VANCOUVER, B.C. – It was a case of from one extreme to another for the Vancouver Whitecaps on Sunday. In the build-up to their matchup against FC Dallas, there had been a lot of talk from the squad for the need to get back to creating more chances, especially in a home game.
They got their wish, setting a club MLS record with 30 attempts on goal, 20 of them in a second-half onslaught. It was a disappointing end reward for the Whitecaps however, with just two goals to show for all those chances – one of them from a penalty – in a 2-2 draw with FCD.
“There were three or four players that could’ve scored a couple of goals today,” Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson mused after the match. “It’s quite ironic I sit here quite positive with the performance and I am. But I’m disappointed that we didn’t score more than two goals.
"We had 20-plus shots in the game. When we don’t have that many shots, then you’re not going to score that many goals. But when you have that many shots, you’ll probably need three or more goals.”
One of the guilty parties for missing numerous chances was Darren Mattocks. The Jamaican striker made it three goals in three games with the game opener in the 11th minute, but he only had two shots on target from his nine attempts and knows he should have had at least one or two more goals with the opportunities provided to him.
“We are creating so many chances,” Mattocks admitted after the match. “I think we just need to be a bit more composed. Especially myself, I put my hand up and I think the guys had a couple of good chances out there to win the game.
“That’s soccer, you know. I’m sure there's going to be a couple games this season where we are going to score four or five goals and I can just feel it. But we have just got to move forward. It’s a quick turnaround.”
Another record-setter on the day was Pedro Morales. The Chilean scored a game-tying penalty for Vancouver and had a club record 12 attempts on goal, five on target, but found FC Dallas 'keeper Raul Fernandez in top form.
His opposite number, David Ousted, paid credit to Fernandez for a string of fine saves but rued his own side’s wasted chances.
"It hurts like a loss,” Ousted said after the game. “We deserved more out of this one. The chances we're creating, the defensive play we have is tremendous. I can only tip my hat to the guys up front for doing a lot of good work, but we need to put the chances away."
