Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Chivas USA | MLS Match Preview

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC vs CHIVAS USA
BC PLACE, Vancouver, B.C.
July 12, 2014 (WEEK 18, MLS Game #165)
7 p.m. PT (TSN2)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC continue their BC Place homestand when Chivas USA visit British Columbia on Saturday evening. Whitecaps FC returned to their winning ways last weekend, in a 1-0 Cascadia Cup triumph against Seattle Sounders FC. Chivas USA hit the road riding a three-game winning and shutout streak, coming off a late 1-0 victory last weekend against the Montreal Impact at StubHub Center.

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REFEREE: Armando Villarreal. AR1 (bench): Jonathan Johnson; AR2 (opposite): Jeremy Hanson; 4th: David Gantar
MLS Career: 36 games; FC/gm: 24.0; Y/gm: 3.1; R: 14; pens: 10

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Bobby Burling, Donny Toia
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: VAN: Gershon Koffie, Andy O’Brien, Pedro Morales … CHV: Marky Delgado, Tony Lochhead, Mauro Rosales, Erick Torres
DISABLED LIST: CHV: Thomas McNamara
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (9 meetings): Whitecaps FC 3 wins, 13 goals … Chivas USA 1 win, 7 goals … Ties 5
AT VANCOUVER (4 meetings): Whitecaps FC 2 wins, 9 goals … Chivas USA 0 wins, 3 goals … Ties 2
FUTURE MATCH: 8/16: Chivas USA vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7:30 p.m. PT

2014 (MLS):
3/16: CHV 1, VAN 1 (Torres 45 – Manneh 81)

• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Erick Torres put Chivas USA into the lead at the end of the first half, but Kekuta Manneh netted in the 81st minute to leave the teams in a 1-1 draw, March 16 at StubHub Center.
• Chivas USA have never won at BC Place. Whitecaps FC have won two of the three encounters all-time there (with one draw).
• Coaches record: Wilmer Cabrera vs. VAN: P1 W0 L0 T1 … Carl Robinson vs. CHV: P1 W0 L0 T1

LAST MEETING (MLS):

• Chivas USA went down to 10 men after just 13 minutes when midfielder Agustin Pelletieri drew a red card from referee Ramon Hernandez for a for a late challenge on Pedro Morales in the center circle.
• But the hosts took the lead on the stroke of halftime when Erick Torres fired a shot on the edge of the box that deflected off Whitecaps captain Jay DeMerit on its way towards goal, catching goalkeeper David Ousted out of position and unable to stop it.
• Whitecaps FC finally broke through for the equalizer in the 81st minute, when Kekuta Manneh slotted home Darren Mattocks’ cross from the left wing to give them a share of the points.
• CHIVAS USA (4-4-2): Dan Kennedy - Eric Avila, Bobby Burling, Carlos Bocanegra, Tony Lochhead - Mauro Rosales, Agustin Pelletieri (ejected 13), Oswaldo Minda, Leandro Barrera (Matthew Fondy 71) - Thomas McNamara (Daniel Fragoso 80), Erick Torres (Kris Tyrpak 87).
• VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-2-3-1): David Ousted - Steven Beitashour, Andy O'Brien (Christian Dean 77), Jay DeMerit, Jordan Harvey - Nigel Reo-Coker (Kekuta Manneh 60), Matias Laba - Kenny Miller, Pedro Morales, Sebastian Fernandez (Erik Hurtado 75) - Darren Mattocks.

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC returned to their winning ways, getting the game’s only goal for a victory against Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday evening at BC Place. Whitecaps FC sit in fifth place in the Western Conference with 25 points from 16 games.

LAST MATCH

• The game's lone goal came in the 12th minute. Sebastian Fernandez collected a pass inside from Pedro Morales, took a touch then unleashed a blast from 30 yards that tailed past Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei and into the back of the net.
• Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted was called upon to make just two saves in keeping the clean sheet.
• Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson made three changes to the team that fell 2-0 to the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Steven Beitashour returned to right back in place of Nigel Reo-Coker, Gershon Koffie came back into a holding role for Russell Teibert, and Kekuta Manneh started on the flank in place of Nicolas Mezquida.
• VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-2-3-1): David Ousted - Steven Beitashour, Johnny Leveron, Carlyle Mitchell, Jordan Harvey - Gershon Koffie, Matias Laba - Sebastian Fernandez (Russell Teibert 86), Pedro Morales (Christian Dean 90), Kekuta Manneh (Nigel Reo-Coker 68) - Erik Hurtado.

TEAM NEWS

• Whitecaps FC put an end to their three-game winless run with the victory, and kept a clean sheet at BC Place for a second consecutive match.
• “When you get an opportunity when you're not in the team as a regular starter, you give everything. Some of their guys got their chance today and I knew it would be a very difficult game,” Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said. “It was a trap game for us and we had to make sure we were up for it. If we concentrated on our performance and done our jobs correctly, which we did, then usually nine times out of 10 the result takes care of itself and that's what happened.”
• Whitecaps FC also put an end to their goalless drought after 201 minutes, their first goal in a league game since June 7.
• “It’s great to win 1-0 against the best team in the league. We don’t have to win 3-0 or 4-0, but to keep the lead and clean sheet is important,” said midfielder Gershon Koffie. “Sometimes you win not by playing the best game, but by getting the points, but that’s what we did.”
• Sebastian Fernandez scored his third league goal for Whitecaps FC, and all three have come from outside the penalty area.
• “When you see him shoot like that, I want him to shoot a little bit more. I thought he was fantastic, I really did. I thought itís probably as good as he’s played,” Robinson said. “He’s scored some great goals for us. Three now. But his all-around performance was excellent and it was just rewarded.”
• Said Fernandez: “It seems like I have a little more luck from outside the box, at least a little more than from inside the box. Hopefully, soon I’ll score a goal from inside the box.”
• Pedro Morales recorded his sixth league assist of the season, and now has five goals and four assists over the last eight matches, dating back to May 3.
• Steven Beitashour made his first start since May 10 after a five-match absence following his return from the Iran national team and the FIFA World Cup.
• Johnny Leveron and Carlyle Mitchell again reprised their central defense pairing, with regular starters Jay DeMerit (ankle) and Andy O'Brien (hip) both out due to injury.
• "I thought they were fabulous," head coach Carl Robinson said. "It's not easy. We're missing Andy and Jay and they've been great for us during this early run of the season, so they've come in. I knew they'd cope physically but I wanted the concentration levels to be there because I don't think they were there against Colorado.”

CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA made it three wins in a row, all by 1-0 scorelines, getting a late, late goal for victory against the Montreal Impact on Saturday evening at StubHub Center. Chivas USA sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 20 points from 17 games.

LAST MATCH

• The game's only goal came four minutes into stoppage time. After a cross was not cleared from the penalty area, Erick Torres launched himself into a dramatic bicycle kick, beating Impact goalkeeper Troy Perkins inside his left-hand post.
• Chivas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy was credited with three saves in recording a third consecutive 1-0 victory.
• Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera made three changes to the team that defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 1-0 at Buck Shaw Stadium. Marvin Chavez, Agustin Pelletieri and Leandro Barrera all came into the team, in place of Mauro Rosales, Oswaldo Minda and Ryan Finley.
• CHIVAS USA (4-4-2): Dan Kennedy - Donny Toia, Bobby Burling, Carlos Bocanegra, Tony Lochhead - Marvin Chavez (Ryan Finley 88), Marky Delgado, Agustin Pelletieri, Eric Avila (Nathan Sturgis 82) - Leandro Barrera (Mauro Rosales 46), Erick Torres.

TEAM NEWS

• Chivas USA have won three consecutive games by a 1-0 scoreline. Chivas has now gone 325 minutes without allowing a goal, the longest shutout streak in MLS this season – the fourth-longest in club history, just 76 minutes away from the club record.
• “It’s rewarding, not only for the players but also for the fans that came out and saw the team winning three games in one week,” said Chivas USA head coach Wilmer Cabrera. “The win showed that we are progressing in our job, the way we are approaching the game and how we work on the field. It’s important now to continue believing and hopefully this winning streak continues next week.”
• Erick Torres continued his remarkable season, scoring yet another stunning goal, his 12th of the season. Torres has scored goals in four consecutive games, his second goal-scoring streak of that length this season.
• “I think that this goal is one of the most beautiful goals I have scored. This one being in the 93rd minute, I think it’s a goal that really marked me and one to see a few more times,” said Torres. “I think of the 18 goals I have scored, I would rate this one second, behind the one I scored a couple weeks ago with a volley.”
• Said Cabrera: “Torres is finishing all the work the entire team is doing on the field. Dan [Kennedy] is doing a great job, the back four and the middle line, they all were doing a great job, and he is the one who can finish for us. He’s proving and has proven that he’s one of the top scorers in this league, and for me Torres is one of the best young strikers in the world. We are fortunate to have him and the good thing is that he has a great mentality, he knows he’s part of the team and he works for the team and does the job well up front.”
• Torres has 12 of Chivas USA’s 17 goals in league games this season. Chivas USA are averaging just a goal per game, tied for the lowest average in MLS this year (along with Houston, San Jose, Montreal).
• “As long as he doesn’t get injured and scores every game, we’re fine,” defender Carlos Bocanegra said. “But you can’t really think that way. We’re riding his hot streak at the moment. We’re not really winning pretty; we’re not dominating teams. We’re playing solidly defensively, working hard, making it really difficult on other teams, and [Torres] is getting goals."
• Added goalkeeper Dan Kennedy: “I’m sure it will come. Marvin Chavez, when he gets his legs under him, and I think Leandro [Barrera] is due. As long as Cubo continues to find a way, he’s going to get more and more attention from other teams, and it’s going to open up some opportunities for other guys.”
• Marvin Chavez made his first start to Chivas USA. Following his trade from the Colorado Rapids, Chavez appeared in one game as a substitute (May 11, vs. Colorado), before joining the Honduras national team for the FIFA World Cup.
• After starting at midweek, Mauro Rosales went to the substitutes’ bench and came on at the halftime break. Agustin Pelletieri returned to the starting lineup after not featuring in San Jose.
• “Right now we look good, we look solid and confident, not only in the back, but also in the middle. We have some good alternatives too. Now the two World Cup players came back and Marvin [Chavez] today was full of energy, he did well in some movements, and he’s just going to get better when he gets his rhythm,” said Cabrera. “Now that we don’t have any other three-game weeks, we can have everyone rested and we can take more risks. Right now we are in a very good situation, but we need to remain patient and not lose our focus.”