“Again, it didn’t disappoint today”, ‘Caps coach Carl Robinson told reporters after the game. But, the players who stepped in acquitted themselves well. We’ve got to try to get back to that. “We all trust them and they trust the guys around them”. We missed four or five chances but it happens sometimes. Robinson likes the best way his you centre-backs dealt with a robust state of affairs in what was a hard activity.
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“Absolutely outstanding, both of them”.
“They played excellent”, said Harvey.
The Timbers held a 1-0 lead to begin the second half after Diego Valeri opened the scoring in the 33rd minute with his second goal of the season. “I’m pleased but I want them to keep going”. The ball went inside the left post, and the score was knotted 1-1. Kekuta Manneh in particular had a few moments of magic.
The Gambian winger later rounded Kwarasey after a terrific through ball from Mauro Rosales. For the third time in two-matches the Whitecaps were denied a goal thanks to a timely last-ditch goal-line clearance from the opposition. Throughout the course of the match one could easily notice how physical and chippy both sides were playing.
“It could have gone the other way”. They should have scored and we get a goal and we are up 1-0. Soccer is a amusing game like that sometimes. “It’s probably a fair result, the draw”.
Revolution 1, NYC FC 0: Lee Nguyen drove a right-footed shot past Josh Saunders in the 12th minute, and New England beat New York City to snap a five-game losing streak. Porter and Wilkinson were unable to say when Melano would actually join the team, but it would be a surprise if we did not see him in Timbers uniform by the next home match on August 7 against Chicago.
Vancouver Whitecaps ended a run of two successive defeats by drawing 1-1 away to Portland Timbers this morning. Clearly their problem has been not letting Laba take more shots. Kwarasey was shielded from the play by a Vancouver attacker inside the box, and the shot caught him flatfooted.
Ultimately, it was a wonderful goal from defensive midfielder and Designated Player Matias Laba that salvaged the point for the Whitecaps. Laba described his big goal. 537 of the possession, took 14 shots and put three balls on frame. “I got lucky too”.
The second half calmed down a bit as play resumed after intermission. With temperatures reaching 35 Celsius during the match.
Whitecaps midfielder Matias Laba got a pass in the middle of the pitch, 45 yards away. Even his three substitutes were young – Kianz Froese (19), Russell Teibert (22) and Cristian Techera (23).
“(The Rapids) are a team that we need to beat”, said Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted. Vancouver defender Jordan Harvey was sent off with a red card in stoppage time after a slide tackle from behind on Valeri. Captain Will Johnson is back from a horrific leg break and Diego Valeri is rounding into form, but other stalwarts were out last weekend. Referee Juan Guzman went right to his pocket-book and gave Harvey his marching orders.
The excitement did not end with the final whistle.
Johnson’s blast from out front of the penalty box for the Timbers went just inches wide in the 15th minute. Caleb Porter was none to happy with his skipper earning a suspension for next week. It was tough. You don’t usually see that (a red card after the match). “So it’s disappointing obviously because Will will be out for the next game”. In what is becoming a tight Western Conference, splitting the points on the road is a very good result especially given Vancouver’s roster situation.
Laba is not known for his goal-scoring skills. The holding midfielder, strong all over the pitch defensively, was given all kinds of space by Portland defenders and, when the opening was presented, he put his head down and unleashed a cracker. Laba was able to contribute with his first MLS goal for Vancouver. Ousted was named MLS player of the month for June….
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He saw only 121 minutes of MLS action with the Vancouver Whitecaps in his rookie season in 2014, one marked by a couple of shaky Canadian championship appearances and a steep learning curve.
