VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps rolled back the clock at BC Place on Saturday as they celebrated their 40th Anniversary with a match against the San Jose Earthquakes. Everyone was encouraged to dress in 70's attire as Vancouver brought back legends from the past to honour the clubs 40th year of professional soccer in Vancouver. San Jose donned a retro red and white kit, however it was not enough as Vancouver prevailed with a 3-2 victory.
The Whitecaps got off to a fantastic start with a trio of first half goals. Kekuta Manneh opened the scoring, and Pedro Morales followed with a brace including a goal from the spot. Chris Wondolowksi scored a brace, and a penalty of his own, however Vancouver would send 21,000 Whitecaps fans home happy with a brilliant performance.
Carl Robinson was pleased with his teams fast start and the chances they continued to create throughout the match.
"I challenged them and I think the 30 minutes we were absolutely sensational and we scored three goals which is always nice, but we also had a number of other good chances as well. Then we started to take too many touches and we didn’t need to and then obviously letting them back up before halftime, that made it interesting the second half."
The Welsh gaffer made a pair of changes to his starting lineup as he brought back the rested Jay DeMerit, for Johnny Leveron. In a surprise move, struggling Russell Teibert was shifted to the bench in favour of a healthy Pedro Morales. Veterans Kenny Miller, and Nigel Reo-Coker also began the match stapled to the substitutes bench. Vancouver went with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Gershon Koffie, and Matias Laba in a holding midfield position. Morales was flanked by Sebastian Fernandez on his right, and Kekuta Manneh on his left. Darren Mattocks was the 'Caps lone striker.
Mark Watson went with a 4-4-2 formation with Chris Wondolowski, and Yannick Djalo as his two strikers. Stephen Lenhart remained out of the Earthquakes lineup with a knee injury. Alan Gordon, and former Whitecaps player, Atiba Harris were on the bench to start the game. Coming into the match San Jose has vastly under performed having only scored six previous goals, and one measly win.
The Opening 45
Vancouver came onto the pitch firing on all cylinders and quickly looked like a far superior team. Pedro Morales had a great opportunity to score in the first minute when his picked off an errant San Jose clearance and fired the ball wide of the net from just outside the San Jose box. Morales has been bothered by a back injury for much of the season, but on this day he looked like a top flight MLS attacking midfielder.
Kekuta Manneh, and Darren Mattocks were causing all sorts of trouble for the Earthquakes back four. In particular, Victor Bernardez and Clarence Goodson could not keep them on track, as they caused havoc whenever they received the ball. Manneh would open the scoring in the 10' minute with great hustle as San Jose got caught ball watching.
Manneh fired on target and had his shot strike the right post. Jon Busch was not able to make a save or control the rebound. San Jose were caught napping, and Manneh showed great ability to stick with his shot and follow it up with another strike that eventually found its way into the net. Manneh was happy with his team's performance following the match.
“I thought we did great. I mean in the end we got three points. The performance was great from the guys. They fought hard from the first whistle and we were fortunate enough to get three goals in the first half.”
Vancouver were not done scoring in the opening half. Darren Mattocks cut into the San Jose box and almost found himself alone with the keeper. Mattocks was brought down by Bernardez, and referee Drew Fischer pointed to the spot. With Kenny Miller on the bench, Pedro Morales was called upon to take the penalty. The Chilean dynamo calmly stepped up and scored low and to the right of Jon Busch. The crowed erupted and Vancouver had an early 2-0 lead just 19' into the match.
As everyone was cheering and celebrating the Morales penalty strike, the Whitecaps scored another goal. Pedro Morales scored his second of the match in the 20' when he stepped up and slotted home a rocket to the far right side of the San Jose net. Busch could do nothing but throw his arms up in frustration as Morales scored his first MLS brace and third goal of the season. The Caps playmaker earned himself a yellow card for taking off his shirt after his second goal. Morales had a big day for the Whitecaps, and he was glad the fans were excited by the fast start.
“I think that we got off to a great start, we played well, it was very exciting for the fans and we created a lot of opportunities.”
A hush fell over the crowd just before the 30' when Darren Mattocks went down. He appeared to pull up lame as he grabbed his left hamstring. Mattocks was quickly attended to, and needed some assistance as he slowly limped off the pitch. Erik Hurtado replaced the Jamaican, as he headed for the locker room.
There was no immediate information available following the match regarding the status of Mattock's hamstring injury. Robinson talked about how his team has been able to overcome injuries early in the season.
“We’ve got other players. We’ve been very fortunate with injuries, we really have and obviously we’ve picked up one or two so we’ll reassess and it’ll give someone else a chance. It just keeps us ticking along quite nicely as it gets us three more points today against a very good team, one of our rivals. So it’s very important for us to pick up points against Western teams like we did today."
San Jose were also forced to make an unexpected substitution early in the first half when Yannick Djalo was unable to continue with a suspected groin injury. Alan Gordon made his way into the match for Djalo in the 14'.
The Earthquakes earned a penalty kick of their own in the 45' when Jay DeMerit fouled Alan Gordon while both players were in the air. It was a harsh call, but Fischer awarded San Jose the PK, and Chris Wondolowski made no mistake scoring right down the middle past David Ousted.
Vancouver carried the play in the first half with 55% ball possession, and seven shots on target. Pedro Morales looked terrific, and Kekuta Manneh chipped in as well. The Whitecaps went into the break with a commanding, and well deserved, 3-1 advantage over the San Jose Earthquakes.
The Second Half
Neither head coach decided to make any substitutions before the second half kicked off. Vancouver did not have the same desire to score as they had a comfortable lead thanks to their spectacular play in the first half. San Jose regained more ball possession and spent more time in the Whitecaps half in the first 10' of the second half.
Looking to make sure the Whitecaps kept focus and did not slip into a defensive mindset, Carl Robinson used his final two subs in the 57' and 69' minute. Kekuta Manneh made way for Kenny Miller, and Uruguayans Sebastian Fernandez and Nicolas Mezquida switched places. Both players scored, and were instrumental in Vancouver's previous match, a 2-2 draw away to Real Salt Lake.
Mezquida had a lovely chance to put his team up three goals when he found himself unmarked to the right of Jon Busch. His shot on target looked to be heading into the net, but ended up being punched away by the keeper. The Caps missed a great chance to put a nail in the coffin of the Earthquakes.
Vancouver looked to have received a bit of a scare in the 76'. Pedro Morales was holding the back of his leg, and he had trouble continuing on. He went to the pitch and was attended to by the Whitecaps training staff. Vancouver had already used up all three substitutions and had no other options left. Morales made his way to the sidelines, and after a few minutes of stretching he was able to continue the match.
San Jose added a late goal in stoppage time when Chris Wondolowski pounced on the ball and cut the Whitecaps lead to 3-2 in the 91'. The ball appeared to deflect off Jay DeMerit before finding the net. With not much time left in stoppage time, Vancouver were lucky to have the clock tick away as the Earthquakes confidence momentarily grew with Wondo's brace. The Danville, California native recognized that San Jose had too big of a hole to overcome vs Vancouver.
"We did not come out with a good mindset. Down 3-0 against a real quality team. Just too big of a hole to come out of. You know, [we] didn’t do things right."
From start to finish the Vancouver Whitecaps were country miles ahead of the San Jose Earthquakes. Carl Robinson's attacking line-up of Darren Mattocks, Kekuta Manneh, Pedro Morales, and Sebastian Fernandez all played exceptional football and put on a great display of talent. San Jose were unable to adapt, and they simply could not keep up with the Whitecaps. The Vancouver tic-tac-toe, fast paced possession passing style of play had San Jose confused and in shambles from the first whistle.
Man of the Match
Pedro Morales
Morales was without question the best player on the pitch. From the get go, he set the tone of the match and showed that he was healthy and ready to take over the game. Morales could have easily had three or four goals. He was shooting from everywhere, and San Jose did not have an answer for him. His ability to read the play and get his teammates involved in the attack is something every team requires. Morales was the most dangerous player and he was by far the one to watch as he made something happen every time he touched the ball.
Honourable mention
Kekuta Manneh had a terrific match before he was taken off in the second half. The Gambian winger has been a huge asset to the Whitecaps, whether that's been starting or coming off the bench. With a combination of Manneh, Mattocks, and Hurtado in the match, the opposition is thrown for a loop. San Jose were no match for Manneh and he was able to do whatever he pleased. Manneh also added an assist on the second Morales goal. If Darren Mattocks is out long-term, Kekuta Manneh should lock up a permanent starting spot the Whitecaps.
Vancouvert Line-up
David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Andy O'Brien, Jay DeMerit(C), Jordan Harvey; Gershon Koffie, Matias Laba; Sebastian Fernández, Pedro Morales, Kekuta Manneh; Darren Mattocks. (4-2-3-1)
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