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Whitecaps battle to draw with Toronto

July 9, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Vancouver Whitecaps News Release


Vancouver Whitecaps men completed their Nutrilite Canadian Championship campaign with a 2-2 home draw against Toronto FC on Wednesday evening.

In yet another entertaining contest between both clubs, two goals by Eduardo Sebrango secured a point for the USL First Division outfit in the their final game of the competition at Swangard Stadium, with the Whitecaps striker needing to score late on in the game after the Major League Soccer club overturned a one-goal deficit with second half strikes from Maurice Edu and Rohan Ricketts.

Though the result eliminates the Whitecaps from winning the inaugural Voyageurs Cup title as tournament winners, it leaves TFC needing a win at home to leaders Montreal Impact in the competition's final game on July 22 to secure the championship and Canada's lone place in the brand-new CONCACAF Champions League.

Whitecaps head coach Teitur Thordarson kept faith with the same starting XI that began both the 1-0 away win over TFC on Canada Day, and last Saturday's 3-1 defeat away to Rochester Rhinos in USL-1. Reds head coach John Carver, meanwhile, was forced into two changes for Wednesday's game, with rookie defender Julius James replacing suspended TFC captain Jim Brennan, while Jeff Cunningham came in for the injured Danny Dichio, who missed out with a suspected concussion.

On a beautiful and sunny summer's evening for soccer, a sold-out Swangard crowd of 5,288 saw the visitors have the better of the first-half opportunities, but fail to find a way past Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly.

The home side - who played in their away strip of all blue - had the first chance of the game on three minutes, but Sebrango was unable to direct Martin Nash's cross from the right on target, with strike partner Nicholas Addlery seemingly in a better position to receive the same ball into the TFC box.

Ten minutes later, Toronto striker Cunningham was left in astonishment at being called offside after knocking the ball into the Vancouver net, with the Whitecaps support giving the forward a hard time as a result.

Carver would have been disappointed not to have claimed the lead after putting their hosts under good pressure in the half. TFC's first chance came on the quarter-hour mark, as Nolly and centre back Omar Jarun crossed wires in challenging Ricketts' cross from the left in the Whitecaps box. As a result, Edu flicked the ball on to Cunningham, but the striker was unable to direct his header on target.

On 18 minutes, Wales international Carl Robinson was wayward with a shot at goal before former Newcastle United star Laurent Robert horribly sliced an effort out for a throw-in with his usually dangerous left foot five minute later.

On 27 minutes, TFC had a great chance to open the scoring when Ricketts hit the Vancouver crossbar with a well-hit volley from Marvell Wynne's cross from the right. Nolly then scrambled to grab the loose ball off the back of Toronto's Amado Guevara, as the Whitecaps dodged a major bullet. A minute later, TFC defender Tyrone Marshall headed Guevara's corner from the left just wide of Vancouver's far post.

With the game still scoreless, there was a spell of even and competitive play before the home fans were given something to shout about on 43 minutes, as the Whitecaps took the lead.

Justin Moose received the ball on the edge of the Toronto box before forcing TFC goalkeeper Greg Sutton into a save with his hard goal-bound drive. The former DC United winger then claimed the rebound before finding Sebrango in the Toronto box with a short pass. The Cuban's right-footed finish flew past Sutton and into the low corner of the goal to give Vancouver the lead, with the striker celebrating his strike with a back flip.

However, just as the home fans delighted in seeing their team take the lead, TFC were unlucky not to equalize after Marshall's turn and shot went wide of Nolly's near post after the Whitecaps keeper had spilled Robert's free kick in the Vancouver box.

At the break, it was Vancouver who had the one-goal lead, though Toronto would have wondered how they were behind at halftime.

There was a bright start to the second half, with Sebrango heading a Moose corner right at Sutton on 46 minutes for the 'Caps before Edu squandered another TFC opportunity after striking Cunningham's pass high and wide of the target three minutes later.

Being a goal in front, there was some neat flow to Vancouver's attacking play, with Addlery troubling the TFC defence before striking a low shot wide of the visitors' goal moments later.

Yet, as the game reached 61 minutes, TFC pulled level with a poacher's strike from Edu. The 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year redirected Robert's poorly-hit close range shot into the net after Cunningham made a good run to the Whitecaps byline before crossing the ball in front of goal.

Then on 64 minutes, Cunningham breached the Whitecaps offside trap and broke in clear on goal. With only Nolly to beat, the keeper saved his first shot before the striker theatrically went down in the box, as he tried to claim the rebound. The sequence left Carver speechless in the TFC technical area, as he wondered why referee Carol Anne Chenard did not award his side a penalty.

The events brought more bite to the contest, with both sides showing lots of spirit with their challenges and play. On 72 minutes, Moose and Addlery were replaced by Jason Jordan and Diaz Kambere, but the home side soon found themselves a goal behind.

On 75 minutes, a TFC move forward saw Guevara elude the challenge of Jarun on the edge of the box before slipping a ball to the onrushing Ricketts on the left. The Englishman's first-time shot with his right foot beat Nolly on the short side to give Toronto a priceless 2-1 lead.

Whitecaps captain Jeff Clarke admitted that the quality of their MLS visitors was a factor on Wednesday. "When you are playing against a team from a higher tier, they will make you pay and that's what Toronto did tonight," he said. "We'll take a lot of positives out of this game, but it's disappointing being out this tournament for this year. However, we'll be back next year."

Whitecaps fans were disappointed to see TFC in the lead, but the home side kept pushing forward to find a morale-boosting leveler, and their hopes were fulfilled on 87 minutes.

Nolly's forward ball found the head of Jordan in the TFC half. The substitute's flick saw Edu, who had moved back into Toronto's defensive backline, struggle to deal with the loose ball on the edge of his own box. Sebrango pounced to win possession and round his former Montreal teammate in TFC keeper Sutton before slotting a potentially influential equalizer into the empty net.

The goal lifted the spirits of the sold-out crowd, as the Whitecaps looked to snatch a winner in the dying stages, but Kambere's shot in the final minute flew high over Sutton's crossbar.

90 FULL MINUTES

Sebrango praised the support of Whitecaps fans, who applauded his team off the pitch at the end of the game. "I just want to say 'thank you' to the fans," the striker said. "The atmosphere was great and I really enjoyed it. Hopefully, this game will prepare us for the games that are coming up in the league. We now need to pick it up because May and June have been a tough two months for us. Hopefully, we can get the batteries recharged and have a good second half of the season."

The final whistle from Chenard brought an end to Vancouver's tournament campaign, but there will surely be notes of thanks coming from Quebec, as the draw leaves Montreal just needing a point from their visit to Toronto to win the first-ever championship and a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League. Both TFC and the Impact meet in the competition's final game at BMO Field on Tuesday, July 22, to determine the championship winner.

Carver was pleased that his team came away with something from their first-ever trip to British Columbia's Lower Mainland. "One way or another, we still have to win the game against Montreal in Toronto, and that's how it stands now," he told reporters after the game. "We given ourselves a chance going into that game now, and I'm looking forward to it. I'm disappointed that we've not won the game tonight. I thought we played some good stuff, and I thought Vancouver played some good stuff. However, poor defending from our point of view has meant that we've drawn the game."

The fiery Englishman also felt the two games against Vancouver were special occasions. "I think over the two games between ourselves and Vancouver, it shows how much this competition means to everybody," Carver said. "Although it was five hours on an airplane to get here, it was like a derby game back in England, simply because of the rivalry between Toronto and Vancouver."

Thordarson himself was proud with his side's effort in claiming a draw with TFC. "I just want to thank my players for some fantastically hard work over 90 minutes tonight," he said. "I felt at the beginning that we looked a little bit tired, as we've played a lot of games recently and we've not been able to train as much as we would like. Having said that, I'm very satisfied with what my team has done. We showed great character to come back from 2-1 down at the end of the game to equalize."

The Whitecaps will now turn their focus back to USL-1 matters, with Carolina RailHawks the next team to arrive at Swangard on Sunday evening. The game is the first meeting between both clubs in 2008. TFC, meanwhile, head to Illinois for an important MLS Eastern Conference game with Chicago Fire on Saturday evening.



USL First Division Stories from July 9, 2008


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