Seattle Sounders FC Top Vancouver Whitecaps FC 3-2
Published on February 11, 2010 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release
Vancouver Whitecaps FC fell 3-2 to Major League Soccer (MLS) club Seattle Sounders FC in the opening match of their two-week pre-season trip to Casa Grande, Arizona, on Thursday.
Teitur Thordarson's side made a fine start to the friendly contest at the Grande Sports World facility, as goals by Marlon James and Ansu Toure gave the Blue and White a two-goal halftime lead. However, after changing his entire line-up at the break, Sigi Schmid's Sounders levelled matters with early second-half strikes from Lamar Neagle and Sanna Nyassi. The Washington State outfit then claimed victory in the dying stages with a fine second goal from Nyassi. The win was Seattle's second-straight pre-season result over the Whitecaps. On February 22, 2009, the MLS club defeated Vancouver 4-0 in a closed-door friendly match at Seattle's Qwest Field.
In what was their second full day in Arizona, the 'Caps struggled for possession of the ball in the early stages of the match, though James did well to create the game's first chance on 16 minutes, with the striker forcing a good save from Sounders goalkeeper Chris Eylander. Vancouver were then forced into an early substitution on 26 minutes, as Cornelius Stewart replaced Randy Edwini-Bonsu in attack after the Canadian international went down with a suspected hamstring problem.
The Whitecaps broke the deadlock on 36 minutes. After Toure did well to force Eylander into a save with his run and shot from the left-hand side, the rebound fell kindly for James to make it 1-0. Three minutes later, the 'Caps doubled their advantage with a flowing move. Substitute Stewart eluded a Sounders marker before finding James with his pass. The striker then played in Toure from the left-hand side before the speedy winger beat Eylander for a 2-0 Vancouver lead.
It was a superb end to the opening half for the Whitecaps, but the second half proved more of a challenge, as a new and motivated Sounders XI stepped on to the pitch for the game's restart.
On 49 minutes, Neagle made the most of a Josh Gardner corner by heading home to make it 2-1. A minute later, the dangerous Nyassi beat Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly with an incisive run and shot from the right flank for 2-2.
Much of the second half saw Thordarson make several substitutions, with Nelson Akwari, Alex Semenets, and Nizar Khalfan all entering the match on 56 minutes, while youngster Ethan Gage replaced captain Martin Nash on 68 minutes.
Then after Nyassi's 69th-minute goal was disallowed for offside, the 'Caps made five more changes for the game's final stages. Goalkeeper Dan Pelc, defenders Luca Bellisomo and Zourab Tsiskaridze, and midfielders Philippe Davies and Russell Teibert all received a run out against their Interstate 5 rivals.
Chances were traded at both ends before Seattle secured the win with a second goal from Nyassi on 88 minutes. The Gambian youngster took a pass from Nathan Sturgis before blasting a fine first-time shot past Pelc to give the Sounders a 3-2 victory.
Despite the defeat, Thordarson was pleased with the effort from his side. "It was an interesting first game, and I thought we played quite well," he told whitecapsfc.com from Arizona. "We got in 2-0 front, but gave up three goals through bad mistakes we made in the second half. It's a disappointing result, but for the most part, I thought we performed well against a good MLS opponent. We'll train over the weekend and look ahead to our next game on Monday."
Monday afternoon's friendly is against another MLS opponent, as the Whitecaps take on Chicago Fire at Arizona State University Soccer Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. PT.
The Whitecaps will also meet the Sounders again this pre-season. On Saturday, March 6, Schmid's side make their first-ever trip to British Columbia to take on Vancouver at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT. Tickets for the Swangard friendly are $15, plus applicable service charges. Whitecaps season ticket holders will receive priority purchase rights, with the remaining tickets being available to the public on Wednesday, February 17, at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets will be available online at ticketmaster.ca or by calling 604.280.4400.
North American Soccer League Stories from February 11, 2010
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