From a Seattle Sounders (playoff) zero to Vancouver Whitecaps hero: Fredy Montero scored the first postseason goal of his bifurcated MLS career, and it put the 'Caps back on track at a crucial moment. Crucially, he opened the scoring in an eventual 5-0 Knockout Round victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.
Vancouver entered the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs as the No. 3 seed after dropping points in four of five weeks to close (1-3-1). But they still stifled the Quakes, advancing to the Western Conference Semifinal against the Seattle Sounders.
Cristian Techera's 33rd-minute corner kick found Kendall Waston for a header at the top of the 6-yard box; the shot angled right, where it met Montero's dive head-on for the eventual game-winner. Techera added an upper-90 free kick in the 57th, Waston slammed home a rebound shortly after to ice the victory, and Nicolas Mezquida capped everything with a two-minute brace after subbing on in the 68th.
Vancouver advance to challenge Cascadia rival Seattle, who earned the bye with a 3-0 victory against Colorado on Decision Day.
Goals
- 33' – VAN – Fredy Montero WATCH
- 57' – VAN – Cristian Techera WATCH
- 64' – VAN – Kendall Waston WATCH
- 78' – VAN – Nicolas Mezquida WATCH
- 80' – VAN – Nicolas Mezquida WATCH
Three Things
WASTON LAYS WASTE
: From winning his wrestling match (
) against
Victor Bernardez
, to assisting the opener and capping the initial flurry with a right-place, right-time rebound, it was quite a day for Kendall Waston. He continued a run of form that included Costa Rica's No. 2 finish in
CONCACAF World Cup qualifying
, a pair of US men's national team beatdowns among the results.
MARINOVIC MARINATES
: With
Stefan Marinovic
earning a late-season look as lead 'keeper, Carl Robinson's faith was rewarded with a stunning save in the 5th minute, robbing
Anibal Godoy
of an upper-90 rocket:
Without Marinovic's steady play between the pipes, there's no way the 'Caps weather the Quakes' early attempts to shake an upset out of the action, as an initial half-hour of harassment evaporated after the opening goal.
They Said It
"Listen, we're the underdog. Write us off at your peril, boys ... We know they're a top team; they're the champs. I like knocking champs off perches."
—Carl Robinson, Vancouver Whitecaps head coach
Next Up
- VAN: Sunday, October 29 vs. Seattle - Western Conference Semifinals (8:30pm ET | ESPN; TSN1/4, TVAS2)
- SJ: End of season
