The Vancouver Whitecaps could finally be on the ascent after
a slow start to the MLS season – thanks to some timely goals from Christian Bolanos.
Bolanos scored his third goal in three games Saturday to
give the Whitecaps a comeback 2-1 victory over the Portland Timbers before a
sellout crowd of 21,122 at B.C. Place Stadium.
“I am happy because we (won) the game, not because I
scored three goals in three games, but because players in my position need to
get chances by playing (with) confidence,” said Bolanos, a 31-year-old Costa Rican attacking midfielder who is in his first season with Vancouver.
Both of Vancouver's goals came in the second half after Portland led 1-0 following the first 45 minutes. With the victory, the Caps (4-5-2) have now beaten the defending
MLS champion Timbers (3-4-3), who ousted them from the 2015 playoffs, and
Western Conference co-leader FC Dallas.
Bolanos netted the winner in the 66th minute on a lob
into the Portland box that Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson misplayed after
making a number of exceptional saves on much tougher shots.
“Actually, I tried to play the ball for Blas (Perez),”
said Bolanos. “He didn’t touch the ball, but I think (Perez) made (a) problem for
the goalkeeper,” said Bolanos. “That’s why he (was) thinking, maybe, Blas (will) touched
the ball. So I was lucky, but it was good and I’m happy. This goal is 95 per
cent for (Perez).”
Matsuto Kudo, a former Japanese League star, drew the
Whitecaps even in the 60th minute with his first MLS goal. He beat Gleeson with
a shot to the short side from a sharp angle. Nat Borchers opened the scoring
for Portland in the 34th minute as he slid onto a Darlington Nagbe cross,
tapping the ball just inside the far post.
“I thought we deserved something out of the game, or at
least a draw, but credit Vancouver in that second half for clawing back and scoring
two goals,” said Timbers coach Caleb Porter, whose team's win streak ended at three games. “The reason I felt we deserved
something out of it is: Up 1-0 starting the second half, I thought we were in
great position. We were getting counter-attacks.”
But the Whitecaps enjoyed several more opportunities as
they controlled play for much of the first 45 minutes and were unlucky to score
as Gleeson stopped Nicolas Mezquida just seven minutes in, Bolanos in the 19th
minute, Mezquida again in the 39th and Kendall Waston’s header off the ensuing
corner-kick.
“I thought that, if we kept creating chances – and I
think everyone did – that eventually the ball was going to go in the back of
the net,” said Vancouver defender Fraser Aird. “The way we scored (the winning
goal) was probably our easiest chance that we created. We had a few in the
six-yard box that just didn’t go in. I thought their ‘keeper had a really good
game, had some really good saves, but at the end of the day we’re sitting here
with three points and we’re happy.”
The game’s stat sheet backed up Aird’s comment. The
Whitecaps had 26 shots, including blocked efforts, compared to Portland’s nine.
Of those, 13 Vancouver shots were on target while the Timbers were credited
with putting only three on Caps goalkeeper David Ousted. Meanwhile, the
Whitecaps generated 11 corner-kicks to Portland’s five.
But with his team down a goal at half-time, Whitecaps coach
Carl Robinson, still felt a need for some inspiration.
"It's
a special day for me today, my (late) father's birthday," said Robinson.
"At half-time ... I'm talking to myself and one of the coaches said: 'Are
you OK?' I said: 'Yeah. Bring me some luck, Dad.'
"He
brought me some luck with a mistake from the goalkeeper."
During the intermission, Robinson also told his players to
keep doing what they were doing. He lauded them afterward for remaining intense
“from the first minute to the last minute.”
“I think today we showed what we can be,” said Robinson.
The Caps will face expectations to do likewise again Wednesday as they host the Chicago Fire, an Eastern Conference bottom-feeder,
and then visit Canadian rival Toronto FC next weekend.
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