VANCOUVER – There were enough factors to make Vancouver Whitecaps supporters wonder if playing the Houston Dynamo during the March international break was a wise decision.
Heading into Saturday night’s contest, the Blue and White were without first-choice center backs Kendall Waston (Costa Rica) and Tim Parker (USA U-23), as well as playmaker Christian Bolanos (Costa Rica) and striker Blas Perez (Panama). The missing quartet all appeared for their countries in Friday’s World Cup qualifying action in the CONCACAF region.
The situation saw Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson call upon his squad depth to step up and earn the club’s first home win of the season. The players duly obliged with a scrappy, fortuitous 1-0 victory over Houston at BC Place. Captain Pedro Morales’ fourth penalty goal of the season proved the difference between these Western Conference foes.
Though put under real pressure for large spells by the visiting side, Vancouver’s makeshift back line, which included Pa-Modou Kah and Andrew Jacobson in the center-back roles, came away with a hard-fought clean sheet and the club’s second straight win of 2016.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, as we knew that we had a couple of players out,” Robinson said. “I said prior to the game, I wouldn’t use that as an excuse, as we’ve got a squad for a reason – to give players opportunities to play. I think the guys that stepped in did a lot of good.”
One player that earned such an opportunity was ‘Caps striker Masato Kudo. The Japanese import caused Houston’s back line problems in the early stages, and it was in a mix-up with Dynamo right back Jalil Anibaba that the decisive moment came around the midway point of the first half, as referee Dave Gantar generously awarded the home side a decisive penalty.
The offseason acquisition was pleased to contribute in his first-ever MLS start since arriving in the offseason from Japanese outfit Kashiwa Reysol. “Overall, I focused on playing for the team today, and I’m glad the team won,” Kudo said through an interpreter. “I’ll be working even harder to play better in the next games.”
In contrast, Houston was left frustrated not to claim something from Saturday’s clash, having had a lot of the play in the second half. Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle believed his side deserved better from Saturday’s match, but felt luck was not on his team's side. “The penalty, in my opinion, is never a penalty in a million years, but unfortunately for us, it’s been given,” Coyle said. “As we know, it can be a very cruel game, and that is what has happened tonight.
“I think Vancouver started the game very well in the first 10 to 15 minutes. The game belonged to them in that spell. From that point on in the game, we really took control of the whole game, so it’s hard to sit here not having any points from that game, given the level of performance we put into the match.”
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