Robert Earnshaw's 90th-minute winner propels Whitecaps FC to 2-1 win
March 28, 2015 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC News Release
VANCOUVER, BC - These 'Caps sure have a flair for the dramatic this season.
Robert Earnshaw scored a 90th-minute winner in his Vancouver Whitecaps FC (3W-1L-0D) debut to lead the Blue and White to a 2-1 victory over Portland Timbers (0W-1L-3D) Saturday night at BC Place.
After Nicolas Mezquida scored his first of the season in the 15th minute, Portland's Fanendo Adi brought the game level late in the second half. But as they've now done in each of the past three matches, Whitecaps FC once again scored a late-winning goal.
Post-match interviews with head coach Carl Robinson, keeper David Ousted, midfielder Nicolas Mezquida, and striker Robert Earnshaw: https://mlssoccer.box.com/s/4cwtv36jui4u044rpladlxlruy61q4zn
And once again, it came moments after a massive David Ousted save. The Danish goalkeeper, who was named Budweiser Man of the Match, foiled Adi from close range in the 89th minute with a sprawling left-palm save. Then, Earnshaw played the role of hero just minutes after stepping onto the pitch.
After receiving a perfect throughball from Pedro Morales, the former Welsh international chipped Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey and celebrated with his patented somersault, sending the sold-out BC Place crowd into elation.
Not a bad debut for Earnshaw, who just signed earlier this week.
After dropping their season opener, the 'Caps have now won three straight matches for a total of nine points in the month of March - a club record in MLS.
Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson was forced into making a pair of changes to his starting lineup after last weekend's win over Orlando City SC. Pa-Modou Kah and Erik Hurtado replaced Diego Rodriguez and Kekuta Manneh, who were both unavailable due to suspension.
Also of note, Canadian left back Sam Adekugbe made his career-high third straight start.
It must have been a Cascadia derby because Saturday's match got off to a physical start - no surprise considering the history between these two teams. But aside from a long-range George Fochive strike in the fourth minute, which a full-stretched Ousted parried away, there wasn't much doing in terms of quality chances at either end.
Portland looked the livelier side and had the better chances early, but the 'Caps struck first. After Octavio Rivero drew a foul, Mezquida curled in a perfect free kick from just over 20 yards to put Whitecaps FC ahead in the 15th minute.
Although Portland controlled over 60 per cent of possession in the first half, Vancouver looked organized defensively and took a 1-0 lead into the break.
It was a similar story early in the second half. The visiting Timbers continued to control possession, but weren't able to create much in the final third.
That changed later in the half though as they began pushing numbers forward. In the 70th minute, Darlington Nagbe forced Ousted into making a diving save off a blast from outside the area. And a few minutes later, they came close again when Dairon Asprilla connected on a side-footed volley from the centre of the box, but Kendall Waston made a goal-line block to keep the 'Caps ahead.
Finally, the Timbers broke through in the 82nd minute with Adi's third goal of the season. The Nigerian striker banged it in from close range after a Rodney Wallace cross from the left.
Adi nearly put the Timbers ahead in the 89th minute after getting played in behind, but Ousted made a brilliant stop that proved to be a game-saver.
Less than a minute later, Morales played a perfect left-footed throughball to Earnshaw, who calmly slotted it in to seal the victory. Morales now has assists in back-to-back matches.
Next up for Whitecaps FC is the defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy on Saturday, April 4 at BC Place. Limited tickets are still available at whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are now on sale. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
Major League Soccer Stories from March 28, 2015
- Crew lose to New York - Columbus Crew SC
- Timbers Edged on Stoppage-Time Goal in 2-1 Loss against Vancouver - Portland Timbers
- FC Dallas Remains Unbeaten with 0-0 Draw against Seattle - FC Dallas
- Dynamo walk away with draw - Houston Dynamo FC
- Robert Earnshaw's 90th-minute winner propels Whitecaps FC to 2-1 win - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- New York Earns Hard-Fought 2-1 Win at Columbus - New York Red Bulls
- Columbus Crew SC 1, New York Red Bulls 2 - Columbus Crew SC
- New York City FC Drops First - New York City FC
- D.C. United Downs Reigning MLS Cup Champions Los Angeles Galaxy, 1-0 - D.C. United
- Sporting KC Earns 1-0 Road Win at NYCFC - Sporting Kansas City
- Rowe strikes twice to help Revs break through with first goals, win of 2015 - New England Revolution
- Revolution Tops San Jose 2-1 for Initial Win of 2015 - New England Revolution
- Impact Plays Orlando City SC to 2-2 Draw in MLS Home Opener - Club de Foot Montreal
- Orlando City Battles Back to Draw Montreal Impact 2-2 on the Road - Orlando City SC
- Earthquakes Fall to Revolution 2-1 at Gillette Stadium - San Jose Earthquakes
- Real Salt Lake/Rio Tinto Stadium Welcomes Toronto FC, Fox Sports 1 Sunday - Real Salt Lake
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