Japanese star earns kudos in first MLS start

Masato Kudo made his mark Saturday night in his first Major League Soccer start.

The Whitecaps striker was at the centre of the play that led to Vancouver’s controversial 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo at B.C. Place Stadium.

Pedro Morales scored on a penalty-kick in the 23rd minute after Kudo was pushed down from behind by Dynamo defender Jalil Anibaba in the Houston box. Vancouver (2-2-0) posted its second consecutive win, while the Dynamo fell to 1-2-1.

The goal from the PK punctuated a strong opening for Kudo, who was robbed by Houston goalkeeper Joe Willis on a two-on-one with Kekuta Manneh in the 15th minute.

 “I thought (Kudo’s) movement was very good," said Vancouver coach Carl Robinson. “He’ll be disappointed he didn’t score the goal. It was a great bit of link-up play. He usually eats them up in training.”

Kudo, a former Japanese League star, joined the Whitecaps on a free transfer in the off-season. He gave the Whitecaps an offensive spark almost from the get-go. Willis was forced to stop Octavio Rivero on a back-heeled shot in the 12th minute off a pass from Kudo, who made a number of dangerous runs and caused Dynamo coach Owen Coyle fits on the decisive penalty call.

Kudo was fouled while trying to field a cross that was already beyond him.

"That's never a penalty in a million years," said Coyle. "Unfortunately for us, it's been given."

Coyle felt his team dominated after that point, but Kudo helped the Whitecaps control play in the early going as Houston goalkeeper Willis delivered a masterful effort. The Whitecaps were credited with six shots on target in the first half alone.

“It’s hard to sit here having no points in that game, given the level of the performance that we put into the match,” said Coyle. “But there you go. As you know, it can be a very cruel game.”

The timing of international call-ups can also be cruel, as the Whitecaps found out Saturday while playing with a make-shift back line. It contained contained only veteran starter in left back Jordan Harvey and just one natural central defender in Pa-Modou Kah.

Houston’s domination, as Coyle saw it, was probably debatable, although the Dynamo did put a shot off the crossbar and another off the post. The visitors rarely threatened to score until the Whitecaps withstood a free kick from the top of their box and a corner-kick in the closing minutes.

“We’ve got a squad for a reason – to give guys an opportunity to play,” said Robinson. “I think the guys who stepped in did themselves a lot of good.”

Robinson also bolstered his team’s defensive coverage by substituting Sam Adekugbe and Jordan Smith, who are usually defenders, into midfield positions in the second half.

“From Carl’s point of view, we, maybe, wanted to get a bit more of a strong presence in the box with Sam Adekugbe and Jordan Smith,” said goalkeeper David Ousted. “I think that was the idea. We were trying to make sure we didn’t get over-run on the flanks.”

Ousted did not dispute Coyle’s contention that Houston dominated after the controversial penalty-kick. But the Caps goalkeeper only cared about the final result after his team blanked a Dynamo squad that scored 11 goals in its three previous games.

“We kept a clean sheet and won 1-0,” said Ousted. “So, looking at it that way, we did tremendously well.”

Thanks in large part to Kudo’s early exploits.

Impact downs Whitecaps without Drogba

The Montreal Impact did not miss Didier Drogba on Sunday.

Ignacio Piatti scored two goals, including the winner, and added an assist as the Impact edged the Vancouver Whitecaps 3-2 at B.C. Place Stadium. Piatti provided the offence as Cameroonian superstar Drogba stayed home because he did not want to play on the artificial turf at B.C. Place Stadium.

“I think that (Piatti) had an excellent match,” said Montreal coach Mauro Biello, speaking in French. “He was extraordinary on the ball. What decisions! … Two excellent goals.”

The Impact held 2-0 and 3-1 leads from which the Whitecaps – who controlled play for long stretches, particularly in the second half – could not recover. Piatti scored his goals in the 19th and 88th minutes while taking advantage of defensive breakdowns.

On the first, after a giveaway by rookie Whitecaps defender Fraser Aird, he was allowed to run across the Vancouver box with the ball and slot home a shot in the lower right corner. The second goal came on a counter-attack as Piatti took a pass from Dominic Oduro on a two-on-one, drew Vancouver goalkeeper David Ousted to the near post and then slid a shot inside the far post.

“At different moments, he made it look easy,” said Biello in English. “And, to be able score two goals like that on the road was great.”

Oduro scored the other Impact goal on a miscommunication by Ousted and central defender Kendall Waston. Ousted slid past a loose ball as Oduro was running on to a lead pass from Piatti, leaving an open net to shoot at freely.

“We have a lot of guys that score goals this year, and (Piatti) showed that tonight,” said Impact goalkeeper Evan Busch.

In other words, Montreal can rely on more players than Drogba, who scored 11 goals and helped the Impact make a late run to the playoffs after he signed midway through the 2015 season.

“Obviously, (Drogba), we can’t take away what he brought to the team last year,” said Biello, continuing in English. “He’s a superstar, but I stress the importance of everybody on this team and the roles that they play and the responsibilities that they have. Each one of them is important. And, when they get their opportunity to perform, it’s about moments – and it’s about being good in those moments.

“From our ’keeper all the way to our best player, we have to have a mindset that’s shared and ready to fight. With the quality of players that we have, we feel that we have a balanced attack – and when (Drogba) comes back, it’s going to help us more.”

Jordan Harvey, on a Pedro Morales free kick in the 45th minute, and Waston on a header off a Christian Bolanos corner-kick  moments before the final whistle, scored for the Whitecaps.

“I’d rather win than score,” said a dejected Waston.

In addition to demonstrating Montreal’s offensive diversity, the game hinted that Canada’s MLS squad could excel this season. The Impact appears to be a solid team, the Whitecaps are viewed as a championship contender, and Toronto FC should be considerably better after missing the playoffs last season.

Stay tuned for some strong results from the Canadian squads – with or without Drogba in Montreal’s lineup.

Whitecaps score wins off pitch, add talent on

The Vancouver Whitecaps are just starting the 2016 season, but they have already scored some big wins.
Entering its sixth Major League Soccer season, the club has increased its season ticket base by about 1,500 to 15,500. As a result, the B.C. Place Stadium lower bowl has been reconfigured to allow for a maximum of 22,100 fans, up from the previous sellout mark of 21,000.
For games against L.A. Galaxy on April 2, Seattle Sounders on Oct. 2 and defending champion Portland Timbers, seating capacity will be increased to 25,000.
Also, team COO Rachel Lewis said during a media round table that the Whitecaps have signed 10 new corporate partners, including Red Bull -- which has never sponsored a team before -- and BCAA, the province's automobile association. And, Whitecaps games will now be broadcast on TSN 1040, which draws a larger audience than previous station host TSN 1410.
The club has also opened up a new hospitality section for an exclusive 25-member club and in the past year donated $1 million to B.C. Children's Hospital.
On the playing side, the Caps have likely gained more offence by acquiring strikers Masato Kudo, who formerly played in Japan's J-League and Blas Perez, who previously played for FC Dallas, and Costa Rican midfielder Christian Bolanos, a participant in two FIFA World Cups.
"We've added up front, where we were short (goals) last year," said club president Bobby Lenarduzzi, whose team was blanked in a first-round playoff series loss to Portland in 2015 and struggled to score consistently in the regular season.
Young Canadian defenders Sam Adekugbe and Fraser Aird should help shore up a strong back line. Adekugbe is entering his second season with the Caps while Aird begins his first. Both have a chance to see extensive action at left and right back, respectively. Another Canadian, Kianz Froese, has the potential to provide an offensive spark in midfield as coach Carl Robinson seeks more goals from the engine room.
As a result of the improvements, the Whitecaps are viewed as serious, if not strong, MLS Cup contenders. Time will tell whether they can live up to expectations, but Lenarduzzi is feeling quite optimistic, even though he knows all teams do at this time of year.
"Going into the season, it feels like this is the deepest roster we've had," he said.