A massive match in the Western Conference postseason chase kicks off when Vancouver Whitecaps FC entertain FC Dallas on Saturday Saturday afternoon at BC Place. Whitecaps FC moved back into fifth place in the division and the final playoff position, following their come-from-behind 2-1 home win against Real Salt Lake last weekend. FC Dallas return to action in fourth place in the West and with a chance to secure their playoff future, coming off a 3-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC in Frisco 10 days ago.
REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar. SAR (bench): Joe Fletcher; JAR (opposite): Baboucarr Jallow; 4th: Juan Guzman
MLS Career: 193 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 56; pens: 68
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: VAN: Jordan Harvey, Sebastian Fernandez, Pedro Morales, Russell Teibert … DAL: Victor Ulloa
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: VAN: Gershon Koffie, Andy O’Brien, Mauro Rosales, Kendall Waston, Matias Laba, Steven Beitashour … DAL: Fabian Castillo, Matt Hedges, Blas Perez, Je-Vaughn Watson, Adam Moffat, Michel
DISABLED LIST: VAN: Caleb Clarke (season-ending injury) … DAL: Hendry Thomas (season-ending injury)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (10 meetings): FC Dallas 7 wins, 18 goals … Whitecaps FC 1 win, 8 goals … Ties 2
AT VANCOUVER (5 meetings): Whitecaps FC 1 win, 6 goals … FC Dallas 2 wins, 8 goals … Ties 2
2014 (MLS):
7/27: VAN 2, DAL 2 (Mattocks 11; Morales 53 – Perez 29; Michel 39)
9/13: DAL 2, VAN 1 (Perez 20, 78 – Hurtado 67)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season. Blas Perez scored a pair of goals, the game-winner in the 78th minute, to give FC Dallas a 2-1 win Sept. 20 at Toyota Stadium. On July 27 at BC Place, Perez and Michel scored for FC Dallas, but Darren Mattocks and Pedro Morales netted for Whitecaps FC to leave the teams in a 2-2 draw.
- FC Dallas have won seven of the 10 meetings all-time between the clubs, including all five encounters all-time in Frisco. Whitecaps FC’s lone victory in the all-time series came in 2012 at BC Place.
- Coaches record: Carl Robinson vs. DAL: P2 W0 L1 T1 … Oscar Pareja vs. VAN: P8 W3 L3 T2
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- FC Dallas took the lead in the 20th minute on a stunning strike by Blas Perez. Receiving the ball near the right corner flag, and he took a floating, adventurous shot that curled and dipped and fooled Whitecaps FC goalkeeper David Ousted as it flew over his head and into the far upper corner of the goal.
- Whitecaps FC pulled level in the 67th minute. On the counter attack, an excellent pass from Mauro Rosales fed substitute Erik Hurtado in the area and he cracked a first-time shot that beat FC Dallas goalkeeper Raul Fernandez.
- But the leveler came 10 minutes later. From a foul about 40 yards from the Vancouver goal, Michel played the resulting free kick into the Vancouver area, where Akindele pushed a partial clearance to Perez, and he made no mistake, finishing well through a crowd of Whitecaps players for his second goal of the night.
- FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Raul Fernandez - Je-Vaughn Watson, Zach Loyd, Matt Hedges, Moises Hernandez (Jair Benitez 46) - Andres Escobar (Mauro Diaz 55), Michel, Victor Ulloa, Fabian Castillo - Tesho Akindele (Kellyn Acosta 82), Blas Perez.
- VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-3-1-2): David Ousted - Ethen Sampson, Kendall Waston, Christian Dean, Jordan Harvey - Russell Teibert, Matias Laba, Mehdi Ballouchy (Pedro Morales 57) - Mauro Rosales (Kekuta Manneh 81) - Sebastian Fernandez, Darren Mattocks (Erik Hurtado 62).
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC
Vancouver Whitecaps FC put an end to their two-game losing slide with a quality victory, coming back for a 2-1 win against Real Salt Lake on Saturday afternoon at BC Place. Whitecaps FC sit in fifth place in the Western Conference with 40 points from 30 games.
LAST MATCH
- Whitecaps FC had a glorious chance to open the scoring in first half stoppage time, when referee Allen Chapman pointed to the spot after adjudging RSL’s Alvaro Saborio to have fouled Vancouver’s Kendall Waston on a corner. But Pedro Morales saw his penalty attempt stopped by RSL goalkeeper Jeff Attinella, who dove to his right to keep the effort out.
- The visitors took the lead in the 57th minute. After Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted was forced to make an acrobatic save to keep out a Javier Morales volley, Nat Borchers headed home the resulting corner for the opener.
- But Whitecaps FC were back on level terms within five minutes. A wild, high tackle by Carlos Salcedo on Erik Hurtado in the box brought Vancouver their second penalty of the match and this time Morales drilled the ball low into the bottom left corner past Attinella.
- The game-winner came in the 78th minute. Steven Beitashour came running onto a rolling ball to strike from just outside the area and Morales turned it inside the post from the edge of the six-yard box for a vital three points.
- Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson made no changes to the team that fell 3-0 to the Portland Timbers at Providence Park
- VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC (4-3-1-2): David Ousted - Steven Beitashour, Andy O'Brien, Kendall Waston, Jordan Harvey - Russell Teibert, Matias Laba, Mauro Rosales (Nicolas Mezquida 64) - Pedro Morales - Erik Hurtado (Darren Mattocks 68), Sebastian Fernandez (Kekuta Manneh 77).
TEAM NEWS
- Whitecaps FC returned home following back-to-back losses on the road and won their second consecutive game at BC Place, extending their home undefeated run to three games.
- “We're struggling for goals as everyone knows, we miss a penalty just before halftime on probably a decision we were lucky to get … I thought if we can just maybe put our noses in front just before halftime, then maybe we can win,” Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson said. “We didn't and they come out the second half and scored, but the fight and the character they showed today, every single player in my group today, I'm pleased for them because it's been tough, but it was an important win.”
- Pedro Morales scored a pair of goals – his third two-goal game this season. Morales has three goals and an assist in the last four matches – all coming since Whitecaps FC were shut out in four consecutive matches. Morales has played a part in four of Vancouver’s five goals since then.
- “He makes a difference to us,” Robinson said. “I thought in the first half he was probably below the levels that he should be. I think we saw a passing range that we're used to seeing with him in the second half. Sometimes you have defining moments in a season and maybe this will be our defining moment.”
- Said Morales: “I think my teammates, when we finished the first half, they were very confident for me, [saying] ‘Pedro, let’s go, no problem, take one more opportunity.’ In the second half I felt so much better and more confident in my play. I got two important goals for the team.”
- Whitecaps FC also scored their 10th goal this season from a penalty kick, from their 12th attempt of the campaign – both marks setting MLS records. The Montréal Impact had scored nine goals from penalties in 2012; D.C. United had attempted 10 penalties in 2011.
- “To bounce back from that, it’s tough to miss a penalty kick. So to bounce back the way he did was great,” said Steven Beitashour. “That’s why he’s our leader, and we feed off of it, so he did a great job. Not just the goals but distributing the ball and his intensity and closing them down as well. And we need that. Every game from now on has to be that intense.”
- Kekuta Manneh came off the substitutes’ bench for the final 13 minutes – his third consecutive substitute appearance – and collected his second assist of the season, his first since May 3.
- Darren Mattocks made his second consecutive substitute appearance, coming on for the final 22 minutes, while Nicolas Mezquida was the third of three attacking substitutions made by Robinson.
- “Games around the world are won and lost by substitutes,” said Robinson. “I kept the same team this morning; yesterday I thought about changing it as Nico has been brilliant in training. He got his just reward today. He came on and showed what he could do. He was fantastic.”
FC DALLAS
FC Dallas return to action after extending their home winning streak to record levels in a 3-1 win against Seattle Sounders FC on Sept. 24 at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with 48 points from 30 games.
LAST MATCH
- The hosts took the lead in the eighth minute. Andres Escobar flicked the back end of a one-two with David Texiera in the left side of the penalty area, arcing the ball over Sounders defender Chad Marshall. Texiera blasted home the return ball, putting a well-placed shot past Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei to the far post.
- Sounders FC equalized in the 58th minute. After receiving the ball in midfield from a sweeping backheel by Clint Dempsey, substitute Lamar Neagle unleashed a fantastic dipping shot from 30 yards up to the far upper corner, leaving Dallas 'keeper Raul Fernandez zero chance to save the blast.
- FC Dallas again had their breakthrough in the 78th minute. Another run at the Sounders FC defense by Escobar unlocked the Seattle back line and sent a centering pass through the six-yard box, and again he connected with Texiera, who tapped the cross home from close range for his second goal of the night.
- FCD tacked on an insurance goal in the 88th minute when Michel found Blas Perez in the box on a corner kick, and he powered home a header that Frei could not keep out of the goal.
- FCD head coach Oscar Pareja made three changes to the team that fell 2-1 to the LA Galaxy at StubHub Center. Matt Hedges, Jair Benitez and David Texeira all came into the side, in place of Kellyn Acosta, Ryan Hollingshead and Tesho Akindele.
- FC DALLAS (4-4-2): Raul Fernandez - Je-Vaughn Watson, Matt Hedges, Zach Loyd, Moises Hernandez - Andres Escobar (Ryan Hollingshead 89), Victor Ulloa, Michel, Jair Benitez (Tesho Akindele 54) - David Texeira (Kellyn Acosta 84), Blas Perez.
TEAM NEWS
- FC Dallas set a club record with their seventh consecutive home victory, their last home loss coming May 31 in a 2-1 defeat by the San Jose Earthquakes.
- “I cannot appreciate more the schedule at this moment, where we'll have the key players coming back,” said FCD head coach Oscar Pareja after the game. “What I saw on the field tonight, I'm getting more optimistic about our roster, but indeed it's a great time for us to rest.”
- David Texeira made his first league start since May 10, having made just five substitute appearances in the intervening 19 league matches. He scored a pair of goals, his first of the season since April 12 – when he also scored against Seattle.
- “David has had three great weeks and has been participating for the way we want him to do things much more, he has been growing with the group, his intensity and the rhythm that we wanted from him was there and we decided to bring him in and join that spot with Blas Perez,” said Pareja. “The way he executed was all him. He gave us a lesson today in persistence, he gave us a lesson in patience and he was a big part of the points.”
- Blas Perez scored his 10th goal of the season, now with four goals in the last three matches. Perez has scored 30 goals over his three MLS seasons; his mark this year is one off his single-season MLS career high set last year.
- “Whatever I touch goes in lately,” said Perez. “It is clear that I have to score goals. That is how it is to be a forward. I have to take advantage of this .... My teammates as well, without the opportunities they give me, the crosses and anything they contribute. It would not be possible without them.”
- Andrés Escobar recorded a pair of assists and now has three assists over the last two matches. Jair Benitez also returned to the lineup after coming off the substitutes’ bench in back-to-back matches, his second consecutive start in a wide midfield role.
- “We had a plan today where it was decided to not compete much in the middle. We put the targets up front with [David Texeira] and Blas Perez. We wanted to get those second balls with Andres and Jair. I wanted to get those rebounds there and get some services in the back. I thought it worked pretty well,” said Pareja.
- Said Escobar: “I feel that overall, my game is improving. In Los Angeles, I was able to get a good cross in to Blas Perez, who scored a great goal and tonight with David, two assists to him makes me very happy. I am just as happy that both forwards are feeling comfortable with me.”
- Center back Matt Hedges returned to central defense following a one-match absence, while Fabian Castillo missed his second consecutive match.
- “Matt came out with a bit of tightness in his hamstring after the game against Vancouver and Fabian also, so we wanted to take care of them. We really wanted to feel the energy of all those players against Seattle at home. I'm glad to see Matt back the lineup and that he had an opportunity to rest,” said Pareja.
