Lamar Neagle converted a contentious 61st-minute penalty, Bill Hamid made four saves in a tremendous performance, and DC United snapped a three-match losing skid with a surprising 1-0 victory at the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday at BC Place.
Hamid also conceded a late penalty when he crashed into Brek Shea attempting to parry away a cross. But Cristian Techera struck the right post deep into second-half stoppage time for the Vancouver Whitecaps, who hit the woodwork four times in total (shown below).
Jose Guillermo Ortiz earned the penalty that led to D.C.'s goal, going to ground under pressure from Kendall Waston. Replays suggested Ortiz at the very least embellished the play, a sight that drew plenty of boos from the home crowd.
D.C. won its second straight on the road -- with three home losses in between -- while Vancouver lost after home wins in the league and Canadian Cup in the past week.
Goals
- 61' - DC - Lamar Neagle (PK)
Three things
- STARTING TROUBLE: Ortiz earned his first start since April 15, and although the Costa Rican striker didn’t score, he certainly became a talking point after winning a penalty off his countryman Waston. His involvement comes after the league had already fined him an undisclosed amount for embellishment in last week’s 1-0 home loss to the Chicago Fire.
- ACTUAL ASSISTANT REFEREE INITIATIVE: While the Virtual Assistant Referee initiative goes live in stadiums across the league after the 2017 MLS All-Star Game, Vancouver won its penalty after a review that didn’t include any digital technology. Instead, as medical staff attended to Shea following his collision with Hamid, referee Sorin Stoica conferenced with assistant Jason White. He eventually pointed to the spot more than a minute after the foul occurred.
- THIS MUST BC PLACE: After failing to score a single goal in a three-match homestand, DC might’ve felt fortunate that their stretch of seven away matches in their next nine overall began north and very west of the border. United is now unbeaten in its last four games at BC Place, including one-goal wins in its last two. It’s only defeat there came during Vancouver’s expansion season, in October of 2011.
Next up
- VAN: Canadian Championship: Tuesday, May 30 – at Montreal Impact (7:30 pm ET | TSN/RDS in Canada)
- DC: Wednesday, May 31 – at Orlando City SC (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE)
