Report and Reaction: Vancouver Whitecaps schooled in midweek match-up in Seattle
Maybe we want to put those parade plans on hold.
Vancouver Whitecaps headed down the I5 on a school night and were taught a serious lesson by a rampant Seattle Sounders side, who blew the battle for top four positioning in the MLS Western Conference wide open with a 3-0 home win on Wednesday night.
Nicolas Lodeiro ran the show for Seattle, with a goal and two assists, while Victor Rodriguez had one of each, and Clint Dempsey struck as well for the Sounders.
With three games in eight days, Carl Robinson rang the changes. Some expected, some surprising. Kendall Waston and Jordan Harvey coming back into the defence fell into the former category. Sheanon Williams coming in for Jake Nerwinski, the latter, although you expect that to be for his experience for such a high pressure game.
Christian Bolanos came in for his first start and minutes in a Whitecaps jersey since the last meeting between the two sides in August, after recovering from a knee contusion. Throwing him in cold seemed strange with the form Cristian Techera has been in, but again, you have to feel that was for the experience factor he brings.
The opening exchanges were fast paced, with both sides delivering a couple of dangerous ball across goal, but with no takers.
The Sounders came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the 16th minute when a neat backheel from Clint Dempsey played in Nicolas Lodeiro but the Uruguayan’s shot across goal beat David Ousted, but crashed off the right post.
It was a let off for Vancouver, but it wasn’t to be for long with Seattle keeping the pressure on and taking the lead moments later from a lovely low curler from Victor Rodriguez from 20 yards out that nestled into the bottom right corner of the net.
Referee Robert Sibiga was having a bit of a mare in the middle, first missing a clear deflection for a Whitecaps corner and then booking Yordy Reyna after the Peruvian was clipped when cutting inside on the edge of the box.
Fredy Montero came within the width of the crossbar to levelling things up in the 37th minute, with a stunning 25 yard free kick that Stefan Frei managed to tip onto the woodwork and smother the rebound.
Seattle nearly headed in to the break two up when Chad Marshall flicked on a corner with two minutes of the half left, but Ousted reacted quickly with a leg save on the line and the danger was cleared.
And that was it for the first half action. Vancouver were once again giving up possession, but had shown enough glimpses for you to feel that they could get themselves back in to this one.
The second half started as a fairly dull affair, but burst in to life around the hour mark.
Dempsey got the ball about 25 yards out with his back to goal, turned, and unleashed a fierce strike that beat Ousted but crashed off the bar in the 61st minute.
Vancouver broke quickly up the field but a sloppy giveaway from Tony Tchani allowed Seattle to steam forward and it ended with Lodeiro tucking away a cross to double the Sounders lead.
There already looked to be no way back for the Whitecaps, who were looking jaded out there and lacking creative spark.
And it was game over for sure in the 69th minute when Dempsey started and finished a neat move, playing the ball out wide to Lodeiro and then drilling the return ball low under Ousted to make it 3-0.
Williams nearly headed a back pass into his own net three minutes later, as Vancouver’s night lurched from one mistake to another.
The Sounders were now shooting on site and Ousted came up with a sprawling save to keep out a long range Dempsey effort.
With the game petering out, there was still time for the Whitecaps night to get even worse, with Tchani seeing red for the second straight match against the Sounders in stoppage time following a Video Assistant Review.
A night to forget for the Whitecaps who keep their place at the top of the Western Conference standings, but whose confidence will clearly be rattled by this one. With a trip to Sporting Kansas City coming up on Saturday, the road to the postseason isn’t going to get any easier.
FINAL SCORE: Seattle Sounders 3 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 41,868
SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Roman Torres (Tony Alfaro 79), Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones (Will Bruin 77); Osvaldo Alonso (Nouhou Tolo 45), Gustav Svensson, Nicolas Lodeiro, Cristian Roldan, Victor Rodriguez; Clint Dempsey [Subs Not Used: Tyler Miller, Jordy Delem, Henry Wingo, Lamar Neagle]
VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Sheanon Williams, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Russell Teibert, Tony Tchani, Bernie Ibini (Alphonso Davies 67), Yordy Reyna (Cristian Techera 67), Christian Bolanos (Mauro Rosales 76); Fredy Montero [Subs Not Used: Stefan Marinovic, Marcel de Jong, Andrew Jacobson, Brek Shea]
Reaction to follow early Thursday…
Read Further on AFTN.ca
Maybe we want to put those parade plans on hold.
Vancouver Whitecaps headed down the I5 on a school night and were taught a serious lesson by a rampant Seattle Sounders side, who blew the battle for top four positioning in the MLS Western Conference wide open with a 3-0 home win on Wednesday night.
Nicolas Lodeiro ran the show for Seattle, with a goal and two assists, while Victor Rodriguez had one of each, and Clint Dempsey struck as well for the Sounders.
With three games in eight days, Carl Robinson rang the changes. Some expected, some surprising. Kendall Waston and Jordan Harvey coming back into the defence fell into the former category. Sheanon Williams coming in for Jake Nerwinski, the latter, although you expect that to be for his experience for such a high pressure game.
Christian Bolanos came in for his first start and minutes in a Whitecaps jersey since the last meeting between the two sides in August, after recovering from a knee contusion. Throwing him in cold seemed strange with the form Cristian Techera has been in, but again, you have to feel that was for the experience factor he brings.
The opening exchanges were fast paced, with both sides delivering a couple of dangerous ball across goal, but with no takers.
The Sounders came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the 16th minute when a neat backheel from Clint Dempsey played in Nicolas Lodeiro but the Uruguayan’s shot across goal beat David Ousted, but crashed off the right post.
It was a let off for Vancouver, but it wasn’t to be for long with Seattle keeping the pressure on and taking the lead moments later from a lovely low curler from Victor Rodriguez from 20 yards out that nestled into the bottom right corner of the net.
Referee Robert Sibiga was having a bit of a mare in the middle, first missing a clear deflection for a Whitecaps corner and then booking Yordy Reyna after the Peruvian was clipped when cutting inside on the edge of the box.
Fredy Montero came within the width of the crossbar to levelling things up in the 37th minute, with a stunning 25 yard free kick that Stefan Frei managed to tip onto the woodwork and smother the rebound.
Seattle nearly headed in to the break two up when Chad Marshall flicked on a corner with two minutes of the half left, but Ousted reacted quickly with a leg save on the line and the danger was cleared.
And that was it for the first half action. Vancouver were once again giving up possession, but had shown enough glimpses for you to feel that they could get themselves back in to this one.
The second half started as a fairly dull affair, but burst in to life around the hour mark.
Dempsey got the ball about 25 yards out with his back to goal, turned, and unleashed a fierce strike that beat Ousted but crashed off the bar in the 61st minute.
Vancouver broke quickly up the field but a sloppy giveaway from Tony Tchani allowed Seattle to steam forward and it ended with Lodeiro tucking away a cross to double the Sounders lead.
There already looked to be no way back for the Whitecaps, who were looking jaded out there and lacking creative spark.
And it was game over for sure in the 69th minute when Dempsey started and finished a neat move, playing the ball out wide to Lodeiro and then drilling the return ball low under Ousted to make it 3-0.
Williams nearly headed a back pass into his own net three minutes later, as Vancouver’s night lurched from one mistake to another.
The Sounders were now shooting on site and Ousted came up with a sprawling save to keep out a long range Dempsey effort.
With the game petering out, there was still time for the Whitecaps night to get even worse, with Tchani seeing red for the second straight match against the Sounders in stoppage time following a Video Assistant Review.
A night to forget for the Whitecaps who keep their place at the top of the Western Conference standings, but whose confidence will clearly be rattled by this one. With a trip to Sporting Kansas City coming up on Saturday, the road to the postseason isn’t going to get any easier.
FINAL SCORE: Seattle Sounders 3 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps
ATT: 41,868
SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Kelvin Leerdam, Roman Torres (Tony Alfaro 79), Chad Marshall, Joevin Jones (Will Bruin 77); Osvaldo Alonso (Nouhou Tolo 45), Gustav Svensson, Nicolas Lodeiro, Cristian Roldan, Victor Rodriguez; Clint Dempsey [Subs Not Used: Tyler Miller, Jordy Delem, Henry Wingo, Lamar Neagle]
VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Sheanon Williams, Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey; Russell Teibert, Tony Tchani, Bernie Ibini (Alphonso Davies 67), Yordy Reyna (Cristian Techera 67), Christian Bolanos (Mauro Rosales 76); Fredy Montero [Subs Not Used: Stefan Marinovic, Marcel de Jong, Andrew Jacobson, Brek Shea]
Reaction to follow early Thursday…
Read Further on AFTN.ca
