It’s felt like an age, but Vancouver Whitecaps got back into MLS action at BC Place this afternoon with a comfortable 3-1 win against Houston Dynamo.
Houston were a depleted squad, between four players being away on international duty and injuries. This meant a new look and inexperienced backline and Vancouver looked to capitalise with an attacking line-up featuring both Darren Mattocks through the middle and Davide Chiumiento out wide.
The changes meant the Caps old guard of Eric Hassli and Camilo Sanvezzo had to settle for a place on the bench, and going on today’s performance, they may have to get used to that.
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The Whitecaps attacks up both wings were going to be the key and it took just four minutes for the Caps to truly test the new look Dynamo defence and the Houston backline flunked.
John Thorrington set Young-Pyo Lee through on the right with a perfectly weighted pass, which the Korean then whipped across the face of the goal for Mattocks to bury high into the net.
Mattocks had held his run to perfection to allow him to burst in and lose his defenders to give Vancouver the lead.
The Jamaican was giving the Dynamo defence all sorts of problems and was getting battered around without any protection. Bobby Boswell in particular was having a lot of digs into the rookie of the ball, which were going unnoticed by the officials.
Despite looking good going forward, Vancouver only had a couple of wild Mattocks shots to show for their efforts.
Houston had only been to force a couple of corners in their forays forward, but got an unexpected chance when Joe Cannon fluffed a kick in the 29th minute. The ball went straight to Brian Ching who saw Cannon off his line and decided to try a first time shot, which flew over.
As the half hour mark approached Lee collected the ball out wide, and was given room to cut inside before blasting over from 25 yards out.
The Caps were playing some nice football and in a neat move in the 35th minute, both Mattocks and Chiumiento showed some fantastic individual skill but Lee’s ball into the box to Sebastien Le Toux was cut out by the last defender.
The visitors had their best chance of the match with four minutes of the half remaining. Lee found himself with two Dynamo players on him and was dispossessed by Calen Carr who played a neat backheel to Brad Davis allowing the midfielder to send the ball into the box.
The cross carried through to an unmarked Boswell at the back and the defender got his weight behind the ball and forced Cannon into a great save to keep the Caps lead intact.
That was the last real chance of the half and showed Vancouver that they couldn’t rule out last year’s MLS Cup runners up as a threat in this match just yet.
With no changes at the half, Houston went for a quick equaliser and Will Bruin was close to getting onto the end of a free kick in the six yard box but the danger was cleared.
The Caps nearly made it two in the 57th minute.
Thorrington played the ball across the middle to Chiumiento and the Swiss playmaker ghosted past Warren Creavalle before pulling his shot just wide of the right hand post.
Houston responded with a chance of their own when Bruin ran through but fired over from a tight angle.
Mattocks had another effort in the 62nd minute when he did well to get onto a Lee cross but the ground took the momentum off his shot and Tally Hall easily gathered.
Jun Marques Davidson shot wide left three minutes later, after a neat layoff from Mattocks, as the Whitecaps went for that all important second goal.
It came in the 66th minute.
Gershon Koffie hit a beautiful curling ball with the outside of his foot into the path of Mattocks and the rookie easily outpaced Creavalle and Nathan Sturgis before slotting home past Hall for his, and the Caps’, second.
Hall didn’t know much about a Koffie rocket in the 71st minute from just inside the box, but he managed to get his gloves up to parry away the danger.
Mattocks was looking for his hat-trick and Koffie again sent him through in the 80th minute, but this time he pulled his shot wide of the left hand post from the corner of the box.
Houston gave the Caps a shock in the 83rd minute when they pulled a goal back.
Adam Moffat easily turned substitute Jordan Harvey and his shot was deflected by Jay DeMerit out to Brian Ownby. The Dynamo sub centred the ball to Macoumba Kandji, who easily fired home to give the Texans a lifeline.
Vancouver nearly restored their two goal lead immediately. Koffie once again sent Mattocks through and Hall did well to keep him out from point blank range.
The Caps weren’t to be denied though and made it 3-1 in the 89th minute.
Koffie dispossessed Bruin on the right touchline and sent in a low cross to the back post which deflected off Ownby, straight into the path of Harvey and the Caps substitute buried it past Hall to restore the home side’s two goal cushion.
To their credit, Houston kept pushing and Kandji forced Cannon to make a low save a minute into stoppage time.
That was the last action of the game and it was an assured and comfortable win for the Caps, moving them back into fourth place in the West and to within seven points of the Real Salt Lake at the top, with a game in hand.
Stage two is underway and after what we saw on display tonight, there’s a lot to look forward to.
ATT: 18,811
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 - 1 Houston Dynamo
VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Martin Bonjour, Jay DeMerit, Alain Rochat; Jun Marques Davidson, Gershon Koffie, John Thorrington; Davide Chiumiento (Jordan Harvey 78), Darren Mattocks (Eric Hassli 87), Sebastien Le Toux (Michael Nanchoff 90+1) [subs Not Used: Brad Knighton, Carlyle Mitchell, Matt Watson, Camilo Sanvezzo]
HOUSTON: Tally Hall; Warren Creavalle, Bobby Boswell, Nathan Sturgis (Brian Ownby 78), Corey Ashe; Calen Carr, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Colin Clark 71), Brad Davis; Brian Ching (Macoumba Kandji 71), Will Bruin [subs Not Used: Tyler Deric, Oscar Recio, Colin Rolfe, Cam Weaver]
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