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.