Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2 San Jose Earthquakes: Caps Win A Goal Festival
May 3, 2014; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Pedro Morales (77) is congratulated by Vancouver Whitecaps defender Jay DeMerit (6) after his second goal against San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Jon Busch (18) (not pictured) during the first half at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
It was a shootout at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, B.C., with Carl Robinson’s Vancouver Whitecaps delivering against Mark Watson’s San Jose Earthquakes to the tune of 3-2. With the win, the Whitecaps remain in the top five of the MLS Western Conference, while San Jose remain at the bottom of the pack. Here are six things we learned, followed by player ratings, for the Vancouver Whitecaps and San Jose Earthquakes.
1. Kekuta Manneh opens things up
It didn’t take long for the home side to get going, especially with Yannick Djalo injured just minutes into this contest. In the 10th minute, Kekuta Manneh opened up the scoring by taking advantage of a rebound off a miss to make it 1-0 Vancouver.
2. Pedro Morales joins in
In the 18th minute, Darren Mattocks drew a foul in the penalty area. Quakes defender Victor Bernardez was the guilty party, allowing Pedro Morales to convert from the spot to make it 2-0 Whitecaps.
3. Manneh and Morales team up
One minute later, Manneh dished a sweet assist to Morales to make it 3-0 Vancouver. Morales would get a yellow for excessive celebration and the rout seemed to be on.
4. Here comes Chris Wondolowski
Vancouver would be their own worst enemy in the 44th minute of play, as defender Jay DeMerit fouled Alan Gordon in the box. That allowed Chris Wondolowski to scored his fourth goal of the season in the 45th minute. All of a sudden, this looked to be a bit of a match, with Vancouver leading 3-1 at halftime.
Halftime Match Stats (full time stats unavailable):
Vancouver Whitecaps San Jose Earthquakes
13 Attempts on Goal 3
7 Shots on Target 2
5 Shots off Target 0
1 Blocked Shots 1
4 Corner Kicks 1
7 Fouls 5
4 Open Play Crosses 8
0 Offsides 0
1 First Yellow Cards 0
0 Second Yellow Cards 0
0 Red Cards 0
17 Duels Won 20
47% Duels Won % 54%
224 Total Pass 175
82% Passing Accuracy % 72%
54.9% Possession 45.1%
5. Jon Busch joins elite company
In the 55th minute, Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch made a massive save on Erik Hurtado for his 1,000th save in his MLS career. He now joins an elite group of goalkeepers to make 1,000 league saves in Kevin Hartman, Joe Cannon, Nick Rimando, Tony Meola, Matt Reis and Scott Garlick.
6. Wondo’s brace comes too little, too late
In the first minute of stoppage time, Wondolowski scored his fifth goal of the season to make it 3-2 Vancouver. The ball came off Jay DeMerit and suddenly, it became a game. A shot in the last minute of stoppage time from Shea Salinas was collected by David Ousted, and that was the last big chance for the Earthquakes to claw back into the match.
Vancouver Whitecaps Player Ratings
David Ousted 7, Steven Beitashout 7, Jay DeMerit 6, Jordan Harvey 6, Gershon Koffie 7, Matias Laba 7, Kekuta Manneh 9, Pedro Morales 8.5, Sebastian Fernandes 6, Darren Mattocks 3, Erik Hurtado 5, Kenny Miller 5, Nicolas Mezquida 4
San Jose Earthquakes Player Ratings
Jon Busch 5, Jordan Stewart 6, Clarence Goodson 7, Victor Bernardez 5, Brandon Barklage 5, Shea Salinas 5, Sam Cronin 5, J.J. Koval 5, Cordell Cato 5, Yannick Djalo 1, Chris Wondolowski 8, Alan Gordon 4.5, Cordell Cato 4, Billy Schuler NR