded their first penalty of the season. Up stepped Camilo to take it, and though Rimando had been stellar, he was sent the wrong way as Camilo coolly slotted home his second goal of the season.
With the score tied late, the action became frantic as both teams attempted to balance good defense, while looking for the go ahead goal, neither squad wanting to concede any points.
While Vancouver came close on a number of occasions, the closest either team came to winning it came from a Salt Lake corner. With just minutes seconds remaining, the ball was sent in and Borchers got over his marker to direct a shot on goal, but his header was expertly saved by Cannon to keep the score level for the final whistle.
The Final Word: Teibert finding his form.
Rather than harp yet again on the lack of finishing the Whitecaps have right now, there should be one performance to take note of from this match.
“He covered a lot of ground, he marked up well against their defensive midfielder, and he also broke forward, his touch was good, his weight of pass was excellent, and overall he was one of a number of players who played well today” – Head Coach Martin Rennie on Russell Teibert
In the Whitecaps’ short existence, they’ve been criticized for a lack of Canadian content, and to a certain extent, rightfully so. What frustrated some people even more is that they believed Vancouver to have a bonafide Canadian in Russell Teibert, Ontario born, but raised in the Whitecaps Residency program.
Well it took two years, but it appears as though the left winger-turned-left back-turned-central midfielder has finally earned the trust of management is living up to the expectations his fans put on him. His efforts were rewarded with the man of the match award today, and it was well deserved. In just two games he’s proven himself to be a key cog in the Whitecaps midfield. Though not an imposing physical presence, his composure on the ball has proved difficult for defenders to deal with, and his agility is used best in the midfield where he can not only create chances, but put pressure on opposing players as well.
It is just two games, but these have been two excellent performances against two of the leagues historically great teams. He’s shown himself to be the Whitecaps’ quintessential midfielder: he makes good runs, delivers good passes, works hard, minimizes turnovers, and when he does turnover the ball, he’s quick to pressure in attempt to win the ball back. If he continues to develop, Vancouver could have one of Canada’s top talents of this generation at their disposal.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC Lineup
1.Joe Cannon
12.Young-Pyo Lee
40.Andy O'Brien
3.Brad Rusin
4.Alain Rochat
13.Nigel Reo-Coker
27.Jun Marques Davidson
31.Russell Teibert
7.Camilo (29.Tom Heinemann 89')
26.Corey Hertzog (11.Darren Mattocks 63')
14.Daigo Kobayashi (23.Kekuta Manneh 73')
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