As the Cascadia Supporters Summit Series drew to a close, the Vancouver Whitecaps got goals from Omar Salgado and Russell Teibert before the game was twenty minutes in. They managed to fend off a late charge by the Seattle Sounders to finish the game with a 3-2 victory.
In a match that was hard to draw too many judgments from, there were some moments of absolute brilliance that it would simply be unfair to leave unmentioned.
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Camilo Sanvezzo showed great passing ability throughout the first half. There were several occasions where he nearly sprung a teammate on a break, only to be foiled by some strong defending from the two time Lamar Hunt Open Cup Winners.
Omar Salgado showed great form and created issues for the Seattle defence throughout the first half. His tireless efforts in pestering the Sounders defence paid off when the Sounders back line coughed up a turnover in their back end and he placed the ball perfectly into the gaping cage. His long range chip in the 2nd half created the opportunity for Camilo Sanvezzo to put the 'Caps back on top by two. The Brazilian buried his chance and the Whitecaps looked to have the game back under control.
Russell Teibert blew my mind with his ball control, he looked to be one of the best players on the pitch and surely continued to try his case for a starting role on Teitur's squad.
While I've tried to give credit where credit is due, the 'Caps faced a team that was predominantly back ups and plumbers. No Kasey Keller in goal. Neither Blaise Nkufo, nor Fredy Montero ever stepped onto the pitch and Steve Zakuani didn't come on until the 76th minute.
Obie White certainly can not be considered Seattle's first option as a striker and it was good to see that the Whitecaps defensive players handled him well. Roger Levesque seemed to be the Sounder's most dangerous player throughout the game but Vancouver appeared to take full advantage of the fact that he was often caught up field when he was supposed to be in a fullback role. I've read a few Seattle fan pages where they have referred to Roger's position as a For-Mid-Back; implying he has free range to roam the pitch, but it became apparent quite early on that the 'Caps were able to find the gap in the pitch where he was supposed to be. In most cases Teibert was allowed to get two touches on the ball before being closed down and was able to create a couple of exciting plays in Seattle's end.
At best this was a match up of a few starters and a lot of trialists and bench players. As each half came to a close it became a little obvious that Seattle's players had a tad more experience with the higher pressure that comes along with playing in the top tier of North American soccer. This is not to discount the Whitecaps effort; above all else they did manage to take the lead twice and held on to win the game. With that in mind it would appear as though some of the players were either outmatched or perhaps lost their focus as they were waiting for the whistle to blow.
Seattle scored their first mark in the dwindling seconds of the first half, in what can only be described as a mad scramble in Vancouver's defensive end. Roger Levesque pounced on a free ball in the six-yard-box and put a left footed shot past Jay Nolly. Seattle's second goal came on the 77th minute on another Levesque effort where it appeared there may have been a bit of miscommunication between Bilal Duckett and Michael Boxall. Levesque crossed a low ball into the box and second half substitution Miguel Montano slid to knock the ball past Joe Cannon. Beyond the two opportunities that Seattle capitalized on Vancouver looked strong defensively with the exception of a set piece where Erik Friberg swung in a fantastic ball that Zach Scott was able to get a head on but the ball was saved by Jay Nolly and a defender then cleared from the box.
Scoring Summary
6’ – VAN - Omar Salgado
12’ – VAN - Russell Teibert
45’ – SEA – Roger Levesque
47’ – VAN - Camilo Sanvezzo
77’ – SEA – Miguel Montano
Match Stats
Shots: Vancouver 9 - Seattle 17
Shots on Goal: Vancouver 6 – Seattle 7
Saves: Vancouver 5 – Seattle 3
Fouls: Vancouver 14 – Seattle 8
Corners: Vancouver 1 - Seattle 13
Offsides: Vancouver 4 – Seattle 1
Cautions
10’ – SEA - Taylor Graham
18’ – VAN - Nizar Khalfan
81’ – VAN – Joe Cannon
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
18.Jay Nolly (1.Joe Cannon 45’); 3.Bilal Duckett, 33.Michael Boxall, 14.Greg Janicki, 8.Wes Knight (25.Jonathan Leathers 62); 31.Russell Teibert (12.Jeb Brovsky 83’), 27.Alexandre Morfaw (7.Terry Dunfield 64’), 28.Gershon Koffie, 16.Nizar Khalfan (39.Cornelius Stewart 62’); 17.Omar Salgado (9.Atiba Harris 87’), 37.Camilo Sanvezzo (23.Long Tan 66’)
Seattle Sounders FC
28.Terry Boss; 5.Tyson Wahl, 4.Patrick Ianni, 26.Taylor Graham (16.David Estrada 45’), 20.Zach Scott; 14.Michael Tetteh (11.Steve Zakuani 76’), 8.Erik Friberg (6.Osvaldo Alonso 64’), 23.Servando Carrasco, 24.Roger Levesque; 2.Mike Fucito (27.Lamar Neagle 40’),13.O’Brian White (32.Miguel Montano 61’)