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Vancouver Whitecaps 0 – 1 Los Angeles Galaxy
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Prelude to Battle
A great rivalry has developed over the past meetings between the Whitecaps and the LA Galaxy. A big reason for this rivalry was the Caps one and only playoff match against the Californian side back in 2012.
Vancouver was hoping to rebound from a tough, lackluster 2-0 defeat to the Colorado Rapids last weekend. It is now coming down to crunch time in the MLS season as every single goal, shot, pass and especially point counts. The Caps cannot afford to drop points, especially at home, since that is where they are most formidable.
Prior to this game, the Whitecaps had never achieved many good results against the Galaxy, home or away. Although the last time these two sides had met at BC Place, the Caps came out 3-1 victors.
The Opening 45
The match did not start well for the Whitecaps as Landon Donovan put his side ahead 1-0 in under 5 minutes. After an attempted forward pass from Matt Watson to Darren Mattocks was cut out, Los Angeles took the ball forward. Landon Donovan was fortunate to see the ball deflect right to his feet but finished with pure class as the ball soared out of Dabid Ousted's reach into the top left corner.
The Whitecaps did not let this get them down though. They actually responded quite well and were not outplayed at all. Darren Mattocks and Russell Teibert looked bright and created some good scoring chances. Mattocks had a brilliant first half and often managed to link up well with Teibert and as well with his fellow striker Kenny Miller.
The most notable of the Whitecaps scoring chances in the first half was when Mattocks fired a ball across goal to Kenny Miller but was unfortunate to see it hit the Scot's arm which ended the play. The play began when Mattocks completed a 1-2 passing play with Teibert which sent him down the right wing. Following that give and go pass, the young Jamaican slipped but managed to get up in time to make a darting run into the box for Teibert to play him the ball. Darren Mattocks seemed to take a shot but missed and the ball went directly to Miller who had a gaping net but was left with no other option but to hit it with his arm.
At halftime it was 1-0 for the LA Galaxy.
The Second Half
At halftime, Kekuta Manneh was brought on for Matt Watson to add some energy to the Caps' side. Of course this substitution was an intelligent one as Manneh began to take on defenders as soon as he touched the ball.
Vancouver was all over LA in the second half as they dominated the chances as well as the overall possession.
By far the closest opportunity of the game for the Caps came in the 81st minute. Kekuta Manneh received the ball on the outside of the box and took a beautiful shot with outside bend and hit the woodwork. The ball fortuitously landed right on the foot of Jordan Harvey who was in alone and had only the keeper to beat from about 7 yards out. Disappointingly he only managed to put his shot close enough that Galaxy goalkeeper Paneda could reach it. That right there should have made the match 1-1.
Following that chance, the Whitecaps continued to dominate the scoring opportunities but they just could not manage to tie the game up. It was just one of those days that no matter how many chances they had, they just could not even buy themselves a goal.
The matches finished in a 1-0 victory for the Galaxy.
The Final Word: Positive signs amid a disappointing home result.
Overall, the Whitecaps actually had a pretty respectable performance, despite falling 1-0. It was good to see them come out so strongly in the second half. The fact the Caps managed to dominate scoring chances and ball possession was fantastic and performances will turn into some good results if they can continue that play.
Unfortunately, the Whitecaps are getting into risky territory and are starting to see their brilliant form slip out of their grasps. As this is the most important time of the MLS season, the Whitecaps must play as they did in the second half, except with some better finishing of course.
In the end, it is obviously disappointing to see the Caps lose at home in a match that could and should have been won. Apart from that, there are also many positives to take away from this game as well. Some of these include the dominant second half performance, Kekuta Manneh, Russell Teibert and Darren Mattocks playing well and also the return of Andy O'Brien who also played effectively.
Vancouver Whitecaps Lineup
22.David Ousted
12.Young-Pyo Lee (24.Carlyle Mitchell 90')
40.Andy O'Brien
16.Johnny Leveron
2.Jordan Harvey
13.Nigel Reo-Coker
28.Gershon Koffie
8.Matt Watson (23.Kekuta Manneh 45')
31.Russell Teibert
11.Darren Mattocks (14.Daigo Kobayashi 74')
9.Kenny Miller
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