The Whitecaps and Dynamo battled in front of a ruckus sellout crowd in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon, which saw the Caps emerge with a 2-1 victory. Both teams were undefeated heading into the game. It was the first road game of the season for Houston and with the exception of a few defensive lapses, they performed well. The Dynamo and their fans should remain positive because at least they weren’t on the receiving end of 4-1 beat down like the New York Red Bulls were on opening weekend.
Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey opened the scoring in the 14th minute as he ran past a flat footed Houston defence, onto a redirected header from Andy O’Brien and easily flicked it past Tally Hall. Designated Player Pedro Morales was nothing short of sensational to watch all game as he created many chances and pinged crosses right to the feet of his intended targets. The Dynamo started the 2nd half on the front foot but in the 55th minute Mattocks made a run into the box. Houston’s Kofi Sarkodie fell to the ground and made a swinging motion to the ball which drew a penalty shot for the Whitecaps. Miller rifled the shot past Hall but Mattocks and several Houston players had encroached. Miller stepped up again and with ice in his veins put the shot past Hall for a second time. The Dynamo made the game interesting in the 74th minute as they scored from a redirected free kick. Credit to the Whitecaps as they stood resolute and nearly added a 3rd goal deep in injury time.
Reo-Coker missed the game due to an unexpected concussion he picked up by tripping over a bike rack while walking in Vancouver earlier in the week. This is not the first time a Whitecap player has been injured by something associated with bikes. Back in 2011 Russell Teibert missed a large portion of the season when he injured his foot riding a bike while wearing flip flops. Gregor Robertson, Mayor of Vancouver, who is known for smoking salmon, is a big advocate of creating bike lanes in the city. As more bike lanes are created I can’t help but worry about the overall health of the Whitecaps roster.
It is unclear how long Reo-Coker won’t be available for selection but this isn’t a concern for Vancouver as Gershon Koffie is more than ready to replace him. The Whitecaps now have a full week in the comforts of their own city to prepare for the Colorado Rapids.
(image courtesy of Gerry Kahrmann, PNG)
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