The Whitecaps came away with a valuable trifecta of points this weekend but it was far from a perfect performance. After a remarkable first half, Carl Robinson’s squad continued searching for that elusive 90-minute effort.
There was plenty of pomp and circumstance pregame as the Caps were celebrating their 40th anniversary. Members of the original Whitecaps team from 1974 were introduced to a sellout crowd, who cheered while adorned in their finest 70’s attire.
Steve Nash was also in attendance and helped welcome Bob Lenarduzzi to the Whitecaps Ring of Honour. The blue and white kept the good times rolling with an electric first half that saw them jump out to a 3-0 lead.
After attacking the San Jose Earthquakes in waves throughout the first half, racking up 3 goals, 12 shots and ample time of possession, the Whitecaps indeed looked the more dangerous of the natural disasters. Okay, so “whitecaps” aren’t technically a disaster (unless attached to a tsunami) but let’s just roll with it – like a rolling tide.
Kekuta Manneh opened the scoring with his own rendition of an infamous pornographic video that shall remain nameless. I fear both copyright infringement and the wrath of my editor-in-chief should this website appear in a web search of said film.
Let us just title Kekuta’s tally “2 posts, 1 goal” and avoid the situation altogether. He managed to pass the ball to himself off the near post, before gently slotting it into the net off the far upright. This goal would kick off what is likely the finest 45 minutes of soccer the Caps have put together all season.
Pedro Morales would add two more in quick succession to give the home team a commanding lead just 20 minutes into the game.
The first came on a PK after Darren Mattocks, arguably the Caps most consistent performer this season, worked his way into the box before being tripped up by Victor Bernardez. Morales stepped up and stroked the ball to the bottom left corner past Quakes keeper Jon Busch.
Just a minute later Morales completed the brace off a wonderful strike from 20 yards. The goal, which would prove to be the game winner, is nominated for the MLS Goal of the Week.
The Earthquakes would get on the scoreboard late on a PK of their own after Jay DeMerit was whistled for a foul.
The second half was largely controlled by the visiting team, earning back the majority of possession and limiting the Caps’ time and space. The Quakes pushed hard trying to force a miracle comeback and would make things interesting after Chris Wondolowski added his second marker of the game in stoppage time.
The Whitecaps would hold on despite ceding the run of play over the final 45 minutes.
Regardless of the somewhat concerning effort in the second half, it was a positive result for the squad on a positive evening in the team’s history. The Whitecaps currently hold on to the fifth and final playoff position in the Western Conference.
Next up for the team is the first leg of the Canadian Championship versus Toronto FC. Carl Robinson’s starting lineup will feature a handful of Canadian youngsters including Marco Carducci first app in net. The game goes this evening at BMO Field in Toronto with kickoff scheduled for 4:30.