CHESTER, Pa.—Carl Robinson made it clear that Octavio Riveroās days are numbered in Vancouver, saying that āin the next 24-to-48 hours, probably something will happen" with the Designated Player, who did not dress for Saturday's game.
But if the result of the contest is any indication, the Whitecaps may be able to survive in his absence, as Vancouver got goals from several different places in a big 3-2 road win over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
āWeāre a team,ā the Whitecaps head coach said. āWeāve got to score goals by committee. We havenāt got an individual scorer who can score 20 goals like some teams. We know that. Will that change? Iām not sure. Players have to step up.
āYou see at Euros now, youāve got world-class players, superstar forwards that arenāt scoring goals. But the team is stepping up for them. Thatās what we are. Weāre a team. We stick together I donāt really care who scores. David Ousted can score a goal if he wants.ā
Ousted didnāt score Saturday, but he did make two saves to help the Whitecaps overcome an early 1-0 deficit and snap a three-game winless streak.
Vancouverās offense took care of the rest with Andrew Jacobson, Kekuta Manneh and Christian BolaƱos all finding the back of the net as the Whitecaps relied on set pieces, counter attacks and the ridiculous speed of Manneh, who started his goal-scoring run from his own half.
The Whitecaps have now earned seven points this season after dropping the first goal.
āWe have good character in the group,ā Robinson said. āThey get on very well and itās important because if you donāt do that coming to work for 300 days a year is a bit daunting. The guys worked their socks off … In Major League Soccer in general, teams that concede the first goal donāt usually go on to win the game. Weāve done it well, but we donāt want to do it too often.ā
It remains to be seen how the Whitecaps move on from Rivero, who appears to be close to a deal with Chileās Colo-Colo after scoring 12 goals for Vancouver since the start of last year.
For now, though, Robinson simply wanted to revel in the clubās first-ever win in Philly.
āToday we wanted to show a little bit of character. I think we showed a lot of character.
"All credit to the guys. It's not an easy place to come. Weād never won here – but we have tonight."