Michael Mccoll

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. WFC2 come out for battle Oh Canada Things get feisty early with a 5th minute booking for the Monarchs' Lennon Celestino Caleb Clarke tries his new cunning plan to beat the offside trap And it works as he fires WFC2 into a 21st minute lead! Nothing like the ball nestling in the opposition net How many goals has he scored so far? Three is the answer 12 minutes later a great run, control and cut back from Victor Blasco sets up the second And Ben McKendry slots home his first of the season for 2-0 WFC2 Much to the dismay of the corner flag - and the referee who incredibly books him! "He's one of our own" sing Curva Collective Someone's a hugger Thunderbird Stadium in all its glory The 'Caps look like their heading for a comfortable win before pulling one back through a 82nd minute Lucas Baldin penalty that sends keeper Spencer Richey the wrong way The Monarchs are reduced to ten men when Phanuel Kavita picks up a second yellow It's a double bottle celebration kind of day for Jackson Farmer! Ben McKendry does the Humba with Curva Collective You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

The Monarchs pulled one back through a Lucas Baldin penalty with eight minutes remaining, after Jordan Haynes brought down RSL's homegrown MLS player Sebastian Saucedo in the box. But after giving up a late equaliser against OKC Energy last weekend, there was to be no way back for the Utah side, who were reduced to ten men when Phanuel Kavita, another of the RSL's MLS players, picked up a second booking for a foul in the last minute. Vancouver looked the more dangerous team throughout, creating a number of chances but finding the Monarchs a tough team to break down at times. Real had chances of their own and did trouble the 'Caps at times, without finding a way through. WFC2 coach Alan Koch was naturally delighted with his side's first home win. "It's nice to win obviously," Koch told AFTN after the match. "It's been a long time coming. The only other win we've had was in the second game of the season so it's been a few weeks. "Give the guys credit. They've worked very, very hard for several weeks now to get that win. They've been getting sick and tired of tying at home, so I was glad that we could turn that round and get the three points today." Both teams had nine shots apiece, but Vancouver will disappointed that they appear to be mirroring the MLS side by creating some dangerous opportunities but are being let down by the final ball and the lack of clinical finishing. The defensive side of their game, and in particular not falling to another late goal, was more pleasing to Koch, but he wasn't so delighted with the overall team performance over the full 90 minutes. "We worked hard, but to be brutally honest, for the first 45 minutes I thought we weren't very good," Koch added. "We worked hard, we kept our shape, but they're a very, very good footballing team. They did good at keeping the ball. They made us run around all over the place and obviously we got a little bit tired. "But give our guys credit. The last ten minutes they score and we think, oh here we go all over again. But we hang on and showed the character to get the job done." That aspect of the Caps having to chase the ball and the Monarchs was certainly something matchwinner McKendry noticed as well. "It's credit to RSL, they came out and tried to play," McKendry told reporters after the match. "For large parts of the game, they made us chase. I think that's something we're not quite used to yet. Usually we're a team that likes to keep the ball. We did well to stay as a group. We're opportunistic and got those two goals which ultimately won us the game." The win moves WFC2 on to 9 points and a 2-4-3 record, four points off the last playoff place with a game in hand. The team is still clearly a work in progress, with all the chopping and changing of the starting line ups making it difficult to establish complete chemistry and establish a rhythm. You get the feeling it's very close to coming though and the last couple of performances have been marked improvements on some of their early season displays. "We get better every single day," Koch feels. "As I said, I wasn't that impressed with our performance today. I'd like to go watch the video, sometimes you get a different perspective from that. I was very happy with going out and obviously grinding out the result. "But our group, collectively, is getting better and better all the time. Our young guys in the team are improving and our older guys are grabbing the opportunities they've been getting. It's nice to see us rewarded today with the three points." Amongst those older players are two Americans with MLS experience. Billy Schuler played with San Jose Earthquakes last season and has played in eight of Vancouver's nine USL matches this season, starting three and grabbing two goals. Ian Christianson had two seasons with New York Red Bulls, but came to WFC2 rehabbing an injury. The midfielder got his first start with the 'Caps against the Monarchs, after two previous brief substitute appearances. Both players were brought in to add some experience to a very young WFC2 team and Koch feels that what they bring to his side will be important in the latter weeks of the season. Although fans haven't seen either player in full flow yet, Koch is confident the best is still to come from both guys. "They're obviously a little bit older than our teenagers essentially," Koch said. "They've got a little bit more experience. Both of them had good college careers and obviously have been in MLS. This is almost a second opportunity for them to see if they can do the same thing that they've done before and get themselves back into the league. It takes a little bit of time. "Billy started with us and he wasn't a 100% match fit. His match fitness is obviously a lot better now. Ian's been riddled with injuries. So we're integrating them and they've started to do better and better. Billy's scored a couple of goals and he'll hopefully continue to improve as the season goes on." Another experienced player turning out for WFC2 today was Diego Rodriguez, who played 64 minutes, and captained the side, in the centre of defence on his return from the injury he picked up against Columbus on April 8th. He looked sharp, composed in his own box and a danger at set pieces in the opponent's area. We'll have more on Rodriguez on AFTN later, but it was great to see him back and looking like he can add to the Caps in MLS. The Uruguayan was delighted to be back playing again and came through the game thankfully unscathed. "I feel very good," Rodriguez told us after the match. "It was a good game, it's a good group and we wanted to win. I felt very comfortable on the field and felt very happy." WFC2 now wrap up a three game home stand next Sunday when Arizona United come to town, with former Whitecap striker Long Tan in tow. The 'Caps are keen to make it seven points out of a possible nine against an Arizona side who are currently sitting in fourth place in the West, four points ahead of Vancouver with a 4-4-1 record. It'll be a tough game but everyone at WFC2 is keen to build on today's win and will be meeting an Arizona side coming off the back of a 3-0 US Open Cup defeat to unheralded (and relatively unknown) Californian amateur side Chula Vista Futbol Club on Wednesday and a 5-0 hammering in ULS action by Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Saturday. "They're a little bit up and down," Koch said of next week's opponents. "They were smacked on the wrong side of a rough score yesterday. I've watched videos of them already. They're a good team. A little bit hot and cold but you could say that we're a little bit hot and cold too at times. "There's no easy games in this league. The Western Conference is proving that right now. We played against Real Monarchs, who are near the bottom with us, and they're a good footballing team. There's no easy games. We'll be up for the challenge and hopefully we can get the same sort of result. Kick off is at 2pm at Thunderbird Stadium next Sunday, so get out and support the future if you can.

REPORT: Vancouver Whitecaps and the altitude of Colorado have not been happy bedfellows over the years and so it continued on Saturday night with a 1-0 loss that made it just two wins and eight points for the 'Caps in their last eight matches. Vancouver looked comfortable and the better side in the first half, but a rain delay at the break seemed to change the momentum and Colorado grabbed all three points thanks to Lucas Pittinari's 51st minute volley and a phantom call from the referee disallowing Pedro Morales' late free kick equaliser. Injuries and fatigue forced Carl Robinson's hand a little with his starting line-up in this one. Pedro Morales sat out after playing two games in the past week, with Mauro Rosales making a welcome return in the number ten role and Kianz Froese getting his first MLS start on the right wing. There was no debut start for Colorado's new DP Kevin Doyle, who began the game on the bench. The Rapids came out of the traps and forced a couple of early corners, but neither goalkeeper had much to do in the opening exchanges. Kekuta Manneh nearly brought the game to life in the 17th minute when Kianz Froese played the ball to him at the edge of the box and the Gambian brought out a fantastic save from Clint Irwin in the Rapids' goal. There was very little to note from either side, with Vancouver's tight defensive play easily keeping the home side at bay and the Whitecaps were looking the more dangerous team going forward. The 'Caps had a couple of chances in stoppage time to go in at the break with the lead. First, Octavio Rivero was sent flying on the edge of the box and Rosales sent a brilliant dipping free kick on goal which Irwin had to acrobatically tip over. The Argentine sent in the resultant corner, which was met powerfully by Rivero but his header crashed off the bar and the danger was cleared by the Rapids. With the last kick of the half, Colorado went up the pitch and Dillon Powers fired a fierce one just over, setting up what was hopefully going to be a more action packed second half. And then the heavens opened with a rain delay, little bit of lightning and a sodden pitch when the players came back out. Both teams came out on the attack to start the second half and Froese found himself in a good position in the 47th minute but pulled his shot wide right. Colorado responded with a chance for Gabriel Torres after Powers had split the defence open with a through ball, but the Panamanian fired wide under pressure from Jordan Harvey. It was just to be a temporary respite for Vancouver and Colorado took the lead in the 51st minute with a well worked goal. Gershon Koffie seemed to be fouled in the midfield, but with no whistle coming, the Rapids broke forward ending when Torres played a sublime backwards pass to Pittinari who volleyed home past David Ousted. The Whitecaps came close to levelling things up just two minutes later when Rosales hit another well taken free kick, but this time it was just wide to the left. Colorado had a great chance to double their lead in the 57th minute when Torres was in the thick of the action again, this time playing in Luis Solignac, but Ousted was out quickly to produce a point blank smothering save. Manneh had a long range try in the 66th minute that flew over but the Whitecaps were looking a little devoid of ideas in how to get back in the game and it felt like it was going to take something special to do it. Ousted came to the rescue again for Vancouver when Powers let rip from 30 yards out and the Danish stopper tipped the fierce striker over. Colorado kept the pressure on from the corner and Pittinari headed narrowly over, as the Rapids sensed blood for killing the game off. Solignac came within inches of making it two for Colorado in the 76th minute but Harvey cleared his low shot off the line, as Vancouver's defence continued to bend. Cristian Techera nearly brought Vancouver back level moments later firing a 25 yard thunderbolt that caused Irwin problems but he managed to parry it and Colorado handled the danger from the rebound. Vancouver went for an attacking substitution with their final sub, bringing their captain Morales on for defensive midfielder Matias Laba with 13 minutes remaining. And Morales thought he'd tied the game up in the 82nd minute when he curled a beautiful free kick into the postage stamp corner but the goal was ruled out for a phantom call from referee Jose Carlos Rivero, who seemingly adjudged a foul on Pa Modou Kah in the wall. Vancouver rolled the dice late on, putting center back Kendall Waston up front and the big Costa Rican turned a Darren Mattocks cross into the side netting in the final minute. The 'Caps just couldn't get anything going in the four minutes of stoppage time and fell to what is just their second away defeat of the season, but more concerning is their continued failure to turn chances into goals. With a tough home game against RSL coming up next Saturday, followed by five games on the road, the 'Caps need to find something to turn their fortunes around sharpish. FINAL SCORE: Colorado Rapids 1 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps ATT: 17,791 COLORADO: Clint Irwin; James Riley, Drew Moor, Axel Sjoberg, Marc Burch; Sam Cronin, Lucas Pittinari, Gabriel Torres (Kevin Doyle 63), Dillon Powers, Juan Ramirez (Vicente Sanchez 86); Luis Solignac [subs Not Used: Zac MacMath, Michael Harrington, Bobby Burling, Jared Watts, Charles Eloundou] VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Pa Modou Kah. Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba (Pedro Morales 77), Gershon Koffie, Kianz Froese (Cristian Techera 62), Mauro Rosales, Kekuta Manneh (Darren Mattocks 70); Octavio Rivero [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Ethen Sampson, Tim Parker, Nicolas Mezquida] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON On his feelings after the game: "I’m gutted for the guys in there; I really am, because I thought we put on a decent away performance. For them, they’re upset in there and they’re upset because it hurts. 3 players of mine get booked, I think we had 10 or 12, 13 fouls, and they had 25 fouls and 2 players get booked. Trying to explain to the group when decisions go against them is hard when you feel it’s unjustified." Thoughts on performance: [From TSN radio] "I thought the effort and application were fantastic. I thought the boys really gave the game a good go. There were a lot of positive performances from a lot of the guys. Unfortunately we were on the end of a wrong result." On if they should’ve taken their chances in the first half: "Yeah, we probably should’ve. I think we were very, very good in the first half and we had a couple of good chances which we didn’t take, and they hung in there. Second half was always going to be different. I think they had their best spell in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and they got their goal. It was a good finish by the boy, it really was, so credit to him for that, but I do think there was a foul in the lead up to that, which we didn’t get given. But we reacted very well. We had a couple of good chances at the end and obviously the disallowed goal which….disallowed goal." [From TSN radio] "I wanted us to continue playing the way we played because I thought we were very, very strong in the first 45 minutes and had the better chances out of the game. I knew that Colorado would have their phase of play in the second half, because we were good in the first half, and they did in the first 15 minutes. They managed to get their goal and obviously that was enough for them in the end." On if they are creating enough on the road to take points: "I think so; I think Kianz’s [Froese] was an excellent chance. I think if you compare Kianz’s chance to the boy Pittinari’s, we probably had the better chance. We didn’t take that, we missed it near post, he’s a super volley and, fine lines this game." Do you feel like you are in a funk after a hot start to the season? "No, not at all. Obviously, we’d like to win 7 out of 7, but that doesn’t happen. I think you look around the league, and I was watching Portland against Toronto today, and there was a dubious call on the penalty I think that was very harsh. It evens itself out; well it hopefully evens itself out. You’ve just got to get on with it, we’ve got a big game next week against Salt Lake and we’ll just keep going, because if we perform like that and play like that, we won’t be far away." On Pedro Morales' disallowed free kick: [From TSN radio] "At the time that I saw it, I thought it was a good goal, but obviously he blew a free kick for a foul on Pa [Modou Kah] in the wall. I asked [the referee] to clarify at the end of the game. He clarified and said he pushed the guy in the wall. Unfortunately, the guy in the wall, the young boy [Axel] Sjoberg, confirmed that he didn't push him and after watching the replay again, there was no contact from my player onto their player, so he has got that one wrong." On whether there was a foul on Gershon Koffie in the build-up to Colorado's goal: "It was a great finish by the boy," Robinson stated. "Fair play to him. It was great technique, it was a super strike and it's a great goal. I'll give him a lot of credit for that, but if you're asking me if there was a foul in the build-up, yes there was." Did the break hurt the Whitecaps [From TSN radio] "That is the way games go. I don't know if the longer break did hurt us or not because I was very, very pleased with the first 45 minutes and I wanted us to continue that in the second half. Opposition teams are always going to have their patterns and their time on the ball. Colorado got theirs in the first 15 minutes and obviously they managed to get that goal. I'm gutted for the boys today because the effort, the application, the attitude from them was absolutely spot on. They're a grumpy bunch in there tonight because they feel hard done by and I've got to agree with them." On the reasoning behind some of the changes to the starting line-up after three games in seven days: "It’s a tough place to come, here. Colorado, you know, they’re fighting for their lives and they get a lot of men behind the ball, they do it very well and I wanted freshness in the team. I think we had that, you know, it was always planned to make some changes at 60 minutes to come, but the subs that came on made a big impact as well, so it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately we were on the wrong end of a result." On having said that Colorado was a better team than their record showed: "I do, I think they’ve been very unlucky. I think they’ve got good players here. Pablo’s a great guy and it’s important to get your first win, especially at home, and he’s got that today, unfortunately against us. I give them credit, they’ve beaten us today. I think it’s a little bit unfortunate on us because one or two things have been taken out of our hands, but congratulations to them. We will deal with it, take it on the chin and move on." On what Mauro Rosales will give to the team now that he’s back: "That, exactly what we saw today. I thought in the first half he was absolutely excellent in the first 45 minutes. He’s such a smart player, he slows us down, he quickens us up. He’s black and blue in there, he really is. I think there’s 8 or 9 consecutive fouls on him, persistent fouling. Maybe I’m going to have to go to the rule book and find out what the rule is because I’m misreading them at the moment." On what he asked of his guys going into the game knowing that Colorado would come out strong: "I think we had the better chances in the first half I think we had the more clear chances. Colorado is a good team, they’ve got good players and no two halves of football are the same. I think if you look in this league, the team that plays better in the first half sometimes doesn’t play as well in the second half. We knew Colorado would push. It was important that when they pushed we didn’t give anything away. When they pushed in the first 15 minutes, they got their goal; we give something away so we were always chasing the game then. The conditions were the same for both teams. It’s tough playing at altitude, but we had enough chances to get something out of the game and that’s why I’m disappointed for the guys in there and they’re disappointed." DAVID OUSTED: On tonight’s game: "I thought that we should have gotten a draw away from here, and I thought the team showed some character throughout a tough match." On personal performance of the night: "I am happy with what I did tonight. At the end of the day we still didn’t get any points, and that is the most important thing, so I am disappointed." On season performance of the team: "I think we played another really sound defensive game today. I thought we got the balance right between the defense and the offense, and had a number of chances. I thought we deserved more." What are the positives you can take away from today: "We showed character; that we can battle in these tough games." MAURO ROSALES On what the difference was tonight: "The goal they scored, because we managed the game. We played very well. I think the team shows character. We battled out there and it’s a pity that we couldn’t get a result in our favor. I think we deserved at least a draw. We had chances. We worked very hard to get anything, but with soccer they were more effective than us. Just change the pace and just move forward. I think that playing like that away the way that we did, we can be ok. We can keep moving forward from that." On how they were able to get good looks but no goals: "Actually having the chances to score is what we have to keep getting in position for. We have to keep moving and generate chances, but try to be more effective. As soon as we don’t get chances, the strikers aren’t going to get anything. We are happy that we could build and offensively play very well, and also as a team we played very well today. Like I said before, it’s a pity that we couldn’t get anything. We’ve been very close. We scored one, but unfortunately it was a call that happens in games, so just move forward and being positive of a lot of stuff that we did well today, and obviously learn from the loss." On team’s current streak: "I think all the teams are going to have this kind of trouble in the season. As soon as we go through that learning, especially today playing the way that we did, you have to be confident for what is ahead of us. It’s a long season, the best of our team could be much better, I’m very confident that we can play much better. We hope that we can do it the following games. This is what we all want and we believe that we can do it so we want to move forward, always learning and always going for more." COLORADO RAPIDS PABLO MASTROENI On first home win of the season: "It feels great. I think we caught some breaks today, but it feels great. You need results to validate all of the hard work you put in Monday through Friday that no one else sees. These guys have not made any excuses or complained. They go in every week Monday through Friday and give everything they have for a result like this. I’m so happy for those guys. I’ve never met a group of more deserving men." On Solignac and Doyle’s debut: "I thought they were tremendous. I think they brought a different dynamic to the group that we didn’t have. They bring good quality to the group, they’re great teammates, but they fight as well. They get stuck in when need be. In this league, it’s a long season and a tough league. To have these guys join us at this time, I think is going to be a big lift for this group." On the goal: "To be fair it happened so fast I didn’t really see it. It was some good combination play, and a good finish. I think at home the last couple of games we’ve been creating a lot but haven’t been able to finish. It’s great to see that ball finally hit the back of the net. We’ve been working on that kind of stuff non-stop over the last couple of weeks. To see it come to fruition through some dynamic play, to finally finish a play with a goal was fantastic." On feelings after the win: "At the end of the season it all comes back to the mean. You’re going to get breaks or you’re not going to get breaks. We’re on the front end of a lot of the bad breaks. This was one of those games that instils belief and instils momentum. These three points aren’t just the first win at home; I think it’s starting something special going forward." On preparing for the second half during the weather delay: "We have the comfort of home here. The guys were spinning on the bike. We just kept it really low key. We didn’t want to spend a lot of energy getting them riled up. We had gone through a delay last week, and it was long. We just wanted to keep the legs loose and keep the minds right. The guys were talking amongst themselves and staying focused. I think they did a good job of that. We came out quite focused, and quite sharp in the second half." On keeping Solignac in for the full 90 minutes: "Initially, you don’t want to expose them to that. I felt he was very comfortable. He came in as one of the fittest players in Rapids history, is what I gathered from the medical staff. He blew through every physical test, and tested the best. From that perspective it wasn’t a concern for me. As the game went on I didn’t even think twice. This guy is a machine. He fought for balls and held the balls up great. I think it’s something in the past where we’ve had some difficulty is getting the ball up front and then holding the ball up so we can bring some guys up and set up our attack. I think today both him and Kevin Doyle did a good job of bringing the team into the attack." Did missing the game last week help in that aspect? "If he were to score two last week, he probably would have come into this week more confident. The important thing is that the mindset after a long delay there, we had a tough week of training. We just wanted to get the guys hungry and competitive. It was a lot of work, so they overcame a lot in the last week and a half. They put forth a tremendous spirit, played some good stuff, and created some good opportunities. I’m really happy with the effort and the mentality of the group." On tactical adjustments at halftime: "I think we were playing a bit narrow in the first half. We were sloppy with our passing in the attacking third, and weren’t moving the ball quick enough. We didn’t create width, we didn’t move the ball quick enough and we were giving it away cheap. Those are three things that won’t allow you to get close to goal, more importantly will create a good counter attacking situation for the other team. I think in the second half we moved the ball quicker, we looked forward with our passes and were able to bypass some lines. As the game wears on, especially here at home we know that we are going to get our looks. I was happy with the first half that we didn’t concede a goal and for the first time this year we weren’t chasing it. We didn’t feel like we had to expose ourselves. We just stayed in the game, stayed focused, waited for our opportunity and took it well." On the upcoming match against Seattle: "They’re obviously a tough team. At the moment here it is just about recovery- getting the body right, getting the mind right and approaching the Seattle game like we’ve done every game on the road. We’ve gone to tough places in LA and in New York, Houston, we’ve played in some places this year and found ways to get results. The mentality and mindset of this group is to go there and do the same. It’s going to take 90+ minutes of concentration, effort and commitment, and some good soccer as well. I think we have a group now with the addition of Doyle and Solignac, the three points, and the momentum- we have a lot of good things going for us to go there with the right mentality and to get a good result." LUIS SOLIGNAC On his debut with the Rapids: "I feel great. I think the team had a really good effort. We deserved the three points, so I am really happy." On the first half: "I think the plan was to play some long balls in the beginning to stretch the team, but the two defenders were really tough, so the second half we tried to play a bit more on the ground. We knew they would get tired because of the altitude, so we were smart and held the ball until they were tired, then went for the attack." On the effect of the altitude: "I didn’t think about it much during the game. I was trying to focus on the game so I didn’t think about the altitude. It really works because I didn’t feel it at all." On chemistry with other players: "It felt really good. Today we really helped the team. The subs came in and did a good job, so I think that is the way we should continue to play. On the atmosphere in the locker room postgame: "We really needed it. We’ve tied many games, so the team really needed a win. It was a great atmosphere." On first experience against a MLS backline: "It was tougher than I thought. They were big and physical players. I think that we found that when we had the ball on our feet, they struggled a bit because they were really physical. We tried to play on the ground and it really worked." LUCAS PITTINARI On your game-winning goal: "It looked like a mishit from Dillon Powers that reached Gaby [Torres] and I think he saw me out of the corner of his eye and was able to flick the ball to me. I hit a half-volley and thankfully it went in." On moving forward after the first home win of the season: "The team has been working extremely hard with a lot of humility and sacrifice. Things weren’t really going our way and we weren’t getting the results we were looking for but tonight we were able to get the win. I think it will bring a bit of calmness just in time for our next game in a few days. Right now we need to focus on our recovery because we will need to put in a great performance at Seattle to try and get a positive result." On the team’s mentality and resilience: "I think we were very smart out there tonight and extremely solid in the back, which was costing us a little in past games. We were able to create some clear chances in the second half and eventually got the goal." On Solignac and Doyle’s first performance with the team: "They are very important to the team. They are two players with a lot of experience and great mobility. We have welcomed them and I hope they are able to adapt as best and quickly as possible because we will definitely need them." KEVIN DOYLE How would you assess your first performance with the club? "We won so it was nice. It was a little shaky at the end but it was nice to get the win. I needed that time on the pitch to get involved and the altitude didn’t feel too bad." On your chemistry with your teammates: "It’s hard after only training for a few days but they’re good players. We were close to getting another goal and I think we should’ve scored another one. There was some good football and it was great for me to get out there. I didn’t know if I was going to or not after a long week with a lot of new things to take in." On the ovation from the crowd: "It was brilliant. Ever since I’ve gotten here everyone has been very enthusiastic not only with me but with everyone as well. I think we were just waiting for that win that’s been a long time coming. It was a strange night with the weather and the delay but most of the crowd stuck by us and got rewarded by that thankfully." On playing on turf at Seattle next week: "It will be my first time since I played once in Russia about five, six years ago. I’ll be fine and I’m sure I won’t have any problems." What did the coaches ask from you tonight?: "They just told me to come on and sit in between midfield and the center forward. When we didn’t have the ball I would sit in and help out on the midfield and when we did have it, I would push up and try to get forward as much as I could."

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The calm before the storm - when 'Caps fans were hopeful Would it be a feast or a famine for Sigi Schmid? Carl Robinson gets lost in the moment Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI The other mob Early trouble for Vancouver as Chad Barrett latches on to a Clint Dempsey through ball and fires home the opener Five minutes gone and 1-0 Seattle amid jubilant scenes from the visitors Pedro Morales almost ties it up immediately with a looping effort that it tipped over the bar Then Kendall Waston comes close to an equaliser for the 'Caps Matias Laba picks up another early yellow card More Whitecaps woe as Barrett gets on the end of a perfect Pappa pass Firing past Ousted in the 38th minute to make it 2-0 Seattle Someone loves X-Box (us if there's any freebies going!) With nothing happening in the second half, Darren Mattocks sees what it's like to be Cristian Techera for a bit Octavio Rivero seems unlikely to get a penalty call in MLS this season Darwin Jones nearly makes it 3-0 for Seattle late on, but Ousted comes up big Sadly someone's going home happy You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

REPORT (by Steve Pandher) For the second straight match Vancouver Whitecaps gave up an early goal but this time there would be no comeback as Seattle Sounders held on comfortably for a 2-0 win at B.C. Place. All the scoring came in the first half as Chad Barrett scored a brace while the Sounders defence limited Vancouver’s chances, earning Stefan Frei a cleansheet. The opening goal came in the fifth minute. Octavio Rivero's header found its way to Clint Dempsey who sent the ball over the backline allowing Barrett to beat the offside trap, take a touch into the box and finish past David Ousted to the far post to give the visitors the lead. Pedro Morales almost responded two minutes later when he got around a couple of defenders and attempted a shot that forced Frei to tip it over the bar. Then it was Kendall Waston’s turn, as his header from a Morales free kick was caught by Frei, denying another chance to even the match. Still inside 20 minutes, Kekuta Manneh had a chance from a tight angle with his shot skimming the crossbar and then moments later he set up Morales outside the box, with this attempt missing to the left of the net. After being kept quiet for the majority of the half, Octavio Rivero had his first attempt on goal blocked. The missed chances would prove to be costly as the 'Caps gave up another goal to Chad Barrett in the 38th minute and it was in a similar fashion to the opener. This time it was Marco Pappa who would provide the service into the left channel of the box and Barrett would take a first time shot to the far post to double Seattle’s lead. Within the first five minutes after the break the Whitecaps had a chance to pull one back when Manneh sent in a cross to the far post and found Rivero, but his header was easily caught by Frei. The remainder of the second half saw a number chances by the 'Caps either missed or blocked with the best chance coming from second half sub Darwin Jones for the Sounders late on. It was a frustrating game for the Whitecaps, especially for the attackers who were unable to find any space in the final third. Even when they got around the box the Seattle defenders negated chances by closing down quickly and blocking shots. Defensively, the Whitecaps backline fell asleep a couple times and allowed the Sounders to capitalise on their few chances in the first half. Both goals saw the Sounder midfielders place the ball in a perfect spot allowing Barrett to make the most of his opportunities. With the loss the Whitecaps have dropped from the top of the Western Conference into second, and are now only a point ahead of the Sounders with their rivals having played two less matches. However, before they get a chance to bounce back in MLS action and try to climb back to the top, Vancouver will travel to face FC Edmonton in the second leg of the Voyageurs Cup semi-final on Wednesday, where they'll need to put in a better performance than their last two matches to have any chance of advancing. FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 0 - 2 Seattle Sounders ATT: 21,000 (sell-out) VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Pa-Modou Kah, Jordan Harvey; Matías Laba, Russell Teibert (Gershon Koffie 64); Cristian Techera (Darren Mattocks 61), Pedro Morales, Kekuta Manneh (Kianz Froese 76); Octavio Rivero [substitutes not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Nicolás Mezquida, Tim Parker, Robert Earnshaw] SEATTLE: Stefan Frei; Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans, Chad Marshall, Dylan Remick; Marco Pappa (Leonardo González 90+2), Osvaldo Alonso, Gonzalo Pineda, Lamar Neagle (Darwin Jones 85); Clint Dempsey, Chad Barrett (Andy Rose 72) [substitutes not used: Troy Perkins, Cristian Roldan, Zach Scott, Michael Azira] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON On whether who scored first had the game: "Yeah I think so. They're a good team. Supporters' Shield winners, we know that, good players. First goals change games. I couldn't fault the group, I really couldn't. The way that we played the first half especially. To go in two-nil down at half time was difficult to take. The first goal was probably going to be the deciding factor." On whether the body language of Vancouver's players indicated they'd given up: "I don't think that's a very fair assessment. When you're playing a very good team, and they are a very good team, the first goal changes the game. We were able to play through them in the first half. In the second half, when the dynamic of the game has changed, they have the ball, they keep the ball. They've got some very good, experienced players who know how to manage the game and slow it, and they did. "When you're chasing, it becomes hard so naturally your body language changes because you're chasing. When you're winning the game, you don't feel you're chasing because you have the ball. When you're not, unfortunately you do." On Robert Earnshaw [and why he wasn’t brought on]: “Because it wasn’t a case of we had pinned them back. It was a case of the game was still wide open and I think he’s good in and around the box. If I want to put Earnshaw on and the result would’ve finished the same, I’m sure it might have been ‘Well, why didn’t you put Darren on,’ and those decisions you have to make as a manager and a coach. I just felt it was right.” On Kendall Waston: “The front two players for Seattle are fantastic players, and they’ve got good movement. We planned all week for Clint and [Obi], Obi didn’t play and Chad came in and credit to Chad, that’s two super finishes. The second one was a fantastic finish with his left foot. But, it’s not nice when you concede any goal and we knew that would be the case. They would get the chances down that channel and we worked on it, and unfortunately we didn’t execute it… 15 chances and we were able to score none today.” On Seattle’s defending: “That’s credit to them. Whenever you lose you get back to basics and we’ll have to do that. They deserved the victory today. Even though we played well.” Thoughts on if this game is a step back: “I wouldn’t stay a step back, you’ve got to take these on the chin now and again. You’ve got to have disappointment then to have an excitement and elation. Today’s a disappointment for us. Because it is our rivals, but make no doubt about it, we know they’re a good team. Whether they’re second, third, fourth, wherever in the table, they are going to be there or thereabouts at the end of the year. We have to make sure we are. So, we just have to rebound because we’re going to lose games this year. The good teams are able to bounce back.” On the three matches lost at home and their performance at home: “We’ve lost a game of football today. It’s unfortunate we’ve lost three games at home. We’ve got to make sure we don’t lose at home. And we did today so I’ll take responsibility for that. We need to do better. Myself included.” On Russell Teibert being taken off [and was it because of Wednesday’s match]: “No. I thought he was dead on his feet. He was playing very well. He was excellent in possession of the ball. I just asked him how much energy he had and he just seemed a little bit tired compared to the levels that he had so it was just Koffie thirty minute fresh legs. That was the only reason.” On Cristian Techera being ‘out-muscled’: “If you look at the size of him, he’s not going to change overnight. He needs to think with his head and I think he got some great positions today and caused Seattle a lot of problems without the final execution. And that was throughout the team, a lot of the guys got into some good areas and we didn’t execute.” On Mauro Rosales’ recovery: “It would have been a massive risk to play him. I don’t take massive risks as you know. So he’ll probably be good to go next week. Maybe Wednesday, but we’ll see how he trains on Monday.” On Sam Adekugbe’s injury: “Sam will be a few weeks. It’s not as originally bad as first feared, which is good. That’s why he has a smile on his face, but he’ll be a few weeks.” STEVEN BEITASHOUR Thoughts on disappointing loss: “Yes, definitely, it’s disappointing especially being at home and against Cascadia rivals. We started off strong but giving that goal just deflated us, deflated the crowd, you could tell. We couldn’t rebound from it.” Thoughts on three losses at home: “It’s not a trend we want to continue. When we come home, we want to play in front of our crowd. They are so supportive, so loud and they get behind us. We have to give them something to cheer for and that early goal didn’t give them something to get on their feet for.” Thoughts on being 2-0 down at halftime and having to fight back from there: “Yes, it’s tough. They are a smart team, they are mature, they are old, they have been around the block a few times so they know how to keep the ball and make us chase and tire us out. You’re just chasing empty grass around, chasing the ball and never getting anything on it. We’re down two-nothing and you have to chase. You can’t just sit back. Otherwise, they are going to waste all the time in the world. It’s one of those things, it’s a tough situation to be in. We would like to not go down in the first place so we don’t have to worry about that but sometimes things happen and they get lucky breaks where they get one half-chance and one goal and we’re going to have to do a better job coming back.” On Sounders' strengths: ”They’ve been there. They are a veteran team. They’ve got good players in every spot from goalkeeper to their forwards. They were Supporters’ Shield winners last season for a reason. They got their squad back. We started off strong. I think we had it but to give up a too easy of a goal is deflating so we can’t do that. We have to be smarter and sharper at home and even on the road. We can’t do that again.” On avoiding complacency and continuing to work: “We know we’ve got a good team but we want to get to a great team. In order to get there, we have to get the stuff out. So we can’t come in thinking we know this is going to be easy. We know it’s going to be tough. We have to continue to work and improve. We have to see those two goals as perfect examples on not being complacent and letting something like that easy go in.” DAVID OUSTED Thoughts on the match: “It was very disappointing. I thought other than maybe the first 30 minutes, they were the better team. We lacked a little bit of fire and unfortunately they deserved to win today.” On what he could have done better on the two Sounders goals: “I just saw it again and my first step will always be forward to see if I can get there. In that situation, my decision is that I can’t get there – if I get to him in a 50-50 ball and I have to clip him then I’m off. I looked at it again and I stand by my decision. I’ll go look at it again and see if I can learn something but all in all, it’s a split-second decision and I don’t think I could have done anything differently. The second one, I’m a little bit more inclined to say that on a good day, I get there. He gets in behind and takes it first time. A good volley into the side-netting but I think, looking at my position there, I’m more inclined to say that that’s a save from me on a good day.” On lessons learned from Sounders defence: “I think we need to put a bit more tempo to it. Like you say, they are a very experienced team and they did really well slowing the game down, keeping the ball and whenever the ball went out, they took their time as they are supposed to do. Whenever we get on the ball, I think we need to try to speed it up. Speedier passes going forward. It’s harder for the guys though I saw they did really well closing them down. Whenever we got in their box they had a lot of people in there around the ball.” On defending Chad Barrett: “We knew that their two front guys was going to do that. Whether it was Obafemi Martins and Clint Dempsey or Martins and Barrett, we knew that one of them was going in behind. So it wasn’t a surprise. Unfortunately, he got in twice and finished it twice. We’ll take a look at that and become better in those situations.” On performance at home so far in the season: “I feel like we’re trying to make this our fortress. We’re trying to make this a tough place to play. We haven’t found that consistency at home. We really want to put on a performance and put on a show for the fans. We need to find that balance and we need to look at how we can get better.” SEATTLE SOUNDERS SIGI SCHMID Thoughts on the match: “We are pleased. We are pleased with the result. I thought the team played very well tactically. We learned from last week as well and put those lessons into effect. I thought we did a good job of shutting down the balls over the top. I thought we shut down Rivero fairly well and I thought we had Morales in check for most of the game also. We had some timely finishing from Chad.” On Chad Barrett: “Chad’s a forward, he’s scored goals in this league before. He is part of our team, he is a good player and scored goals for us last year. We talked about it, I said ‘hey here’s your chance, you’ve got to make use of your opportunity, concentrate, focus on the game.’ I tried to keep him in between the two centre backs and look for those little gaps when they popped up and he finished both his chances really well.” On Brad Evans: “I thought Brad was good. I thought the whole defence was good. Tyrone Mears has been solid on the outside. He’s got a tough day with guarding Manneh and I thought he did a good job with him. Remick did well and Ozzie [Alonso] sitting in that gap in front of them makes us a much more solid team defensively. I know we gave away more shots, but so many of their shots were from distance, they were not very troublesome. It’s good for the stats but they weren’t dangerous.” On frustrating Whitecaps on defence: “We talked about dropping our line. We talked about establishing our line of confrontation a bit further back. We know they like to get the ball to Morales and stretch the team by having Manneh and Techera run behind the defence. We want to take that space away from them and I thought we did that very well.” On Darwin Jones’ first appearance: “He did well. We thought at the very end that his speed could present a problem. He had a good opportunity there on goal. If he hits it a little more far post maybe he sneaks it past him. For his first experience, I’m sure he was a bit nervous but we felt it was the right time to bring him in.” On whether this was a statement win for Seattle: “It’s early in the season but we wanted to let people know that we are still here. We haven’t disappeared. I know Dallas and Vancouver have been on top of the table pretty much from the beginning of the season. But we wanted to let people know the road still goes through Seattle.” On Chad Marshall: “Chad certainly helped us. He solidifies our backline. His defending is an important part of our team. More than anything we asked Chad to change his game. Chad was never a guy who wanted to play possession. I thought he did a great job at it today. He is getting more and more comfortable. He is a good passer of the ball. Sometimes he doesn’t want it but he is a good passer. Obviously his leadership, his ability to win headers, the one block that he made. I forgot who dribbled across and he came sliding out to block that shot, that was a big play.” On getting a clean sheet: “It meant a lot. Three out of our back four are new guys. Remick didn’t play that much last year. Tyrone’s a new guy, we shifted Brad Evans position and I think those guys are really starting to gel and understand each other.” On Obafemi Martins' injury: “We’ll see. We are hoping he will be able to train next week and we will make a decision as we come into the weekend.” STEFAN FREI Thoughts on the game: “Great. This was probably our best performance overall just because we were very efficient and in control offensively and defensively. So at all times our possession was on spot. The way we took care of our chances was clinical. It was a pleasure to watch it from the back and at no point was there panic from any of us and that is against a really good team. They like to go a million miles an hour and they usually have that energy to do that for 90 minutes, but when you see some of their guys being dead tired at the end of the game, that means great possession against a team that usually runs you into the ground.” On Barrett scoring two goals: “Clinical. Sometimes it might be tough when you’re on the bench and not seeing the field too much. I think we all believe we are one big unit. And we all have to keep working hard in training and make sure we are ready when we are called upon. He took his chances well today and we needed it.” BRAD EVANS On position change and playing in the back: “With that position you kind of look back at games as a learning experience. San Jose was a big one where maybe I got too complacent. Last week I think I got a little too complacent as well. I watched some tape this week. We said there is no pressure on the ball, let’s trap and we absorbed pressure better like that and play out the back. They are all learning experiences and I am trying not to get ahead of myself.” On two goals by Barrett: “It’s awesome. It’s so important and that’s about building a deep team. As we step into Champions League and Open Cup this year, it is what we need to capture multiple trophies.”

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. Oh Canada, Oh Whitecaps Vancouver Whitecaps starting XI Gershon Koffie's mistake lets in Tomi Ameobi Who easily fires home the opener for Edmonton just four minutes in Happy days indeed for the Eddies Worse is to come for the 'Caps as Sam Adekugbe strains his right ankle A tough injury for young Sam. He's been for tests. How long he'll be out is still unknown. More bodies hit the floor The Whitecaps will have been glad to see the back of that half Meanwhile, Sam is already in a boot and on crutches The second half starts more brightly as Erik Hurtado has an early chance Before wasting an even more golden opportunity in the 66th minute The shock of seeing indoor plumbing was too much to take for some Edmonton players Just as it was looking bleak for Vancouver, Koffie shows some nice footwork in the box and fires home an 87th minute equalizer Can we get our ball back mister? As the game enters stoppage time, Robert Earnshaw finds himself clear in the box But it's just too tight and angle and the ball ends up in the side netting Paolo Tornaghi finally got to get a Whitecaps start. Really pleased for the Italian keeper Twas a tough night for Captain Koffie Eddies coach Colin Miller knows history is in the making for his side next week While Carl Robinson knows his 'Caps have a tough time ahead of them if they are to advance You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

REPORT (by Steve Pandher): For the second straight match Vancouver Whitecaps started slow and this time it cost them as they drew FC Edmonton 1-1 in the first leg of their Voyageurs Cup semi-final. While Gershon Koffie’s late goal was able to salvage a tie for the MLS side, it was his mistake in the opening minutes that gave the Eddies the vital away goal from Tomi Ameobi. Koffie’s error came in the fourth minute when he was pressured by Ritchie Jones forcing him to turn into Ameobi. The striker took the ball away and walked into the box easily scoring past a helpless Paolo Tornaghi. The remainder of the first half saw the visitors sit back and absorb any little pressure the Caps were able to mount. Of the five attempts on goal, none tested the keeper, with three of them getting blocked and two of them missing by a wide margin. It took four minutes into the second half for Vancouver to get one on target with Matt Van Oekel gathering a up a shot from Erik Hurtado. The 'Caps striker had another glorious chance in the 66th when Mattocks was able head the ball into Hurtado’s path but his wild first time attempt missed to the right of the goal. With 15 minutes to go, Ameobi had a couple of chances to get Edmonton a second away goal but both attempts were sent wide. The Caps were finally able to rescue a draw with three minutes to go, as Gershon Koffie made up for his early flub. He took the cross from Jordan Harvey, cut back to his left and poked the ball past Van Oekel for the equaliser. In added time, the Caps almost grabbed the lead when second half sub Robert Earnshaw found himself free on the right side of the goal, but there was little room due to the tight angle and he sent the ball into the side netting. The Whitecaps will now go up north to take on FC Edmonton in the second leg with the hope to advance to Voyageur Cup final. However before that they will host their Cascadian rivals Seattle Sounders on Saturday at BC Place in a crucial Western Conference matchup. FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 1 FC Edmonton ATT: 15,283 VANCOUVER: Paolo Tornaghi; Ethan Sampson, Tim Parker, Christian Dean, Sam Adekugbe (Jordan Harvey 4); Gershon Koffie, Deybi Flores (Kekuta Manneh 74), Kianz Froese, Nicolas Mezquida (Robert Earnshaw 61), Erik Hurtado; Darren Mattocks [substitutes not used: Marco Carducci, Ben McKendry, Russell Teibert, Caleb Clarke] EDMONTON: Matt Van Oekel, Eddie Edward, Mallan Roberts, Kareem Moses, Johann Smith, Sainey Nyassi (Michael Nonni 88), Ritchie Jones, Christian Raudales, Daryl Fordyce (Tomas Granitto 80), Lance Laing, Tomi Ameobi [substitutes not used: John Sits, Allan Zebie, Sadi Jalali, Hanson Boakai, Chad Burt] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON Thoughts on the match: “I’m delighted we got the goal in the end. I thought we deserved it the way we played. There was a lot of good performances, there were others that were okay. I’ve asked them individually to look at it and we’ll look at it collectively but as I said I think we deserved something out of that game.” Thoughts on an error leading to the goal: “I spoke to my coaches at halftime. I want us to play. I want us to be a team that tries to pass the ball and play and because I want to do that [but] we will make mistakes. I likened it a little bit to Steven Gerrard giving the ball away against Chelsea and they lost the Premier League. Gershon gives the ball away in a cup competition in the first few minutes of the game, they catch us and they score. Would you tell Steven Gerrard to do the things that he shouldn’t do? Nah. So I’m not telling Koffie to do that. I’ll take responsibility for that cause I want them to play. I think we grew into the game and obviously they answered in the end.” Thoughts on players being nervous: “Yeah maybe. They shouldn’t be but I think for some it was. Got to get used to it. In front of our fans, we play in front of 20,000 every week. We go to Portland, we go to Seattle on the road, so you got to get used to it. We will. We're in the big boy world now." Thoughts on players being unfamiliar with each other: “Maybe in games they haven’t played enough minutes together, but they train together and I think as the game grew they got stronger and more confident with each other. They played some decent stuff at times. That’s the encouragement I’m going to take away. Even if we have won or lost this game, the tie is not over. We got a game next Wednesday, but a game we will be ready for.” Thoughts on injuries affecting next game: “Yeah I wanted to come out of the game without any injuries, which is why I rested some of the guys, but obviously that didn’t work. My fault for that one. Sam isn’t looking great if I’m honest. He will be re-assessed by the doctor. He landed awkwardly so I’ll keep my fingers crossed on that one. Deybi Flores – it’s just the bum cheek so that’s not too bad.” Thoughts on Jordan playing so many minutes lately: “Yeah I’m lucky he is a fit boy aren’t I? I didn’t want to use him today. I wanted him rested but we got him. He was very composed when he came on as I expect form a senior player. He managed the game very well, managed his performance very well as well and set the standard as well.” What was said at halftime? “I just said to them to be confident. The game panned out exactly as I thought it would. Unfortunately I didn’t think about giving them a goal after two or three minutes. The way they played was exactly how I thought. I thought they slowed the game down. I give Colin credit. His team managed the game very well which is why I said to him at the end in the 46th, 49th minute, in the 55th minutes – your players are going down. It’s not why we pay to watch football. The ball wasn’t in play enough.” Thoughts on Paolo’s game: “It was quiet for Paolo today. Conceding after a couple of minutes is probably not nice for him, but he was good. “ Thoughts on playing more senior players in the return leg: “Maybe. We’ve got a big game on the weekend which obviously our focus turns to now. We’ll try and win that game against Seattle cause it’s a massive game for the club, it’s a massive game for the group in there. We’ll put this game to bed now and we’ll deal with Saturday and we’ll get back to work on this game on Sunday or Monday." ROBERT EARNSHAW Thoughts on the match: “I think it was a difficult game. I think there’s a lot of things we can work on. I think for at least half the game we struggled to make a difference. We struggled with the competitiveness. I think they wanted the game more than us in the first half and this is crucial because that’s when they got the goal. I think second half we were much better. We slowed the game down ourselves but passed the ball quicker. This was key because once you start moving the ball – the ball is quicker than everybody else on the pitch. So once we start moving the ball, trying to create angles and make space, that’s when we got our spaces.” Thoughts on Edmonton slowing down the play in the second half: “Credit to them. They tried to be clever. They played the game, they played within the rules and the sportsmanship was obviously difficult but this is the cleverness of the details of football. Sometimes when you can understand the game and see what’s going on, you have to slow it down. They were clever. Credit to them. Obviously they made it difficult for us.” Thoughts on his missed scoring opportunity: “I think I would probably have taken the touch inside. I think that would have opened the goal up a little bit more. It was a very tight angle and I just tried to hit the roof of the net. I just thought in that split second that going across the goal would have been too tight. The bigger angle was to go high, so I just sliced the ball a little bit. These chances will come and I’m sure if I have another one I’ll put it in. These things happen, but the key thing is we created the chance. I almost got it just before that as well. I’ll take this chance – that’s what we are all about. We are happy that we make the chances.” GERSHON KOFFIE Thoughts on the match: “I think we came out to win this game. Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, but we didn’t lose. We’ll take the positives out of this game.” Thoughts on you having to make up for the mistake: “Mistakes are part of the game. Mistakes happen here and there. Thanks to my teammates, they helped to fight back.” Thoughts on the comeback from a goal down: “We ended up 1-1, but we train tomorrow and do our corrections and we train what to do. It’s all about us and what we do next weekend. The focus is on this weekend’s game and then we focus on the next game, which is on Wednesday.” Thoughts on younger players being nervous: “I think for some of the guys it’s not their first game, but it’s their first game starting. I wouldn’t say there is so much nerves but really the first 15 to 20 minutes they have to be nervous about the game but they are strong, and their mentality is strong to come back.” Thoughts on being captain “It’s great. The group of boys inside are fantastic guys. To be their leader is something that is blessed. I love to be with them and I love to lead them.” FC EDMONTON COLIN MILLER Thoughts on the match “I’ve got to say that I am extremely proud as head coach of FC Edmonton tonight. And on behalf of our owner Tom Fath in the corner there, very proud of the players. You know we have just arrived from New York on Monday late in the afternoon, played in 87 degrees, little bit warmer than it has been in Edmonton as you guys saw last Wednesday. To put an effort in like that tonight I think is fantastic, absolutely fantastic. We wanted to keep the tie tight, score an away goal which we did and I thought for a spell in the first half almost gave the impetus back to the Whitecaps sometimes because we gave the ball away too easy in the wrong areas. That gives the crowd a lift because it gives the Whitecaps a lift. But the heart, the determination, the character was everything the Eddies stand for. I am very proud of everyone in the club and everyone back home is very proud of the team as well. So it’s been a really good evening and as soon as I saw the six minutes go up, I thought bad words because we saw that six minutes go up in Montreal and the same referee gave a penalty, a very dodgy penalty. The guys weathered the storm as you would imagine it is a very very talented Whitecaps group. Whoever plays for the ‘Caps has got real quality and I am sure they are the envy of the MLS with the talent that they have at their disposal. Carl’s done a great job with the group here. So all in all absolutely ecstatic about the attitude, individual performances, there were some fantastic performances. Very proud of our team tonight.” Thoughts on upcoming game and if players will be rested: “Absolutely no rest at all, what do you think this is a country club? No, we will assess the guys obviously. We get up tomorrow, travel back to Edmonton, more of a recovery day on Friday and then we will assess it on Saturday, if there’s some knocks, some pains or whatever which is understandable. We’ve got a very difficult game on Sunday against San Antonio who won the Soccer Bowl last season. So we will have to regroup, program the thoughts to as much recovery as we can and then get ready for a real battle. We are good at home. We are unbeaten in 11 games at home so we’ve got a lot to look forward too. The incentive is there for the guys to play well on Sunday so it gives everyone a lift because I was so disappointed in giving away four goals. It was the first time in almost three seasons that our club has given away four goals on Sunday. The manner that we gave them was very poor. But we finished a stronger team against the Cosmos. We’ve had a lot of games, a lot of travelling recently and it doesn’t get any easier. As an ex-professional myself I wanted to play in games rather than train so for some it’s been great but for the guys doing the running out there it’s not been fun.” Thoughts on Whitecaps losing two players and if that changes things tactically: “No, not at all, because as I have said earlier it is what the Eddies do. It’s what we do and we play well at home. We play very well at home and we play dangerous, we’ve got real good pace. It doesn’t matter. We won’t change. We haven’t changed for any team that has come into Edmonton. The same culture, the same desire and passion that’s a demand of every training session with our team and anything below that would be disappointing. We know we will have to be at our very best again on Wednesday and it’s a very talented Vancouver Whitecaps team. Regardless who puts on a Whitecaps jersey has quality. Once again we will have to be on our best and hope the Whitecaps have an off day. I’m not under any illusions, not getting carried away. It was a solid away performance in the cup against a very talented team with lots of pace. I thought we more than matched them with the passion and the desire and the way we organized the team.” Thoughts on goalkeeper Matt Van Oekel: “Yeah, he was poor on Sunday and I told him. It’s not anything he hasn’t heard before. I gave him the belt on Monday when we arrived in Vancouver because it was disappointing by his standards. But tonight he has answered the bell and that’s why we brought him to the club, to put in performances like that. He made two very good saves to keep us in the tie. In all honesty the guys were heavy legged at that point. Rob Earnshaw broke through against Kareem Moses. I worked with Earnie when I was at Derby County in the English Premier League so he’s normally deadly from there so thank goodness he managed to miss the chance. But big Matt was excellent. He came up big when he needed to and that’s what he is paid for. He’s paid to make those saves at that time.” TOMI AMEOBI Thoughts on the draw: “I think we probably deserved to get a little more out of the game. They were pushing in the second half, and obviously going down to 10 men kind of killed us a bit. They managed to get the goal when we had our man off.” Eddies performance after Sunday’s loss at New York Cosmos: “I think with our work ethic and the attitude, the boys put in a great shift tonight. We just need to make sure we do that game in and game out, not just when big games like this arise.” What they expect in the second leg next week: “They’ll be coming out all guns blazing, I’m guessing. But we know that we ourselves are not just going to sit back and try and hold on. We know how strong we are at home, especially in the second half.” "We’re definitely going to go and try and get a goal or two to try and kill the tie off. But we’re going to have to be ready because it will be a very strong Whitecaps team coming next Wednesday.”

We kick off our chats with the players with our first ever CWNT "Teammates" section, as Emily Zurrer shares some insights and home truths about the team. Who has the worst dress sense? Who's the most intelligent? And who takes the longest in the shower and in front of the bathroom mirror? All this and more inside info! One name that cropped up a few times in Emily's "Teammates" section (and Karina Leblanc's which you'll hear in another episode) was midfielder Rhian Wilkinson. Now, I have to admit here, Rhian was my particular favourite player we spoke with for these two podcasts. She was great fun to chat with (not the others weren't, but we could have chatted with her for way longer than we did!) and we covered a whole host of topics including what playing a World Cup in Canada means to her, the learning process from tournaments past and whether a coaching role is in her plans after she finishes playing. Away from the playing side we find out about her podcast habits, her childhood without television and playing so many other sports, whose Panini sticker she carried around and we try and get her to write for us here at AFTN (the offer of which is still open Rhi!!). Taking a break from the players for a few minutes, we chat with one of the leading lights of the Voyageurs supporters' group of west, Curva Collective member Zachary Meisenheimer. Zach talks to us about what having the tournament here means to the fans and how they plan to support not just the CWNT but the whole tournament. One of the newest faces in the squad is Allysha Chapman. After only getting her first senior cap last October, the 26-year-old is now set to play a World Cup on home soil. We talk to Allysha about her journey, what it was like coming into such a close knit group, playing in Sweden, how hard it is to keep hold of mascots hands, her love of Maple Leafs and maple butter, and we find out who sent her an email saying "we're watching you"! A player who was touch and go to make the World Cup roster was one of our particular favourite players, Diana Matheson. The midfield dynamo talks to us about her recovery from her two injuries, the x-factor John Herdman brings to the team, what the girls learned from the 2011 World Cup and 2012 Olympic experiences, dealing with the mental pressures and advantages of playing a World Cup on home soil and her Netflix habits. And there's still time for some more jam talk, this time with Erin McLeod and Karina Leblanc, the youngest player on the squad, striker Jessie Fleming and midfielder Desiree Scott. Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

The action in the A Cup kicked off in Surrey on a wet Friday night with Steve attending AFTN's featured match of the round (and providing the report below) in the all VMSL battle between ICST Pegasus and Inter FC. Pegasus were distant runners-up to VMSL champions West Van this season, with Inter finishing four points further back in 4th place. Inter survived a couple of comebacks before securing a 3-2 win over Pegasus to advance to the Provincial A Cup semi-final. It took less than ten minutes for them to open the scoring as former Whitecaps trialist, and one time FC Utrecht player, Jacob Lensky converted on an early chance. Pegasus would reply before the half and even the score when former PDL Whitecap Reynold Stewart converted a cross into the box with a volley past Inter keeper Andrew Fink. Inter re-took the lead soon after the break when Sebastian Crema took a pass into the box and chipped the ball over Pegasus keeper Amarjit Dhinsa. The lead only lasted a few minutes as Chetan Jhooty replied for Pegasus, collecting the ball, after firing a free kick into the wall, and sending it inside the far post. With only minutes remaining, Inter grabbed the winner off a corner, with Colin Streckmann heading the ball into the net to send the VMSL side to the next round. Both semi-finals will now take place on Saturday, so if you're not heading down to Portland to cheer on the 'Caps, try and get yourself along to one and support local soccer. Inter's reward for their win over Pegasus is a home tie against FVSL Premier Champions North Delta Lions, who battled to a 3-2 extra time win over VISL side Bays United in their quarter final tie. The game kicks off at 4pm at Memorial South Park in Vancouver. The other semi final kicks off at 3pm at Burnaby Lake West, with 8th placed VMSL side EDC Burnaby taking on island Champions Cowichan FC. EDC Burnaby earned their spot with comprehensive 4-1 win at fellow VMSL side Richmond Hibernians, with Mohammed Habib grabbing a hat-trick and Richmond going down to ten men while trailing 2-1. Cowichan saw off VMSL's Langley FC Hurricanes 2-0 in Ladysmith on Sunday. Leading by a 9th minute goal, the islanders saw their opponents reduced to ten men when Langley's goalkeeper was sent off with 20 minutes remaining and added a second late on for the win. AFTN's featured B Cup match of the round also took place on Friday evening, with Michael heading out to Minoru Park as Richmond Athletics hosted Langley Utd Sparta in a battle of champions in Keith Millar Provincial B Cup quarter final action. Richmond Athletics have had a banner year being crowned RASA Premier Division champs and claiming both the League and Challenge Cups, but their stellar season came to a sudden end with a 4-1 loss to FVSL Division 2 champs and President Cup winners, Langley Utd Sparta. It had been a close match throughout the 90 minutes, with Richmond having the better chances to win it but neither side were able to find the back of the net in normal time. Tied at 0-0, the match was turned on it's head with Langley hitting four unanswered goals in the first half of extra time, with Richmond's consolation coming with almost the last kick of the game. Possession was pretty equal in the first half, but Richmond came the closest to opening the scoring in the 24th minute when Brad Caldwell shot his goalbound shot deflected for a corner and Simon Plath saw his shot off the resultant kick headed off the line. Richmond's John Lawrence was played in for a one-on-one with Langley keeper Lance Verhoeff eight minutes later, but the goalie was quick off his line to block the danger. Both sides had half chances in the second half, with the best being when Richmond's Mike Henniger shot straight at the Langley keeper with 15 minutes remaining when in a good position 12 yards out. Langley pushed hard in the closing minutes and Mike Peters shot over with four minutes of normal time left. Richmond responded with a Cameron Burr floated free kick from just inside in their half, which crashed off the crossbar with Verhoeff scrambling. Sparta had a chance to win it in the 90th minute when Nico Versevelt was played in but Athletics keeper Rhys Verde Rios was out quick to smother the ball at the feet of the Langley player. So into a crazy period of extra time we went and after the closeness of what went before, from out of nowhere, Langley killed the game off in clinical fashion with four goals in the first 12 minutes of the first half. Versevelt made amends for not finishing things off in regulation when he grabbed the game's opening goal in the 92nd minute, racing in on goal and scoring off the post. With Richmond pushing forward for the equaliser, and leaving themselves short at the back, Langley scored three goals in a four minute spell to make it game over. Lee Ellis made it 2-0 in the 99th minute when Peters was played in and a Verde Rios came out to narrow the angle, the striker played the ball across to Ellis who slotted home into an empty net. Peters himself then made it three a minute later after some fancy footwork from Riley Dornian, who picked the ball up on the sideline, cut inside and went past three Richmond defenders before playing the ball in to the near post for Peters to slip it past the Richmond keeper from two yards out. It was 4-0 in the 102nd minutes as Richmond went gung ho and were caught on the break and Peters got on to a long ball forward and outpaced the home defence and easily chipped the ball over the diving Verde Rios. Richmond pushed for some consolation and had some half chances before getting their reward in the 120th minute with a looping 40 yard golazo by Chris Rowley. You can see video of three of Langley's goals (second, third and fourth), and some other chances from both teams, in the video below [note - we're not properly filming these games, it's just a case of switching our point and shoot camera on at certain times and hoping for the best, hence the dodgy quality! Also, the battery in our main camera died which is the why the picture quality in extra time takes a dip! Hopefully you enjoy the action anyway]. Langley's reward is a trip to the island on Sunday to face VISL Division 3B side Port Alberni Athletics, who shocked BMSA champions Persia FC 1-0 in their quarter final match-up. The other semi-final will be between VMSL double winners Guildford FC, who ran away unbeaten with the Division 2A title and the Division 2 Cup this season, and RASA side Jugadores CF. Guildford headed to the island and beat Saanich Fusion Campus Honda 5-2 in their quarter final, while Jugadores beat the team that finished runners-up to Guildford, Meraloma FC, 2-0. A Guildford v Langley Utd Sparta final certainly looks like it would be a tasty battle, so we're hoping for that. We're not sure if we'll have anyone out at any games this weekend due to the Portland trip, but we'll bring you full details of all the semi-final action next week. You can find the full schedule, venues and kick-off times on BC Soccer's website HERE.

Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

[Also check out Tom's website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. The Southsiders March to the Match The Whitecaps Starting XI The 'Caps get fired up in their pre-match huddle And it works as Pedro Morales gives Vancouver the lead after just 70 seconds And the 'Caps captain celebrates his first goal of the season But a little too much as his topless celebration picks up a yellow card Sam Adekugbe goes in for the ball against Perry Kitchen But the DC players don't like the tackle and Kitchen kicks out at young Sam And a stramash ensues (Scottish word - look it up!!) - Don't mess with big Kendall Pa Modou Kah sends Kendall Waston away to calm down Adekugbe picks up a yellow for the challenge and is one more away from suspension DC tie it up in the 9th minute through a Bobby Boswell header Boswell celebrates with Fabian Espindola We wanted Steven Beitashour to get forward more - he does and he gets flattened by Andrew Dykstra Michael Farfan chips a shot onto the roof of the net after a mistake by Kah lets DC in The game's turning point came in the 42nd minute when Matias Laba saw red after a second booking Beitashour tries to boost the 'Caps with some Vulcan mind meld on the ball Chris Rolfe forces a huge save out of David Ousted in the 54th minute But the 'Caps go up the pitch and Mauro Rosales crashes a shot off the post DC keeper Dykstra is injured in the play and has to be replaced by debutant Travis Worra Rolfe fires home for what proves to be the winning goal in the 64th minute Booooooooooooo! Pedro gets a message - we can only speculate it was don't shoot at free kicks El Bicho makes his MLS debut for the 'Caps As the game enters stoppage time, Ousted becomes a makeshift striker at set pieces Octavio Rivero has a chance to tie it up in time added on Then Adekugbe wastes the 'Caps last chance to grab a point with a fluffed shot The coaches embrace after an entertaining game but sadly a Whitecaps loss You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

REPORT (by Steve Pandher): A dream start for Vancouver Whitecaps turned into a nightmare as they played a man down for the second half and dropped a 2-1 result to D.C. United. A second half strike by Chris Rolfe would be the winner after a first half goal by Bobby Boswell for United cancelled out Pedro Morales' effort for the Caps. It didn’t take long for the Caps to open the scoring when Morales scored his first of the season in the second minute of the match. After taking a touch to control the cross made by Octavio Rivero, the captain found himself with acres of space as he simply lobbed the ball over Andrew Dykstra. Unfortunately for Vancouver the advantage only lasted seven minutes as Bobby Boswell would convert a cross to draw the visitors even. The defender had remained up the pitch after a failed set piece when Michael Farfan sent a cross just outside the six yard area and Boswell was able to shake off Sam Adekugbe to head the ball inside the post. Both teams had a couple more chances during the first half but the game turned in the 42nd minute when Matias Laba was sent off for receiving his second yellow of the match. After getting his first in the 34th minute for a handball, Laba made contact with a charging Fabian Espindola ending his night. The first ten minutes of the second half saw D.C. take advantage of the extra man but their chances were thwarted by David Ousted. Within a minute the keeper was able to direct a shot by Espindola wide of the post and then made a better one off Rolfe as he stretched to stop the ball heading into the top corner of the net. They were finally able to take advantage in the 64th minute when Rolfe scored his second in as many matches. He made the initial run and attempted to find Espindola inside the box but when Steven Beitashour made a diving tackle, the ball found its way to Rolfe who made no mistake to give the lead to the visitors. The Whitecaps carried the majority of play after going down a goal but were unable to get any real chances. In fact the Caps were only able to muster one shot attempt on Travis Worra who came on as a second half sub making his MLS debut. The Whitecaps will leave the confines of B.C. Place as they take to the road and visit Cascadian rivals Portland Timbers in their second meeting of the season. FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 - 2 D.C. United ATTENDANCE: 21,000 VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Pa-Modou Kah, Sam Adekugbe; Russell Teibert (Kekuta Manneh 70), Matías Laba, Mauro Rosales (Christian Techera 76), Pedro Morales, Darren Mattocks (Gershon Koffie 46); Octavio Rivero [substitutes not used: Paolo Tornaghi, Jordan Harvey, Nicolas Mezquida, Robert Earnshaw] D.C. Andrew Dykstra (Travis Worra 58), Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Kofi Opare, Chris Korb; Nick DeLeon, Perry Kitchen, Michael Farfan, Chris Pontius (Conor Doyle 90); Fabian Espindola, Chris Rolfe (Luis Silva 76) [substitutes not used:Jared Jeffrey, Jairo Arrieta] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON Thoughts on the match: “Disappointed with the result, I think with chances we had we could have, should have, maybe got something out of the game. Sometimes you don’t get things you deserve. And I think that’s what we got today.” Did Matías Laba sending off affect game?: “Yes, it did. The couple of minutes prior to the halftime we just gave ourselves a few more minutes. We wanted to be solid in the second half. I think we were. And able to counter them at certain times. And I think we did. Football’s fine lines. Rosales hits the post and it goes in and it’s a different game. I asked them to create chances and be solid at the back and they were. You know you’re going to give up chances when you’re playing against 11 men and we did. David pulled off some good saves but as I said, it wasn’t our day.” On the multiple cautions: “There’s things we can do about certain yellow cards. There’s other things I can’t do about certain yellow cards, unfortunately. I’ll talk to them in there, because we keep racking them up. And that’s not what I want, and that’s not what the players want. Pedro takes his shirt off and gets a yellow card. In the emotion of the game he’s delighted and happy and he shouldn’t do it. But he did do it. So all the yellow cards, that’s not for me to answer about.” On their performance at home versus on the road: “I think teams come here and play differently than what we do that on the road, when we go away and teams do that. There were questions on whether we could get an early goal against D.C. and we got that. But from that moment on we took our foot off the gas a little bit. We stopped showing what a good team we are, and maybe we thought we were a good team. You have to do the basics very well and credit to D.C. They’ve done the basics very well today.” On the tactics of the game: “Maybe if we didn’t create a chance or two chances, or seven or eight, then I’d certainly be a little more worried about it, but we did. We had some clear cut chances even with 10 men. Moments change games. As I said, it wasn’t our day today.” Thoughts on Cristian Techera’s debut: “Hopefully you’ll expect some more minutes from him. I think you see what he’s got. He likes to get into little pockets and areas where he can affect the final third and he did that. And hopefully he can bring some goals to the table.” On attacking subs of both Kekuta Manneh and Cristian Techera being brought on: “Might as well lose 3-1. And that’s what we did on the opening day of the season, we lost 3-1. I wanted to have a go. I firmly believed at halftime, we could go on to win the game and we would get our chances even at 1-1. And that’s what happened, unfortunately we didn’t take our chances. So yeah, it was trying to get back into the game.” On Octavio Rivero possibly pressing too much: “No, not at all. You want your players to express themselves and that’s what Octavio’s doing. I think he had a good chance in the second half. Or one or two half chances that he didn’t take. Players will be judged on goal, but what he brings to the table as well is very important. I’m proud of those guys in there in the second half. I thought with 10 men, we battled very very hard. And we had a very good performance, but we just couldn’t score.” On penalties not being rewarded and if MLS says not to call as many penalties: “I think that’s a great question. For me, I don’t know. I think you better ask someone that. A foul’s a foul. We talk about decisions in games. And yellow cards. And two yellow cards, you get a red card. Repetition of fouling. You’re supposed to get a caution. But sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn’t. Handball? Do you get a yellow card or not? I’m not sure. You’re asking the wrong guy.” On the possible foul on Octavio Rivero: “I haven’t seen it. I couldn’t see it. You get caught up in the emotion of the game. Every foul, you shout for. Ben Olsen is going the same, every foul he’s shouting for. I think you see that in the first tackle where Sam goes into Perry Kitchen. Until you see it, can’t comment. If I say it’s a blatant penalty and it’s not, I’ll look silly. If I say it’s not a penalty, and it is then, again I’ll pass judgement on that one if I can.” Thoughts on the chances taken: “We tried to. I think there’s a couple shouts blocked as well on the line and set pieces. I think we made wrong decisions. I said that to the group in there. We got a free kick in there in the last few minutes. Pedro decides to shoot from that angle, that’s difficult when we got our players forward. Wasn’t our day. Another day we’ll have to get back to work. Credit to Ben and D.C. they came here and got a result.” DAVID OUSTED Thoughts on the match: “Extremely disappointed. I think it was an opportunity that didn’t work for us today.” On performance at home this season: “Us not being consistent for 90 minutes (led to that). I think we showed in bits today the kind of soccer we play at home but if we don’t do that for 90 minutes we are going to run into results like this.” On his individual performance: “Yeah I’m happy with the saves today but still we lost as a team today. I’m disappointed at the loss. I think we could have gotten more out of it and even with 10 men at the end we could have tied it up and got a point but it wasn’t to be.” On stopping DC United’s chances in the second half: “The first one we end up losing it and D.C. United got a run on it. Their player is fast and hit it heading into the corner and I get a hand to it and tip it over. The second one Rolfe gets into a good position and with a shot like his it’s a difficult one but I got to it.” On a header chance in stoppage time: “I was really close to that. I couldn’t get all the way up and it was unfortunate but we got a big chance on the back as well on it so sometimes I’ll go up there and try and wreak havoc and today we did that but didn’t get anything out of it.” On Travis Worra’s performance: “It’s always difficult. We’re 10 men and we want to put pressure on him but they did really well today. They delivered a professional performance keeping the ball and making us run. I think the young guy did well coming in and it’s difficult coming in with a game like that. They pressure on it, so kudos to him.” On today’s outcome: “We deserved a point, especially in the second half with 10 men. The work effort we put in there, the chances there at the end, we just needed to bury one of them. But not taking anything away from D.C. United, I thought they deserved it on a professional performance today.” PEDRO MORALES Thoughts on the match: “It’s a difficult one when you have one player lost that is very important for the team in the middle, but I think we changed the attitude in the second half (to a) positive (one). On his first goal: “I think it’s a good goal but no help for the team.” On Octavio Rivero possibly getting fouled: “I don’t know, it’s difficult. In the field sometimes you look for a penalty, sometimes not, but it’s a decision for the referee.” On the referee: “I’m not talking for the referee.” D.C. UNITED BEN OLSEN Thoughts on the match: “We’re certainly happy with the three points. It’s not an easy trip to come out here and take anything away. Obviously, the red card helps. But I thought up to that point, we were in good form. I’m just happy for the guys to come out with the win.” On in-game adjustments after the Matías Laba ejection: “The tactics changed a little bit, but it’s still about moving the ball quickly and playing what’s there. That will eventually break them down and that will get you looks. We didn’t handle the ball real well in the second half. I think we should’ve dominated possession a little bit more if we had been better with our passing but I give them a lot of credit. They’re a very good team. I think Carl Robinson has done a great job with this group. Even down a man, you can tell that with their athleticism, team speed and some of their passing, they’re going to be one of the top teams in the league.” On the importance of closing out matches well: “It’s something we’ve talked about and addressed. When you get over that hurdle, it feels good. We weathered a lot of set pieces against one of the better set-piece teams in the league. I would’ve liked to do less of that, but it’s good to know that we have the ability to deal with that stuff when it comes our way.” On Fabian Espindola’s season debut: “I think he did great. For him to play the full 90 minutes, physically, is pretty impressive. He’s a very dangerous player. He didn’t get his looks on goal enough but once he gets in there and we get a rhythm with him, things will start clicking better. He’s always a danger and it was good to have him back tonight.” On Chris Rolfe’s performance: “He’s a classy player. His heart rate doesn’t get too high when he’s in front of goal. He’s pretty even keeled and a wonderful finisher. When he gets his chances, he does very well.” KOFI OPARE Thoughts on the match: “It was definitely a good match, it had good intensity. Obviously, Vancouver is first in the Western Conference so we knew it was going to be a challenge. They came out and played really well. We were able to neutralize their attack and got a couple of good goals. I thought the guys played a really good game and it’s not easy to come out here and get points but the guys managed to do that. I’m definitely proud of our performance.” On playing against Octavio Rivero: “He’s one of the strikers you rarely see in this league. He’s physical, he’s strong and he’s technical with the ball. What impressed me most about him was his movement off the ball and just knowing where to be. It definitely posed a challenge on one or more occasions. I think as a team, we did a really good job of neutralizing his effect.” On Travis Worra’s debut: “Obviously, it was Travis Worra’s first game. I think he did really well in his first MLS game. He’s been with us since the preseason and we know what kind of goalkeeper he is. Obviously, it’s hard to get minutes especially when you have Andrew Dykstra and Bill Hamid in front of you, but he’s more than capable of stepping in and getting the job done. We had confidence in him when he came in.” On playing with a short bench: “It’s our mentality coming in to every single game to be smart defensively and not to give the other team set pieces that will give them a chance to score on us. That’s ingrained in us, not just today but every day.” On the importance of closing out matches well: “Coming out here to Vancouver, we wanted to leave with at least a point. To come out with three points is definitely a great thing for us. Especially after giving up late goals in the last couple of games, it’s definitely great for our confidence to close a game out, especially against a good Vancouver team.” TRAVIS WORRA On his MLS debut: “At all times, you have to be prepared to play. All day today, I mentally prepared and watched tape. I acted like I was going to play. That’s what you have to do as a backup. When you’re called on, you can go in and make the saves and keep the ball out of the back of the net. That’s what I did and I felt confident. I felt nervous, I can’t lie, I was excited, but most importantly, I’m just happy to get the win for the team.” On the importance of his USL experience: “The games down there have already paid off. In my first game down there, I was very nervous. It’s USL, but that’s professional soccer. That’s the next level, something I dreamt of as a kid. Being able to get there was just another step forward. In three games there, I had two shutouts so I feel like I’m comfortable, at least, with this environment not. Making the step up here is another step forward but being down there definitely helped me more prepared for this.” On working with the defenders: “I think, personally, we have the best back-four in the league. We defend very well as a team. To have those guys in front of me helped me out the whole time. As soon as I ran out there in the field, Kofi Opare and Bobby Boswell both looked me in the eyes and very calmly said, ‘Relax, you will be fine.’ I think before Bobby even said that, he said ‘Congrats.’ I still had a game to play so I asked him to tell me what to do. There was a job at hand and I was there to get the job done and get three points.”

Last week was a prime example of how one team being home and the other away had an effect on individual players. Robinson told us earlier in the week that he would need to make his mind up about who he wanted to take down to Utah with the MLS side and who would get valuable playing time back in Vancouver with WFC2. What that meant was that both Tim Parker and Christian Dean stayed home and played the full 90 minutes in the match. Great for their development, as the chances of them seeing any playing time against Real Salt Lake was slim. The downside of that was that the 'Caps then travelled to RSL with no center back on the bench and when Pa Modou Kah got injured late in the game, you were fearing the worst if he couldn't continue in the match. Thankfully it never came to that. Another player affected, this time negatively, was Kianz Froese. The young homegrown midfielder made the trip to Utah but wasn't named in the gameday 18 against RSL. With the MLS team getting back just after kick off in the USL match, that meant no minutes for Froese at all this past weekend. This weekend is a whole different story, as Robinson and the Whitecaps have a whole host of options available to them and with competition for places so fierce amongst the MLS team right now, and obviously positions limited, there's a good chance that we could see player like Kekuta Manneh, Erik Hurtado and Deybi Flores getting possibly no, or at best a few, minutes against DC United on Saturday. Then there's also guys like Jordan Harvey and Gershon Koffie who are unlikely to get on the pitch. If that's the case, what would be the chances of seeing these played suit up for WFC2 on the Sunday? It's something that Robinson isn't ruling out, but at the same time he feels playing in USL might do more harm than good for some of his squad. "It's possible because we've got the ACC tournament in mind," Robinson told us. "In two week's time there's going to be Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday games. So I need to make sure I've got enough numbers for that, because I will freshen it up in those games. "I'll speak to my senior players because these games are important to match fitness but they can sometimes also not help certain players. But if I feel it's right for certain players to play, then they'll certainly play. I won't give them the choice, they'll play." From that, I wouldn't expect to see Manneh or someone like Koffie play. Hurtado or Flores? Possibly. But I would expect to see Parker and Dean again, with Froese also getting the start this week. Sadly there will still be no Marco Bustos, as the young midfielder, who turned 19-years-old on Wednesday, had a CT scan on his injured foot on Thursday and is awaiting the results as to how much longer he may be out. Bustos is moving and running freely, and able to train, but he's still having pain when he kicks a ball. A tough break, in all ways. But should the Whitecaps be playing more of the fringe MLS players in the USL team? For me, yes. It's fine developing the young up and comers with WFC2, but these are the guys that currently have MLS contracts and need to be match fit if suddenly called upon to start for the first team. There's times and there's games, like this weekend, where a derby match will be great development for the fringe MLS guys and a great chance to show Robbo their hunger and their ability to break into his gameday squad. The USL team has a lot more uses than just throwing some prospects together. It's a tool LA put to good use with their LA Galaxy II side last season, and Portland Timbers have announced that Will Johnson will play his first game in six months against Arizona United on Saturday, as he continues his recovery from a broken leg. With so many non MLS games coming up in the Canadian Championship and the CONCACAF Championship League, getting all the players match sharp is a must.

Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

Ambleside's Friday night lights just add to the feel and atmosphere of the Provincial Cup action and we've seen some cracking ties played on the turf these past few years. Friday night's encounter between VMSL champs West Van and a Richmond Hibernians side that finished 18 points, and five places, behind them in league play this past season, wasn't one of those thrilling games. But the Hibs pulled off the shock with a controlled performance that saw them untroubled for most of the match and deserving 1-0 winners in the end. Despite their midtable finish, Richmond were the third highest scorers in VMSL this season with 47 goals, and they took the game to West Van from the start and had some close calls, without being too threatening. It was West Van who came the closest to opening the scoring in the first half when they had a headed effort tipped over from six yards out. Goalless at the half, Richmond came out strong at the start of the second and after seeing a goalbound shot deflected for a corner, Gavin Barrett headed the resulting corner narrowly over. West Van enjoyed the better of the possession but Richmond were enjoying the better of the chances and they took a deserved lead, with what proved to be the only and winning goal of the game, in the 78th minute with a lovely finish from Lucas Barrett. A great win for the Hibs and a shock that throws the A Cup wide open. Richmond's reward is a home tie against fellow VMSL side EDC Burnaby on Saturday evening. The full A Cup first round results were as follows: West Van (VMSL) 0 - 1 Richmond Hibernians (VMSL)North Delta Lions (VMSL) 1 - 0 Nanaimo United (VISL) Vic West (VISL) 0 - 3 EDC Burnaby (VMSL) Port Moody Lordco Gunners (FVSL) 1 - 4 Bays Utd (VISL) ICST Pegasus (VMSL) 4 - 2 Saanich Fusion (VISL) Metro-Ford Wolves (VMSL) 0 - 1 Inter FC (VMSL) Westcoast Selects (FVSL) 1 - 5 Langley Hurricanes (VMSL) Cowichan (VISL) 3 - 3 Abbotsford Utd (FVSL) [Cowichan win on pens] With the eight B Cup Preliminary Round matches in the books last weekend, the First Round proper kicked off with a further eight games and some early shocks. Our featured tie of the round took us to Burnaby Lake on Saturday afternoon to watch the defending champions, South Burnaby Fighting Irish, take on VISL side Saanich Fusion Campus Honda. The Irish came in to this year's competition having finished 5th in the BMSL First Division, 14 points behind the champions, Persia FC. Fusion finished their league campaign as runners up in VISL Division 3A. South Burnaby dominated the game in terms of possession, but Saanich were clinical in front of goal, happy to play on the counter and finishing off pretty much every chance that was presented to them on the way to a 4-2 victory. The Islanders took the lead in the 14th minute on a quick breakaway and with their first chance of the match. Nick Takeda, who stepped up from the Fusion U18 side for the game and was a problem for the Irish throughout, raced in on goal and hit a superb finish over the South Burnaby keeper, who was left rooted to the spot. The defending champs continued to take the game to the visitors but the final ball was lacking and Saanich were bending but not breaking. George Diaconu came closest to levelling things in the 25th minute but his run and shot to the near post was kept out by the legs of Fusion keeper Michael McCue. Despite their pressure, South Burnaby fell further behind in the 32nd minute when they were caught with another quick counter and Jan Wandel got past the Irish keeper and slotted the ball home into the empty net. The Fighting Irish were given a lifeline just before half time when Diaconu looped the ball over McCue from 45 yards out and when the same player was brought down for a penalty five minutes into the second half, which was converted by Derek Patrao, it looked like the only team that were going to win the game would be the defending champs. But credit to the Fusion. They didn't folder under the increasing pressure and were looking dangerous on the times they did get forward, as South Burnaby left gaps at the back as they looked for a winner. Two goals in a five minute spell were to prove to be the eventual undoing for South Burnaby. Takeda grabbed his second of the game, and the Fusion's third, in the 72nd minute when he finished off a nice run with a 25 yard lob which gave the Fighting Irish keeper no chance. Saanich then sealed their victory with 14 minutes remaining when Paul Moroney pounced on a poor clearance by the Burnaby keeper. He headed into the box and slipped the ball past the keeper but his first effort was blocked by a lunging Adam Chitticks. The rebound came straight back to Moroney who made no mistake in firing home and it was lights out for the defending champs. You can find some (very hit and miss) highlights of the game below. We managed to switch the camera to video mode just in time to capture some of the goals, but we've got all the celebrations! AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk (www.residualimagephotography.com) was there with us covering the game, and here's his Flickr slideshow: Saanich Fusion Campus Honda will now host a quarter final against the B Cup favourites, Guildford FC, who beat Aldergrove Red Devils 3-0 in their first round match up on Saturday night. Guildford won a VMSL Division 2A and Division 2 Cup double this season, going undefeated along the way. The full B Cup first round results were as follow: Richmond Athletics (RASA) 4 - 2 Mundiavocat (BMSA)South Burnaby Fighting Irish (BMSL) 2 - 4 Saanich Fusion Campus Honda (VISL) Langley Utd Dynamo (FVSL) 1 - 2 Meralomas (VMSL) Langley Utd Sparta (FVSL) 1 - 0 Burnaby Hotspur (BMSL) Guildford FC (VMSL) 3 - 0 Aldergrove Red Devils (FVSL) Powell River Villa (VISL) 0 - 1 Port Alberni Athletics (VISL) Persia FC (VMSL) 1 - 0 Richmond All Blacks (RASA) Jugadores (RASA) 3 - 2 South Delta Royals (VMSL) The quarter finals in all the Cups will be played over Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend. You can find the complete schedule HERE. Try and get out to a game if you can and #SupportLocalSoccer.

Toronto tied things up through Jay Chapman in the 57th minute, somewhat against the run of play and with the help of a referee that blocked Tyler Rosenlund and inadvertently set up the chance. That goal sparked TFC2 into life and they looked like the only team that was going to win this thing, missing a couple of great opportunities to do so. Their cause was helped further when Victor Blasco picked up two yellow cards in the space of five minutes and was sent off in the 68th minute. The couldn't make their man advantage tell and the Whitecaps were then thrown a lifeline in the 77th minute when Mark Anthony Kaye picked up his second yellow of the game, after sending Ben McKendry flying, and the teams were level in personnel once again. Both teams had chances to win it. The 'Caps got in the better positions and will be disappointed to come away with only a draw, remaining with just one win now from their first five games. AFTN photographer Tom Ewasiuk was there to capture all the action before, during and after the game and here's his "Story In Pictures", with a full Flickr slideshow at the end. [Also check out his website www.residualimagephotography.com for more of his photos and work]. A packed Thunderbird Stadium ready for WFC2's home openerThe teams come outMarie Hui belts out the Canadian national anthemBen McKendry has a chance at making history with WFC2's first home goalOh! So close, but Quillan Roberts comes up with the saveCaleb Clarke is next to try his luck but Roberts thwarts him as wellBut the goal finally comes in the 33rd minute as Caleb Clarke coolly slots home past RobertsAnd the team celebrate the occasionBubble football - It's the futureAnd the band plays onTFC II come storming back into the game with Jay Chapman's 57th minute equaliserBooooooooooooooooThe Whitecaps' cause receives a further set back when Victor Blasco is sent off in the 68th minuteAnd the Spaniard is off for an early bathBut numbers are levelled up nine minutes later when Mark Anthony Kaye hacks down Ben McKendryAnd Kaye picks up his second yellow and is sent offBut neither team can break the deadlock and the game ends as a 1-1 draw'Caps goalscorer Caleb Clarke scrums after the gameAs does WFC2 head coach Alan Koch You can see a Flickr slideshow of all of Tom's photos from the game below:

Have a listen! You can listen to this, and all previous, episodes of the podcast on iTunes HERE. Or download it for your later listening delight HERE. We also have an iPhone app, so you can now add our podcast to your phone as an app. Visit the podcast's mobile site HERE and then at the bottom of the screen just click the "Quick Launch" icon and the podcast will be added to your home screen and appear as an app. And if that's not enough, we're on Stitcher Radio Network. Download the app and listen to the AFTN podcast on your device, along with over 20,000 other shows HERE. Or after all that, you could just listen on the player below!

REPORT: Vancouver Whitecaps' Carl Robinson served up a tactical masterclass down in Sandy, Utah on Saturday night. Gone was the usual 4-2-3-1 formation, to be replaced with what amounted to three defensive midfielders on occasions, splitting to form a diamond midfield at others. It was introduced at short notice and it worked "to a tee" as Robinson said afterwards, as the Whitecaps played out a defensive first half before controlling play in the second. A fine Darren Mattocks header ten minutes from time was the difference between the two sides, as Vancouver left Rio Tinto with three points and Salt Lake finished the game with nine men. Robinson made four changes to the team that lost to San Jose last week, with the enforced one of the suspended Pedro Morales being the most significant one. Vancouver had a lucky escape four minutes in when Pa Modou Kah completely misjudged a long ball forward allowing Alvaro Saborio to run in on goal, but the Costa Rican's wild shot flew wide right. RSL threatened again in the 16th minute when David Ousted had to get down quickly to keep out Jordan Allen's low shot from the edge of the box. Vancouver had a good spell of pressure midway through the half that kept Salt Lake penned in for a couple of minutes, but once again they failed to muster a single shot on target during the first 45 minutes. It was very much a stop-start half, with neither side able to get into any kind of groove. The second half at least had some flow to it, as Vancouver dominated possession, but without threatening the Salt Lake goal. Saborio was allowed a free header eight yards out in the 63rd for RSL, but directed it straight at Ousted and Vancouver responded with a long range Nicolas Mezquida effort that flew over and then Octavio Rivero couldn't get a good bounce and hit over as well. Recent games between the two sides have been feisty affairs and when Russell Teibert picked up a yellow card in the 5th minute, you had to think we were in for another chippy night. But it wasn't to be a dirty game. That all changed in the 76th minute when RSL sub Sebastian Saucedo saw a straight red for a horrendous tackle on 'Caps sub Mauro Rosales that left the Argentine writhing in agony on his first game back after injury, with the Salt Lake player's studs going into the top of his foot. Vancouver made their man advantage pay just four minutes later when a Sam Adekugbe pass was deflected into the path of Russell Teibert and the Canadian whipped in a perfect cross on to the head of Mattocks, who rose superbly to head what was to be the winning goal past Nick Rimando. RSL went down to nine men in the final minute of normal time when Jamison Olave picked up his second yellow of the match after tripping Mattocks. With six minutes of stoppage time RSL actually had some of their best pressure of the game, but the Caps also had a couple of chances to add to their tally. In the end Vancouver held out comfortably for their third away win of the season and their fourth clean sheet. The Whitecaps have also still only allowed one goal on the road all season. With three of their next four MLS games at home, the 'Caps will be looking to strengthen their lead at the top of the standings, before the tough summer schedule kicks in. FINAL SCORE: Real Salt Lake 0 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps ATT: 20,414 sell out SALT LAKE: Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran (John Stertzer 83), Jamsion Olave, Elias Vasquez, Demar Phillips; Kyle Beckerman, Luke Mulholland (Devon Sandoval 88), Luis Gil; Jordan Allen (Sebastian Saucedo 64), Alvaro Saborio, Olmes Garcia [subs Not Used: Jeff Attinella, Aaron Maund, Abdoulie Mansally, Wellington Paeckart] VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Pa Modou Kah, Sam Adekugbe; Gershon Koffie, Matias Laba, Darren Mattocks (Erik Hurtado 90), Nicolas Mezquida (Mauro Rosales 71), Russell Teibert; Octavio Rivero [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Jordan Harvey, Deybi Flores, Kekuta Manneh, Robert Earnshaw] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON Overall thoughts on game: “It’s a good result for us. We come here with a game plan and made some tactical adjustments prior to the game and it worked to a T, so we’ll take the 3 points.” On Vancouver’s formation: “We just made one or two adjustments. Obviously playing two forwards was a plan we wanted to use. We know Salt Lake are a very good attacking team, and like to get their fullbacks high. We just thought that maybe we could isolate the center back to certain areas. It was 60 odd minutes. They cancelled us and we cancelled them. As the game opened up a little bit, then obviously we were lucky enough to take our chance and they didn’t take their chance.” On the overall play on the road: “My team has got character. Sometimes the performance levels aren’t what they should be, but character, heart, grit and determination was absolutely spot on in there and that gets results sometimes, and today I think it got us a result. It was fantastic individual performances. Today, and sometimes football isn’t pretty I’m afraid, and when it’s not pretty it’s important that you get something out of the game. That’s what we did today.” On using versatility to find a win: “It’s very important. Whenever you come to Salt Lake, and our records speak for themselves, we have never won here. That’s credit to Salt Lake, because they’re so good at home. We knew it was going to be a difficult game, and as I said, I tactically adjusted it and set up the game plan. But I got to give my players credit today, because we spoke about it yesterday for the first time about how we were going to play, and they took the information on board. I know they’re fantastic individuals and they’re talented players, but what I learned today is they’re smart players as well and the next stage of us continuing development. We got a long way to go. We enjoyed it today, but we will get back to work on Monday, because we got a big home game next week.” On Darren Mattocks stepping up the defensive side: “He’s worked his socks off today. Not just Darren, but every single player on my team and you’re going to have to do that, especially in places like Salt Lake. We did it today. He got his reward with a goal and as the game opened up, and obviously the referee made one or two decisions which changed the flow and the dynamic of the game. It opened up and we could have got another one or two, but the difference, we took our chances. They didn’t take their chances.” RUSSELL TEIBERT: Thoughts on the match: “Great result for us. We talk about making history and we had the opportunity to do so tonight. We took a chance playing a different formation and we adapted well and showed how intelligent our squad is and how we are willing to work in whatever formation our manager puts us in. We have never won here before so not only is it a big win tonight but it is also a big win for our club." DARREN MATTOCKS Thoughts on the match: “Great shift defensively. Third win on the road in eight games. That's amazing. We have a bunch of guys that are so talented, but we are also willing to put in the work defensively even though that's not always fun to do.” On Teibert's contribution to the winning goal: “Russell Teibert. What a hard working great player he is for us.” REAL SALT LAKE JEFF CASSAR On the officiating: “It is what it is. Sometimes, when you leave your feet like that, you leave yourself susceptible for the referee to make an impact the way he did. So there are definitely coaching points there. This game isn’t about the officiating for sure.” On what he wants to see differently from his team: “I thought we started off well. We started off aggressive, and then we maybe just took our foot off of the gas a little bit. I thought that a goal was coming, and when you’re getting that momentum you want to keep pushing and pressing for that goal. I thought we kind of maybe took our foot off of the gas a little bit. We have areas to improve on. I’m super proud of the effort from the guys tonight, but we need to improve on some things.” On Vancouver’s goal: “It was really a broken play. We were actually in good spots. They went to cross the ball and Luke [Mulholland] made a good effort to stop a penetrating ball. It goes off of his shin, down into the corner, and they get a cross. It was a bit of a broken play, maybe where we took a bit of a mental lapse. I have to go back and look at it, but we were all in good spots when the play happened, it was just that when it deflected off Luke, everything kind of went south from there.” On if he plans on appealing either red card: “We’ll have to look at it. I don’t know what to say on those right now. I want to stay positive. We had two red cards, they had none, and they could have had a few of them. But we’re not talking about them; I’m not going there. It’s just teaching points. You’re leaving it at the mercy of the referee, and that’s not always a good thing.” On why he subbed offensively at the end: “We were losing. We had to try to get as many goal scorers and size on the field that we could, and still keep speed on the field. Credit to the guys, they really kept pushing all the way to the end. I thought the subs worked out well for that fact, but we just couldn’t get it in the back of the net.” SEBASTIAN SAUCEDO On his red card: “I didn’t intentionally try to tackle him. Obviously I can’t argue about getting a red card. If it’s a red card, then it’s a red card. And I can’t argue about it or anything like that. I tried to get the ball and I tried to do it as cleanly as possible, but it led to something else. I can take the blame for getting a red card and obviously it led to their goal. It’s something that I have to overcome. It’s my first opportunity to play more minutes in a game and it just went by really quickly with the red card, so we’ll see what happens in the future.” LUKE MULHOLLAND On if he was pleased with the officiating tonight: “Pleased? No. We felt hard done by. As the home team, you know fifty-fifties usually go in favor of the home team, didn’t feel like we got that tonight. Then the first challenge that happened at the end of the first half, when a Vancouver player had on our player kind of set the tone for the game; if they can do that then we should be able to get away with the Saucedo tackle. We felt like we were hard done by. I didn’t think that both tackles were great but I think that one was worse than the other.” On helping teammate Sebastian Saucedo cope with his red card: “Yeah it’s a teaching moment, he came in here tonight and he looked really distraught. He feels like he has let the team down. But as a player we just remind him that tonight is done with. We like to see the fight in him. We know he is not a malicious player so it’s a bit unlucky. I guess he just wanted it too much. You can’t really go in like that. Like I say, he is young and inexperienced. But he will learn and grow from those decisions.” On how he felt that he played personally tonight: “I’m starting to enjoy the position alongside Kyle. Giving him the freedom to go forward and I’ll fill in for him. Otherwise, a lot of teams will not really worry about Kyle. We’re finding a balance of giving and staying. But yeah, I’m enjoying it. Kyle is great player and especially when you have Javi or Luis in front of us I don’t think that there is a better midfield three. The key in tonight’s game was to get the ball out wide to Tony or Jordan. We have to do that quickly. It felt like they were going to be the ones to win the game for us, players like Phillips. They were creating better chances for us.” TONY BELTRAN On the red card suffered by Sebastian Saucedo: “It’s a tough moment for sure. In a situation like that where he is playing at home, and he’s home town kid, and he is a very talented kid. That’s soccer. There are highs and lows. I remember my first year we were playing in Kansas City, it was the 80-somehting minute, I get an own goal and we lose one to nothing. Soccer is about perspective. That is not going to be the theme of his career. He’s going to go on and be a very, very good player in MLS. So, this will be a learning opportunity for him.” On giving up a goal with only one shot on goal allowed tonight: “It was unfortunate the way it happened. We were in great defensive shape, Luke makes a great play and it just goes to their wide guy who puts in a good ball. Maybe unlucky there, we can always get better defensively. Maybe on another night we finish one of our chances. It’s early in the season. The goals will come. I have the utmost confidence in our forwards. So we’ll just ride this out and get better.” On the overall game: “Yeah I think it was tough, I’ve seen a lot of weird nights. But that happens. But the game was very stop-and-start. There were a lot of ticky-tacky fouls that the ref was calling. There really wasn’t a flow. It’s a shame because sometimes it takes away from the spectacle and it makes it hard for teams to get into a rhythm and I think that that played into Vancouver’s advantage tonight.”

The first one is that old chestnut of just what should we be expecting from the team? Should we be primarily focused on results? Development? A combination of both? The latter is the perfect answer. That WFC2 becomes both a winning team that is developing future Whitecaps MLS talent. That's the goal. That's the dream. It's obviously not the current reality. Not yet at least. My argument will always be that to develop players, results matter. A winning team breeds winners. We need confident and successful players, who have had that taste and want more at the higher level. It's an old cliché, but winning really is infectious. If you look at the 'Caps results so far, how much does a 4-0 thumping by Seattle develop a player? Sure, it can build resilience and a desire improve their game and to do better next time, but it can also sow the seeds of doubt that they're maybe not as far along the road as they think they are as a player. Some will argue that development is all that really matters for WFC2. The team is a chance for players to get minutes and for coaches to assess just whether they are future MLS prospects or whether they should cut their losses and move on to the next guy. You can't get a proper look at a player in training, in friendlies or reserve matches. They need competitive action and USL will certainly give them that on a regular basis. Who cares if they win or lose, just so long as they develop and get ready for, hopefully, the move to the next level? When you're charging money to go and watch the team play at Thunderbird though, fans want to see a winning, or at the very least an entertaining, product on the pitch. How many will continue to pay on a regular basis to see a team that is simply learning and developing but not winning? That's the big question. Fans will know this is a developmental team, but will they want to pay to watch that? It's certainly a step up from PDL in terms of the overall standard, but you were struggling to get over 100 at those games and they were free. And the Caps were winning. There will be over 2000 fans there for the home opener. A great start and something for the Caps to build on for sure. But back to the whole winning v development argument. It's complicated and Carl Robinson agrees. "Results, it's tricky, because we want to win every game that we play, at whatever level we're playing at," Robinson told reporters this week. "But it's also about getting players minutes and developing young players as well, so it's an important tool for us this year, WFC2." Part of the issues for WFC2 so far is the lack of chemistry and the lack of consistency in their starting line-up. The team is chopping and changing every game so far. There were five changes to the starting eleven from their first game in Seattle, to their next game, their first win, in Austin. Now normally, you wouldn't want to change a winning team but there were a further five changes from Austin to game three against Orange County. Then a staggering nine changes for the most recent match, the midweek loss in Sacramento. It's not conducive to a winning formula. I'm not really sure it's conducive to a good developmental formula for the players either. The Caps will know that, Alan Koch will knows that and Robbo knows it, but it's a situation that isn't likely to, or able to, change any time soon. "I want to try and get a rhythm into the team," Robinson told us. "Obviously Alan does as well. It's tricky. They've had a number of away games at the moment. Three games in a week is always going to be difficult as well. I've shown with my group here that there will be players in and out and there will be again on Saturday. "It's not ideal, but it is a platform for us to get players minutes and to get players experience but also get some of the younger guys up as well from the Residency. And keep everyone happy. That's important." When it comes to consistency, tied into that is the fact that WFC2 coach Koch doesn't always know what players he has at his disposal and what players Robinson wants to get minutes until very close to kick off time. MLS players have been loaned to the USL team for every game so far. Some haven't been loaned until the night before the match, as was the case this past weekend when Kianz Froese and Tim Parker were only added to the USL squad once the 'Caps MLS match had finished in San Jose. And in the case of the former, that meant playing in both matches and having to travel the near six hour trip on the morning of the Orange County game. Again, not ideal, but again, there's not any way around it right now and it was always going to be the case. All the parties involved knew that. If anything, with all the games coming up for the Whitecaps over the next few months, the problem is just going to be exacerbated. "We want results," Robinson reiterated. "We want to do as well as we can in the USL. We want to do as well as we can in MLS. During the season it's going to happen, with the Canadian games coming up for us and the Champions League eventually well when the draw gets made. "Alan's team will be dependent on what I do with my team and who plays in my team, so unfortunately I think that's the way it's going to be." There have been some positives to come out of the WFC2 so far however. I've personally liked what I've seen of goalkeeper Spencer Richey so far, obviously aside from being beaten by a 60 yard wondergoal. Even the best get beaten by such strikes at times. Just ask David Ousted. He's looked confident and assured and has a clean sheet to his name as well. Local midfielder, and Residency alumni, Sahil Sandhu has started three of the four games so far and has impressed at times, especially with his workrate. As has his fellow midfielder, Victor Blasco, who certainly has some skills not seen from others in the squad. It is slightly worrying that the MLS players that have dropped down to the team have, on the whole, not really shone all that much. Others will start to shine in the coming weeks I'm sure, and for the players that do well, Robinson wants to reward them with training stints with the first team. "Yes, without a doubt," Robinson told us. "I've spoke to the guys about that in the early part of the year because six or seven of my guys went up to the USL team to play in a practice match and the USL team beat the Major League Soccer players 4-1. "It was an eye opener for them and I stressed then to Alan and stressed to the group that if I believe someone is doing well in USL, and I think that there are one or two at the moment who are emerging, they will be given the opportunity to train down here. "Will they be able to play for us? Probably not at the moment but I think the carrot of coming down to train with this group shows it works both ways. It's not just a downward tool where we're allowing players to go down and get games but also an upward tool where if you do well in that team you'll get the opportunity to train with the first team, which is always important." Whitecaps fans will finally get the chance to watch the new team in person on Sunday. Just who they'll see will be dependent on what squad Robbo takes down to Utah. The luxury of having a player on the bench against RSL and then play for USL the next day isn't an option for this one. "The guys that travel with me to Salt Lake won't be involved unfortunately because by the time we get back, just before kick off on Sunday, it's not ideal for them," Robinson told us. "There's no preparation, Alan can't prepare his team for that game. The guys that travel won't be involved on Sunday, so we'll have to make some decisions today based on that." But whoever takes the pitch against TFC II on Sunday, the important thing is that they give a good account of themselves. You only get one chance to make a first impression. There will be nerves, especially from some of the local lads, and the pressure will be on. That in itself is all part of the learning curve and development of these players after all. It's going to be a good crowd, it's going to be a beautiful day. Let's hope for a fantastic performance to cap it all of. And remember, results do matter. Especially when you're playing Toronto.

Froese looks like he's been playing MLS for years, but ask him how he feels about that and he just shrugs it off in an equally composed, non-fazed manner, although he does feel he has adjusted well to the noticeable step up in quality from Residency to first team level. "I just feel that every game is another focus," Froese told AFTN at training this week. "Just refocus on the task in hand. It's just like playing, training here, playing a game right. It's what I do every day and I try to do that on the field. "It's definitely faster and there's more pressure to play. When you go on the field, results matter a lot more." Froese's latest appearance came in the final ten minutes of the dismal display down in San Jose. He was one of the few bright spots for Vancouver in the game and Robinson said immediately after the game that he felt the young midfielder's performance had given him something to think about in terms of his future squad selection. And it was something he expanded on further in his first press scrum of the week. "He's been great coming off the bench and he was again on Saturday," Robinson mused. "In a dull match, he was the spark. Subs are there to make impacts and differences. The challenge is then when they get their opportunity in the starting line-up, can they have the same impact? "Sometimes that doesn't happen, so it's easier for a sub to come on sometimes and change the game. But he's doing himself a lot of favours at the moment with his performances coming off the bench." Robinson doesn't want to rush Froese and is happy using him in the sub role just now, loaning him to the USL side for additional valuable minutes. This past weekend saw Froese turn out for ten minutes for the MLS team on Saturday before heading down to start and play 77 minutes in Sunday's 2-0 loss to Orange County Blues in USL action. And you can expect more of that double dipping as the season goes on. "I sent Tim Parker and Kianz after our game on Saturday to go and play in the game," Robinson said. "It's important for them. It wasn't ideal with regards travelling on Sunday morning to play in a game Sunday afternoon, but it's important that they get match minutes as well." Playing two games in a weekend is nothing new to Froese. He's been doing it with the Residency in the USSDA for the past few years. This is obviously at a much higher level, coupled with a long drive between San Jose and Irvine inbetween, but as you'd expect, the midfielder takes it all in his stride. "I knew I needed to go down to USL for minutes," Froese told us. "It's good for me and I tried to give it my all in terms of how I performed and how I played because those games are important for me in how I continue to improve myself." What is slightly more difficult from him and all of the MLS guys heading down to WFC2 is the establishment of team chemistry. The starting line-up of WFC2 has chopped and changed considerably for each game and that will have contributed somewhat to the three losses in their four matches so far. Froese, and the others, primarily train with the MLS squad. He's had little time to train and bond with his WFC2 teammates. Arriving shortly before kick off doesn't help either, but Froese feels that the chemistry will start to come soon between the two squads. "I think you just take it as it comes," Froese feels. "You try and develop a chemistry as you play and go on and try and get things going when they're not going. Everyone can play soccer. It's kind of a one language type of thing." But with 111 MLS minutes already under his belt, it can't be long now until Froese does get his first start. He's itching for it but patient at the same time. But whatever Robinson's plans are for MLS playing time for Froese this season, it's not been something the pair have discussed. "As a young player, you get chances," Froese added. "I don't expect anything or to play a bunch of minutes. I just come here day to day and hopefully get a chance to play. He hasn't spoken with me about that kind of stuff. All I can do is hope and when it comes it comes."

One sure fire way to get us to cover a large selection of matches is to play them ten minutes from my house! What that meant for the kickoff weekend was that we were able to cover three of the Sunday games played at Vancouver's Trillium Park. Kicking things off was an intriguing clash between Vancouver Metro Soccer League Division 2B runners up Gastown FC and the Richmond Adult Soccer Association (RASA) Premier Division runners up, Richmond All Blacks. Richmond won the B Cup in 2013 and lost last year's final to South Burnaby Fighting Irish, and they were fairly untroubled in their quest to regain the trophy in a 2-0 victory. Gastown made most of the early running, with Jeroen Bart having the first real chance of the game seven minutes in when he fired wide right from just outside the box. Oscar Salvador was next to have a go for Gastown, but his low shot was saved by the All Blacks keeper Peter Proctor. It was to be Richmond who opened the scoring though in the 16th minute when Ming Choy rose unchallenged to head home an Alan Tso free kick from six yards out. When Nan Yang was played in and beat the onrushing Gastown keeper, Carl Ostridge, in the 33rd minute to make it 2-0, it looked like a tough ask for the VMSL side to get back in to things, and so it proved. Craig Shirra had a chance to pull one back for Gastown two minutes before half time but Proctor was out quick to smother the chance and when Mike Roger's fierce shot flew past the right post just past the hour mark, you got the feeling it wasn't going to be Gastown's day and the former champs held on quite comfortably in the end without pushing too hard to increase their tally. One interesting side note to come out of the game was that the officials had incorrectly told the coaches that there were to be only five subs in the game instead of unlimited. The assistant referee was corrected on this by Richmond coach Kyle Shury during the first half but the information wasn't relayed to Gastown coach Owen Parrott until later in the half and after the All Blacks had made four subs to their none. Richmond All Blacks now advance to face Burnaby Mens Soccer League (BMSL) Persia FC at Burnaby Lake West on Sunday afternoon at 2.30pm. You can see highlights of Richmond's first goal and most of their second in the video below: While Gastown FC and Richmond All Blacks were battling it out on the Trillium West pitch, there was a VMSL v FVSL (Fraser Valley Soccer League) match-up going on at the same time on Trillium East, as Twin Arrows hosted Aldergrove Red Devils. We tried to keep track of both matches as best we could and in the end it would appear that we chose the wrong one to primarily follow, as Twin Arrows fought back from being down 3-0 to set up a frantic finish against Aldergrove before losing out 3-2. Twins Arrows were runners up in Division 3A of VMSL, but qualified for the Provincials on the back of being beaten finalists in the VMSL Division 2 Cup, with winners Guildford FC having already qualified as Division 2A champs. Aldergrove finished third in FVSL Division 2. It was Twin Arrows who came out of the traps fast, however, and they had a great chance to open the scoring in the first minute when Ali Pickett raced clear on goal but Aldergrove keeper Atilla Davalovsky rushed out and came up with a massive save. A super early game changer? Perhaps. But Aldergrove settled and took the lead through Eric Vanderhoek in the 11th minute, with their first chance of the game. Hard to tell how the rest of the half went as I was mostly watching the other game, but most of the time I looked over the ball was in the Aldergrove half. This may not be a fair reflection! The Red Devils doubled their lead though in the 55th minute when Anthony Fragoso fired home from the spot, sending Twin Arrows keeper Brennan Baker the wrong way. Aldergrove made it 3-0 in the 70th minute through Ryan Miller and it looked game over before Twin Arrows made a storming comeback in the closing minutes of the game. The VMSL side pulled one back in the 85th minute through Daniel Jansson, with Aldergrove looking for the offside, and then a stunning goal made it 3-2 in the 90th minute, when the ball bounced around the box before it broke to Monir Pejgaleh and he back flicked the ball over his head and into the top corner. Just wish we'd caught it on camera. Twin Arrows had pushed hard but just couldn't force extra time and Aldergrove now advance to face Guildford FC. You can see Aldergrove's second goal in the video below: Our feature match of the weekend was our good friends at Rino's Fury FC as they hosted BMSL side Burnaby Hotspur. Well I say friends, we're expecting a banning order now since we've watched them in their first Provincial Cup match for the past three years now and they haven't won one yet so we're clearly a jinx and apologise! Rino's Fury finished third in the VMSL Division 2A standings this year, while Burnaby Hotspur finished 7th in the BMSL First Division but qualified for the Provincials on the back of winning the BMSL League Cup at the end of March. It was a pretty uneventful first half, with both teams feeling each other out. Rino's had the first real chance of the game in the 29th minute when Alessandro Pace forced a save out of the Hotspur keeper. The rebound fell to Yuda Shih but he blasted over from inside the box. Burnaby's best chance of the half came two minutes later when Ahmad Al-Ashkar cut the ball back to David Kliewer, but his flighted shot landed on the roof of the Fury net. So goalless at the half, but the game was to liven up pretty quickly in the second. Hotspur thought they had taken the lead in the 53rd minute when Ibrahim Al-Ashkar fired home after latching onto a rebound after his brother Ahmad's shot had been parried by Fury keeper Patrick Hayward, but the goal was ruled out for offside. It was just to be a temporary reprieve for Rino's and Burnaby opened the scoring three minutes later, and it was the same players who were involved, with Ibrahim heading home Ahmad's free kick. The Hotpsur lead was to be short lived and Fury equalised in the 59th minute later when Guy Packham poked the ball home from close range after a scramble in the box. The game was pretty open now and Fury hit the post in the 67th minute as they pushed for the go-ahead goal. That was to come for Hotspur five minutes later and it was to be Ibrahim Al-Ashkar in the thick of the action once again, sending a brilliant pass through to Corey Sanford who slotted what was to prove to be the winning goal past Hayward. Fury went forward looking to tie things up once more and had a couple of chances and forced several corners, but Sanford nearly gave Hotspur some breathing room with an effort from outside the box that flew wide right with 12 minutes remaining, before Nathan Kung brought a good save out of Hayward a minute later. The Burnaby side saw out the remainder of the match fairly comfortably and now move on and travel to face FVSL side Langley United Sparta on Saturday evening, kicking off at 8pm at Willoughby Turf. You can both of Burnaby Hotspur's goals and some other highlights in the video below: The full results of the B Cup Preliminary Round were as follows: Port Alberni Athletics (VISL) 4 - 0 PMO Titans (FVSL)Meralomas FC (VMSL) 5 - 1 Westcoast FC Milan (FVSL) Campbell River Cermaq City FC (VISL) 0 - 1 South Delta Royals (VMSL) Gastown FC (VMSL) 0 - 2 Richmond All Blacks (RASA) Twin Arrows (VMSL) 2 - 3 Aldergrove Red Devils (FVSL) Mundiavocat FC (BMSA) 3- 0 Graduates (RASA) Saanich Fusion Campus Honda (VISL) 4 - 1 Bacardi FC (BMSL) Rino's Fury FC (VMSL) 1 - 2 Burnaby Hotspur (BMSL) You can find the schedule for all of this weekend's matches in all of the Cups over at the BC Soccer website HERE. Try and get out and see some matches if you can and #SupportLocalSoccer. Here's our Flickr slideshow for all of our photos from the three games:

REPORT: Seven games in to the new MLS season and do we really know just what sort of team Vancouver Whitecaps are this year? We've seen the good, the really good, the bad and the ugly so far, with the latter being served up in San Jose on Saturday evening as the 'Caps went down 1-0 to a 75th minute Sanna Nyassi goal. Neither team really deserved anything from the match. Chances were at a premium, while a lot of the postgame analysis will focus on how the team leading MLS in not just the standings, but also in shot and shots on target, couldn't muster up one single shot on goal during the entire match. The did manage to rack up the cards though, six in total, with five yellows and a late red card to captain Pedro Morales. It basically summed up a dreadful trip to California. Carl Robinson had promised there would be changes for his tired players and the Whitecaps made four changes to the starting line-up from the midweek draw with Columbus. After coming on as a 14th minute sub against the Crew, Pa Modou Kah came in for basically his third game in eight days, while Jordan Harvey returned to the starting line-up at left-back for the first time since the season opener. In the midfield, the young Honduran Deybi Flores came in for his first MLS start in the DM role, while Darren Mattocks made the move to the right wing and Kekuta Manneh returned to the left. The first half had a kind of school playground feel to it, as both teams seemed spend a lot of energy simply running around but without creating any clear cut chances or generating any shots on target. The referee in the meantime was busy dishing out yellow cards, showing four in total before half time, three of them to Whitecaps. And he was nowhere near finished. Mattocks got the first, just three minutes in, and he also booked San Jose keeper David Bingham in the 11th minute for a deliberate handball outside of the box. That should have been a red in our mind as Bingham clearly knew where he was and knocked the ball away from Octavio Rivero. Adam Jahn did have the ball in the net for San Jose in the 8th minute but was flagged offside. For Vancouver, Kekuta Manneh had a nice run to make room for himself but finished it off with a dreadful shot, while the lethal Rivero wasn't given a sniff. It was a dreadful half and no surprise when both teams went in at 0-0. The second half started livelier, which would have been hard, and Chris Wondolowski flashed a shot wide left two minutes in, as the home side took the game to the Whitecaps. But then the action died again, or I may have fallen asleep, although the way that time felt like it stood still, I may have been transported to another dimension. Hopefully one that had games with some excitement there. Jahn had a low shot for the Quakes just past the hour mark before Manneh nearly lit up the game with some fantastic footwork in the box as he weaved through the San Jose defence. But not for the first time, the Gambian took too many touches and didn't get off a shot. It's something he seriously needs to work on in his game. San Jose had what was the best chance of the game so far in the 69th minute when Clarence Goodson stuck out a leg and saw his effort fly narrowly right. The game finally came to life in the 75th minute after a spell of pressure from San Jose. The Quakes had a couple of chances blocked by the Whitecaps defence before the ball finally broke to a free Sanna Nyassi, the 'Caps first pick in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft before being immediately traded, and the Gambian made no mistake in burying high into the net, giving David Ousted no chance. Fair to say it was a bad day at the office for the Whitecaps, and it was a day that was still to get even worse as 'Caps captain Pedro Morales was sent off along with the Earthquakes Jahn in the 88th minute. Jahn was on the deck after a tackle from Whitecaps sub Russell Teibert. With the ball between his legs, Morales tried to kick the ball out, leading to the Quakes player kicking out at the Chilean's shinpad. It was a bizarre incident that didn't really seem to merit a red card for either player, and in particular Morales, but referee Edvin Jurisevic had set the tone early and sent both players off. Just the last in a string of poor decisions he had on the night. Morales told Robinson after the match that he hadn't heard any whistle and felt the ball was there to be won. He clearly didn't aim to kick the player, while Jahn did definitely kick out. With both teams reduced to ten men, the Whitecaps never looked like grabbing a late share of the points, although sub Kianz Froese had a late effort that didn't trouble Bingham. The Whitecaps five match unbeaten run has now come to an end, but it was the flat nature of it that will be concerning Robinson the most. FINAL SCORE: San Jose Earthquakes 1 - 0 Vancouver Whitecaps ATT: 18,000 (sell-out) SAN JOSE: David Bingham, Marvell Wynne, Victor Bernardez, Clarence Goodson, Cordell Cato, Fatai Alashe, Sanna Nyassi, Matias Perez Garcia (Tommy Thompson 80), Shea Salinas, Chris Wondolowski (J.J. Koval 64), Adam Jahn [subs Not Used: Bryan Meredith, Ty Harden, Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi, Leandro Barrera, Mike Fucito] VANCOUVER: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Pa Modou Kah, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba (Kianz Froese 80), Deybi Flores (Russell Teibert 68); Darren Mattocks (Erik Hurtado 72), Pedro Morales, Kekuta Manneh; Octavio Rivero [subs Not Used: Paolo Tornaghi, Sam Adekugbe, Nicolás Mezquida, Tim Parker] REACTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS CARL ROBINSON On the overall performance (on TSN radio): "I thought we were way below the levels that I expect and the players expect. We didn't get a shot on target, we didn't have enough of the ball, we didn't pass well enough. We looked flat and this game was always a concern for me, being the third game in a week. We weren't at the races. I'll take responsibility for that, and we move on." On the standard and consistency of the refereeing (on TSN radio): "As you all know, it's very difficult for me to comment and I am unable to comment. What I can say is that I can analyze my performance and my team's performance and we didn't deserve anything from the game based on the way we played. But, I think there's another analysis that needs to be done as well because my team picked up five yellow cards. It seems to be repetitive and it's a concern of mine because I don't think it was a nasty game at all. Both managers were voicing their frustration because there were throw-ins that were given the wrong way, there was corners that were missed, there was simulation, there was bad decisions and you pick up yellow cards for innocuous challenges, but that's not for me to discuss, but I'll analyze my team, I can't analyze anything else." "Whether I agree with the yellow cards or not, or decisions or not, I could comment here and I'll be out of pocket every week because it is frustrating. When both managers agree on certain things, whether it's for your side or against your side, I think it's pretty simple. Whether we get a reputation or not, I want to get a reputation for playing fantastic football and winning. Unfortunately we didn't win, we didn't play fantastic football today and we lost." "When you get a yellow card after three minutes and 17 fouls in the first half, then I think the tone is set. Nothing surprises me in this game, unfortunately, but the beauty of this game is that there's always another game next week." On Pedro Morales' red card (on TSN radio): "I spoke to Pedro after the game. The ball is inbetween the boy's legs, as he's on the floor, the linesman is flagging, but there's no whistle heard by Pedro and he tried to kick the ball out of the boy's legs, which you're allowed to do if he's holding the ball on the floor. The boy kicked out at him afterwards, and I'm not saying that was a sending off, but if the ball's inbetween the legs of a player on the floor and no whistle is heard then I don't know what you tell your player to do." On Game (scrum): "Not a very good match to be fair. We didn’t play well. I don’t think we deserve anything from the game. We didn’t get a shot on target. You don’t get a shot on target, you don’t get to score goals. So, we’ll analyze our performance – my team’s performance – because third game in a week is always going to be difficult." On Deybi Flores' performance (scrum): "I thought he was good. I thought he showed energy. I thought he grew into the game. He was keen, he liked to get on the ball and stuff and I thought it was a really positive performance." STEVEN BEITASHOUR: On overall game: "We gotta keep the ball. We didn’t keep the ball tonight. I don’t know what it was. Might have been that three game in a week but we just gotta keep the ball, possession, open up the field and just do differently than we did tonight." KIANZ FROESE On overall game: "Obviously we are all disappointed after a match like that, but what can you say about it, right? We’re just going to put our heads down, work hard in training the next week and prepare for the next match." SAN JOSE DOMINIC KINNEAR On difference between first half and second half: "I thought we were playing pretty good. We weren’t bad, we were just a little bit disconnected at times. But I thought our energy level was definitely better. We were moving the ball quicker and therefore guys were finding little gaps in the field, which made it easier to attack. And I think at that point we were playing in their half of the field rather than our half of the field. They may have been a little fatigued as well, they’ve had a tough week and put together some good results. But I can’t speak for them, I only speak for us, and I thought we were due a goal. We were knocking on the door, we were getting in around it, our last pass was just a little bit of a pinch off. We were kind of letting them off the hook. But good for us to get the win." On no shots on goal in first half: "Sometimes we rush ourselves. We were kind of getting there, and then when we got there, we made the wrong decision. At times we could have been a little bit more unselfish. You also have to give the other team credit. They’re a good defensive team. Those two in the middle, [Pa Modou] Kah and [Kendall] Waston are tough ones. I think we had more possession in their half in the second half, therefore we were holding the ball a little bit better. One shot that was on goal went in, so that’s what I’m happy about." On performance of the defensive back four: "I thought the whole back four played well. Cordell [Cato], being an emergency left back, looked comfortable. I think everyone talked about their speed out wide before the game started. So for us to counter it with speed was a good idea, and I thought both Marvell [Wynne] and Cordell had good games. Through the middle, Victor [bernárdez] and Clarence [Goodson] have been playing good together. It’s a pretty solid partnership. And then quietly Fatai Alashe I thought had a really good game tonight. He was on and around [Pedro] Morales as much as possible and that’s what we wanted him to do. He broke up a lot of plays. To see him [goalkeeper David Bingham] facing no shots on goal is obviously a great thing for us." On Adam Jahn: "In watching Vancouver play, with Waston and Kah, they’re probably two of the more physical guys as far as defensive partnerships in the center defence. So it was important for him to take his licks today, because he had to, to be helpful for us, and I think he did that well. He’s a bit of a battering ram at times. He keeps his game simple. He provides a great service for us. I think in the second half too, he was taking more two and three-touches, rather than one or four or five, and that’s why we were having more possession in the field. Obviously at the end, he loses his head a little bit, but I thought the last couple games he’s helped us out a lot. I’d like to see him get a goal for all his hard work. He’s putting himself in good spots, but obviously it’s a bit difficult to do. But I think he’s having a good season for us so far." MATIAS PEREZ GARCIA On overall match: "We knew coming in to this match that it was going to be a test. In the first half, we weren’t sharp and running without assignment. We knew in the second half that we needed to play better and it showed. We created multiple chances and I feel that calmed us down a bit. We continued to attack, we scored the goal and that’s why we won tonight." On Earthquakes' possession: "We had more touches in the midfield. Guys found the open spaces and we were moving the ball. We need to continue playing at this level, especially after a rough loss like last week. We came out empty-handed then, but tonight the ball found the back of the net for us and we leave with three points." FATAI ALASHE On team playing through injuries: "We have a very deep team. The guys coming off the bench can start as well. Everyone is fighting for a spot to play. The players we didn’t have available tonight are good players, but we have the depth to pick up some of those pieces. We are confident either way." On clean sheet: "It was big for us. Credit to guys like [Clarence Goodson], Victor [bernardez], Marvell [Wynne] and Cordell [Cato]. David [bingham] did a great job out there communicating with the backline. The defenders were winning balls in the air; getting in on good tackles. The shutout is a credit to them, but also to the whole team collectively. We played good team defence starting from the top in Chris [Wondolowski] and Matias [Perez Garcia]. It feels good to get that first shutout. Hopefully there are many more to come." MARVELL WYNNE On returning to line-up: "When you’re not playing, you always feel that if you were out there, you’d make a difference. There was nothing in particular that I saw fault in the defensive play as of late, but I just really wanted to get back out there and play my own game and contribute." On pace of match: "It felt like we were in command of this game. We came in at halftime and the feeling amongst us was we can win this game. We knew we did not let them get any shots up to that point so we tried to keep it going. We felt our play deserved three points and we just went for it."

I don’t know what it is about the centre-back position and the Whitecaps but there’s definitely a jinx of some sort hanging over them. So many injuries over the years in the position. Has anyone actually been immune? Maybe Robbo needs to go and take a piss in each corner flag, ala Barry Fry, to exorcise those demons, but he made it very clear at the start of the season that he wanted to carry five quality centrehalfs and it hasn’t taken long to see why. Just who will be taking the field against the Earthquakes on Saturday is anyone’s guess right now, and there's a few unknowns still thrown in the mix. Kendall Waston has played every minute so far this season. The Costa Rican has been a beast at the back and has been looking better and better pretty much game upon game. He’s a crucial cog to the Whitecaps success this season and when he landed heavily on his neck on Wednesday, the collective worry and concern on the faces of ‘Caps players, fans and media alike was very clear and said it all as to how important everyone views him. It looked a bad one. This is a guy that doesn’t stay down without good reason. I honestly thought he’d broken his neck. Watching one replay was enough for me, it was a horrible fall. But remarkably the big man seems to be fine and played out the rest of the game. “I’m feeling much better,” Waston told reporters at training on Thursday. “Yesterday I was really scared because the way how I drop to the floor and how I twisted my neck it was very, very hard, but thank god nothing else happened.” It really was quite remarkable that he finished the game never mind that he’s declared himself fit to face San Jose. The ‘Caps medical team gave him massages after the match, but the worry is that Waston may feel some delayed pain and tenderness. That might hit today or he could wake up on matchday with it, or he may just show some superhuman recovery. There’s also the possibility that there could be a concussion, which the Whitecaps will obviously check out, not that Waston was concerned about that in the slightest, as he joked, "Concussion, what is that? I don't believe in concussions." I think we're all crossing out fingers that he'll be good to go on Saturday and I really fancy him to break his goalscoring duck for the season when he shakes up the Quakes. As serious as the incident looked at the time, the ‘Caps players were able to find some humour in what had happened, especially Waston’s central defensive partner for most of the season so far, Pa Modou Kah. "For myself I was like, naw, I hope that he didn't break his neck," Kah said of his initial reaction to Waston’s horror fall. "But you know, when you've got a big head, a big strong head like Kendall he'll be fine. I think we'll probably change the spot where he landed at BC Place. There's a big dent right there! "But actually it was a very scary moment because you don't wish anybody to fall like this and especially him. But the big man came strong. You know he's strong. I hope he just have no pain." Kah was rested for the game, and you have to think the original plan was for him to come back in to the line-up to face the Quakes. But the best laid plans and all that, as an early injury to his replacement, Diego Rodriguez, who was only able to last 14 minutes before injury, meant Kah was called into unexpected action once more. "In soccer, you never know what will happen, but you don't expect your centre-back to get injured after 14 minutes," Kah said. "But that's the way the game is, so you always have to stay ready and stay focused. For me it was nothing different to what I'm used to, but the way we approach the game on Saturday will be the way that we've approached the past games." So at 34-years-old, can Kah make three pretty much full games in a week? It’s a question that the former Norwegian international is almost insulted by. "You serious?!" was his initial response to be being asked, before adding, "Age is nothing but a number." Maybe so, but it would be a surprise if he were to play. Robinson does like to surprise us though and with what could be crucial Western Conference points on the line, if the 'Caps feel they can go with a Waston/Kah central defensive pairing, then they will. If they don't, and with Rodriguez looking set to miss out bar another remarkable recovery, it will give another centre-back a chance to come in a stake a claim to a start or at least move up the depth charts. If nothing else, they'll garner a place on the bench. And that opens the door for either Christian Dean or Tim Parker. Who that player will be will be very interesting to see and tell us a lot about who ranks where in the pecking order right now. You expect it to be Dean. He's in his second year with the 'Caps, has been patient despite his frustration at not playing more, and has just been away with the US national team. Yup, all the indicators point to him, except Parker has been outperforming Dean for all of the preseason and at training. I've been very impressed with what I've seen from Parker on the whole, although he did have a bit of a horror USL outing against Seattle. Mind you, who didn't? He's also more importantly impressed the management team and I genuinely feel he's the fourth centre-back at the club right. I expect him to be at least on the bench and if Kah can't go, then I see him getting the start against San Jose. So where does that leave Dean? Apart from frustrated? He's highly thought of and although Robbo wants to carry those five centre-backs, I sense Dean's patience will run out and we will see him traded sooner rather than later. That's the problem when you have five quality centre-backs, the MLS minutes are simply not there. But whoever does line up in front of him on Saturday, goalkeeper David Ousted is confident that will get the job done. "Unfortunate with Diego," Ousted told reporters. "I knew how much he wanted to play. You saw in Orlando what he can do, so unfortunately he had to go out. But we've got really good centre-backs. We've got a lot of them, so we're still good in that position." "We've got figure out what Carl wants to do for this game, but three games for Pa in a week, and Kendall got a little bit of a scare there. I think everybody saw how worried the whole team was because that looked grim. But I've said it all along. We've got Christian Dean out there, we've got Tim Parker. They're capable of stepping in when we need them, so I'm not worried." As for poor Rodriguez, he can’t seem to catch a break in MLS right now. He’s made two appearances so far and been suspended for two games after the first one, then pulled his groin 14 minutes in to the second. Not been a happy area for him so far. It's a shame because he looks quality and you have to see him as the regular partner for Waston somewhere down the line this season. He's commanding, he has some bite about him and has great footwork. He may be fine for Saturday but it's hard to see that. If he misses out, then he'll get another chance soon for certain. He's too good not to. The nightmare scenario for Robinson is that he has neither Waston or Rodriguez available. He described the Costa Rican as "tough as nails", but if the worse case plays out, he's more than happy with what he has left at his disposal. "We'll reassess them [Friday] to see how they are," Robinson said of Waston and Rodriguez. "Hopefully they'll both be available but if we can get one of them out of the two then I'll be delighted. We're beaten up and banged up at the moment but we'll deal with it and get on with it because we've got other players that are ready to step in." Certainly going to be interesting to see who's on that starting line-up come 6.30pm on Saturday evening.