<center><i>** Match report and post game reaction from Vancouver Whitecaps v FC Dallas. **</i></center>
Vancouver Whitecaps battled back for a share of the points against the Western Conference leading FC Dallas in an incident packed game at BC Place on Saturday.
After falling two behind to more poor defending Kekuta Manneh and Camilo Sanvezzo scored two goals in the space of four second half minutes to salvage what had been looking a forlorn cause.
Although the comeback will make most of the headlines, it was yet another game when the Caps defended terribly and created chances but were unable to take them time and time again.
It took the introduction of substitutes Manneh and Tommy Heinemann to kickstart the Caps and Caps coach Martin Rennie will now face some hard team selection questions for the upcoming games.
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Rennie made another play for the MLS tinkering title with four changes from last week's starting line up. Daigo Kobayashi returned after being rested and the three players that came on as subs last week, Darren Mattocks, Camilo Sanvezzo and Gershon Koffie, all started.
It didn't take long for Dallas to continue where they left off last Saturday and give the Whitecaps defence a torrid time.
With just over a minute on the clock, Jackson got on the end of a through ball and turned Brad Rusin inside out. Gershon Koffie came in late to clean up the mess, cleaning out the Brazilian in the process and received the first card of the game.
Vancouver responded and had a great chance to open the scoring when the ball broke to a free Darren Mattocks in the box but the Caps striker, who was already short of confidence, could only manage a poor shot which Raul Fernandez stuck out a leg and turned away.
As if Dallas weren't giving Vancouver's defence a hard enough time, they were doing it to themselves and it cost them dearly in the 10th minute.
Andy O'Brien played the ball back to Joe Cannon and the veteran keeper dillied and dallied twice under Dallas pressure and his weak kick out fell was eventually deflected for a corner.
The visitors whipped a dangerous inswinger into the six yard box and with Kenny Cooper sandwiched between Cannon and O'Brien, the Irish international jumped to clear the ball but only managed to turn it into his own net.
It was the second week running that Vancouver had fallen behind to an own goal, but just the latest defensive blunder to hit the team this season.
The Caps had a quick break in the 17th minute, ending with another poor effort from Mattocks.
The game fell into a bit of a lull, with the Caps dominating possession as you would expect from a home team being one goal down, but not doing much with it. Dallas seemed content to examine the BC Place as closely as possible.
Nigel Reo-Coker was definitely proving to be the engine in the Whitecaps machine and the rage in it too and twice in the space of three minutes he played perfect balls into the six yard box that Mattocks could not get on the end of.
In the 37th minute he pushed Jair Benitez off the ball to deliver a cross which Mattocks just could into position for in time. Moments later, it was the same move and an even more precise cross that just missed the toes of Mattocks' boot by millimetres.
Vancouver finished the half with a bit of pressure, but were worryingly nearly caught out twice by quick Dallas counter attacks.
They survived and headed into the half, still in it but badly needing to convert some of the chances they were creating.
It took Dallas less than two minutes of the second half to double their advantage and once again it was down to terrible Vancouver defending.
The Hoops won a free kick just inside the Caps half and Michel played it into the box. Brad Rusin was only able to knock it towards his own goal and Matt Hedges nipped in between a stationary Alain Rochat and Jun Marques Davidson to easily knock it over Cannon and into the net.
Some blame will be laid at Cannon's door for not coming off the line earlier, but he was probably expecting one of his two players in front of him to deal with the danger.
It was now going to be an uphill struggle for Vancouver but they came within the width of the post of pulling one back in the 49th minute.
Koffie played a long through ball towards Mattocks. Half time Dallas sub Woodberry tried to intercept it but couldn't, setting the Jamaican free. He bore down on goal and sent the ball over a committed Fernandez only to watch on in agony as the ball crashed off the right hand post.
The visitors were now happy to sit back and allow Vancouver the ball, with very little creative output coming out of the possession.
Dallas had a great chance to add a third in the 65th minute on a three on three break.
With the Whitecaps defence all at sea and caught upfield, David Ferreira played in Jackson but Cannon sprinted over thirty yards off his line to get to the ball first.
Mattocks fluffed another effort in front of goal from a great cross in from the right from Kekuta Manneh, but his blushes were somewhat spared by the linesman's offside flag.
Vancouver made another switch, introducing Tommy Heinemann and the big striker had an immediate impact in the 72nd minute.
Heinemann did well on the right and played a perfect ball in to Camilo in the centre. Fernandez produced an amazing stop to keep out the Brazilian's rocket and the rebound fell for Heinemann to play in Manneh.
The Gambian showed great composure to coolly slot home his first ever MLS goal and bring the Caps within one.
Dallas were looking most danger to Vancouver on the counter and Cooper bore down on goal in the 74th minute before blasting wildly over.
A minute later and the Whitecaps were amazingly level.
Having had a couple of wild swipes since coming on as sub, the goal gave Manneh a boost and he turned provider for the equaliser. He hit the byeline and played the ball across to Camilo and his shot deflected off Benitez to tie things up.
As if the Caps comeback hadn't ignited the game enough, the game exploded in the 78th minute when Jackson was sent off for striking Rochat in the face after the pair tussled near the sideline.
Vancouver were now pushing hard for all three points and Manneh hit a long range effort in the 82nd minute which Fernandez couldn't hold and Mattocks rushed in for the rebound but directed his effort
As the game headed in to stoppage time Reo-Coker's long ball took a bounce and fell to Camilo in the Dallas box but his flipper shot was easily stopped by Fernandez.
Dallas weren't out of the game as an attacking force themselves and Blas Perez, who had been having a quiet match, brought a great goalline save out of Cannon with a fierce strike from the edge of the box.
That was the last goalmouth action of the half. Vancouver may have fought back well and taken a point from the Conference leaders, but there is no doubt that they should have come away from the game with all three points and need to work on their continued missed opportunities.
FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - 2 FC Dallas
ATT: 19,967
VANCOUVER: Joe Cannon; Young-Pyo Lee, Brad Rusin, Andy O'Brien, Alain Rochat; Jun Marques Davidson (Kekuta Manneh 54), Gershon Koffie, Nigel Reo-Coker; Daigo Kobayashi, Camilo Sanvezzo, Darren Mattocks (Tommy Heinemann 70) [subs: Brad Knighton, Jordan Harvey, Johnny Leveron, Russell Teibert, Erik Hurtado]
DALLAS: Raul Fernandez; Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Jair Benitez, George John (London Woodberry 46); Andrew Jacobson (Je-Vaughn Watson 41), Michel, Jackson, Kenny Cooper, David Ferreira; Kenny Cooper (Fabian Castillo 79) [subs Not Used: Chris Seitz, Bobby Warshaw, Eric Hassli, Bradlee Baladez]
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<b><u>Post Game Reaction:</u></b>
<b>Martin Rennie on game:</b>
"I'm so proud of the players for how they dug themselves out of a very difficult situation. I thought we started the game really brightly. We had a chance to go one nil up and then we really let ourselves down on the goal that we lost. Multiple mistakes leading to a terrible goal against. And then I thought we played quite well.
"In the second half I thought losing that goal the way we did, I couldn't believe we were 2-0 down considering how we were on top for most of it. But that just showed great character, guts and then the quality of Kekuta.
"I can't believe we didn't win that game. We had some fantastic chances."
<b>Schellas Hyndman on game:</b>
"Give the Whitecaps a lot of credit. They fought really hard. Put a lot of people forward, created numerous opportunities and unfortunately we had a man down, had a 2-0 lead and came back and survived a tie"
<b>Martin Rennie on Dallas players timewasting and diving:</b>
"I'd like to tell you what I think about that. I've been in soccer in North America for seven years now, maybe a little bit longer, and one of the things I like about it most is the fair play, and the honesty and integrity and the lack of diving. You'll have to judge yourself, you saw the game, if that was the case today or not."
<b>Schellas Hyndman on Dallas' reputation for diving:</b>
"You know what. I have such a hard time sleeping at night I worry about it so much."
<b>Schellas Hyndman on red card:</b>
"I think it was build up. If you look at the video. Rochat was grabbing Jackson, pulling him and Jackson lashed out and got a red card."
<b>Schellas Hyndman on the jumbotron:</b>
"You guys do a great job showing videos when your team gets fouled but you don't show videos when anybody else gets fouled and that ain't right. It's a great way to instil the fans. I think we have a little bit of an issue with that."
<b>Martin Rennie on Darren Mattocks:</b>
"First of all, I was really, really pleased with his work rate today. One thing I've kind of questioned is his work rate for the team and his work rate for the team today was by far the highest that he's shown yet.
"His running of the channels, his closing people down, was what we're looking for and as a result of that he got many chances. And some days they don't go in and some days they don't."
<b>Darren Mattocks on scoring funk:</b>
"I'm not going to stress about not scoring because as a striker that's the way it goes sometimes."
<b>Brad Rusin on the game and fightback:</b>
"I think ultimately we showed heart today and desire. Some games are not going to go your way. Again, we gave up two pretty soft goals in my opinion but ultimately we fought back and got a draw."
<b>Andy O'Brien on poor defending:</b>
"I think a lot of the goals that we've conceded have been unlucky, scrappy, we could have done something about them.
"He's a little bit inconsistent with his finishing as you'd expect from an 18 year old but that goal was fantastic. He showed great composure, but not only that the run after that to set up the second goal was real high quality."
<b>Martin Rennie on Kekuta Manneh:</b>
"Kekuta's just 18 years old. He's got incredible potential to be a very, very, very good player and today he showed that."
<b>Andy O'Brien on Kekuta Manneh:</b>
"He's got the world at his feet and that's not blowing wind up his backside. He's a very exciting talent and he demonstrated today what he's capable of. From our perspective we hope that he does that week in and week out but he should be very proud of himself tonight."
<b>Kekuta Manneh on first MLS goal:</b>
"It always feels good to score, especially with my first professional goal. Really excited about that. Thank my teammates and the fans for that support."
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