Saturday in Vancouver was a day of firsts, as the Whitecaps defeated the Houston Dynamo 1-0.
A first goal for Shea Salinas as a member of the Whitecaps. The first look at what a Jay DeMerit-Alain Rochat central defensive pairing looked like. And, the club's first clean sheet in over two months.
And while the result left fans and players alike with a feel-good energy following the game, it was hard not to think about the year that could have been.
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Salinas, the headline maker on Saturday evening, in many ways embodies the Whitecaps of this campaign. Like the team, he is blessed with talent you can’t teach, but time and time again has teased more often than delivered.
The Texan acknowledged as much after the game.
“This year I’ve had a lot of chances,” Salinas told Canadian Soccer News on Saturday. “I’ve hit the post a few times, missed a few times, even in the first half [tonight].”
“Finally,” Salinas said, was what his teammates told him after the goal. “I’ve missed a few chances, so a few of them were happy that I scored.”
While Salinas stole the glory, Long Tan was the difference maker on the game-winning play. The Chinese-born striker controlled a poor pass from the tricky winger, and then turned his marker Hunter Freeman with ease before finally sending Salinas through on goal with a perfectly weighted pass.
“Long Tan has been awesome,” Salinas said. “He’s been on fire the last month, scoring goals in reserve games, in practice and creating goals. So, it’s nice the coach gave him his chance and he definitely performed well.”
Back on the topic of firsts, the DeMerit-Rochat partnership was a big talking point this week. Both have struggled with injuries this season, and when they have played have often been partnered with defenders lacking the experience or skill level required for MLS.
“The minute you get experience, you can see things shore up a lot better,” head coach Tom Soehn said. “They complement each other. One’s a ball winner, and one’s a really technical guy, but the two of them together have worlds of experience and that’s what this team craves, but the two of them on the field made an impact and made everyone around them better.”
The Whitecaps now take an extended break, as they have no matches scheduled until September 10th, when they take on the New York Red Bulls in New Jersey.
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Martin MacMahon is a broadcast journalism student at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He covers Vancouver Whitecaps FC for a number of soccer websites.
Follow him on Twitter: @martinmacmahon