Whitecaps' frustrated by loss to shorthanded Timbers

David Ousted had no problem agreeing with the description of his team’s performance.

The Vancouver goalkeeper was deeply puzzled after the  Whitecaps bowed 2-1 to a shorthanded Portland Timbers squad on Sunday at B.C. Place Stadium.

“Frustrating is a good word for it,” said Ousted . “We weren’t good enough. Simple as that.”

On this particular Sunday, the Whitecaps should have been the better team just based on numbers. The Timbers were missing 12 players due to injuries, suspensions and Gold Cup duties.

Portland only dressed 16 players instead of the usual 18 and called up two from its USL affiliate. But the Timbers never trailed as rookie Jeremy Ebobisse scored his first Major League Soccer goal and assisted on the winner in his inaugural start.

Before Sunday, the Timbers (8-8-6) had gone six games without a win 0-3-3. The Whitecaps (8-8-3) had won two straight, including a 1-0 win over the Galaxy in Los Angeles last Wednesday.
Ousted was at a loss to explain why the Caps did not display the same desire that they did in L.A. – a placed where they rarely win – especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“We lacked energy,” said Ousted. “We lacked a little bit of spark – which I don’t understand, especially in a Cascadia Cup (match). It’s frustrating, especially in front of our fans, not to perform better in a period where I think we’ve been playing well.”
(The Cascadia Cup is a fan-created, in-season competition involving Vancouver, Portland and Seattle.)
Sebastian Blanco scored the winner in the 49th minute as he fired home a heel-pass from Ebobisse after originally giving him the ball. The scoring play resulted from a counter-attack that originated in Portland’s zone after Vancouver striker Fredy Montero was shoved down but no call was made – and some angry Whitecaps were slow to get back.
The goal spoiled Vancouver’s comeback hopes after Andrew Jacobson had created a 1-1 tie moments before half-time as he footed in Tim Parker’s header off a corner-kick. Ebobisse, drafted fourth overall by Portland this year, nudged in Dairon Asprilla’s shot 14 minutes into the game as the Whitecaps failed to clear a Timbers’ corner-kick properly.

“First half, we played very well, exceptionally well, got the equalizer just before half-time and I think, probably, it was a fair reflection of the first half,” said Robinson. “I thought we were the better team. Second half, it was always going to come down to a mistake, a wonder goal or something like that. When you give a good team like Portland the lead five minutes into the second half, it’s very difficult. So I will give them credit today, because they managed to hang on.

“Their ’keeper (Jake Gleeson) came up with one or two big saves as well. But it hurts.”

Gleeson robbed second-half substitute Brek Shea as he one-timed a volley from close range in the 80th minute and then made a sensational diving save on a Parker header five minutes later. But for most of the game, Vancouver’s passing was off as attempts inexplicably went to Portland players after they applied little pressure. As a result, the Whitecaps generated little offensively.

The loss spoiled a strong effort by Jacobson who, in addition to scoring, made several strong defensive plays. He filled in admirably at central defender while captain Kendall Waston was rested after playing for Costa Rica at the Gold Cup. While Robinson liked Jacobson’s effort, he was not pleased with the overall defensive showing by any means.

“Obviously, I’m disappointed defensively all around for the two goals (against), because I think they are very avoidable,” said Robinson.

And, like Ousted, the coach was puzzled.

“You play on Wednesday and you do every little duty correctly – individually and collectively – and then you play four days later and it seems it’s not your day,” said Robinson.

Five yellow cards – three to Portland and a pair to the Whitecaps – were handed out, but the game lacked the emotion and intensity often witnessed when these teams meet. Until after the game, that is.

Timbers coach Caleb Porter thrust his fist in the air and hugged his assistant coaches, ecstatic with the Timbers’ first win since June 10. After shaking hands with Robinson, Porter also took exception to something that he claimed the Whitecaps coach had said, and the two had to be separated.

Robinson was not about to reveal what he said as he couched his comments with praise for Portland’s coaching crew. It was obvious that Porter’s frustration had ended – at least for now.

But with next Saturday’s contest in Dallas serving as the first of three straight difficult road games, Robinson’s obvious frustration could last a while longer.

Changes loom for Whitecaps after strong finish

Giles Barnes did what he was supposed to do – several weeks too late.

Barnes scored two goals, including the winner, as the Vancouver Whitecaps concluded their disappointing 2016 Major League Soccer season on Sunday with a resounding 4-1 victory over the surprisingly inept Portland Timbers.

The goals, which came before more than 24,000 fans at B.C. Place Stadium, were Barnes’ first for the Whitecaps.

“It’s important to stay away from the goals but (focus on) how well the team performed in general,” said Barnes. “It’s great to end the season with the Caps fans (having) something to shout about. It’s been a very up-and-down season. But it gives them a bit of excitement for next year and something to really look forward to.”

As Barnes suggested, the Whitecaps offered fans some hope for 2017 after missing the playoffs this season. The striker’s goals offered a taste of what could have been if Vancouver had a dangerous scorer throughout the season – and clearly showed what they need.

A dependable striker.

It remains to be seen whether Barnes can provide the offensive consistency that the Caps need. The 28-year-old London native arrived in a trade from Houston with impressive credentials, but he failed to make up for the departure of former designated player Octavio Rivero, who was transferred to Chile’s Colo-Colo.

Barnes’ showing was not what Caps management or fans expected of someone who had scored 31 goals and added 14 assists in 113 MLS regular-season appearances and had also produced in the English Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, and CONCACAF Champions League. In addition, Barnes helped two English Championship clubs earn promotion to the EPL and saw extensive action with the Jamaican national team after debuting in March 2015.

Barnes said it took him a while to adjust to playing in Vancouver.

“Obviously, I knew that I was being (crossed) out of Houston,” he said. “I hadn’t played for a while. I was in a (Vancouver) hotel for weeks. It was pretty unsettling, and then flying away to Jamaica and trying to find my rhythm. And then when you don’t score a goal after a few games, the confidence is a little bit low, but I know what I’m capable of, and the coach (Carl Robinson) and everyone can see what I’m capable of. I’ve produced the last five years I’ve been here (in MLS).

“It’s one of those things: Once I knew I’d got one (goal), I could add to it from there.”

Barnes scored Vancouver’s first two goals, in the 13th and 32nd minutes, following Portland giveaways. First, he fired home a Fraser Aird cross from the right flank that deflected off a Timbers defender. Then Barnes took the ball from a Portland player on the left wing, coasted into the Timbers’ box and beat goalkeeper Tim Gleeson with a low shot to the far post.

Barnes helped the Whitecaps claim the Cascadia Cup, a fan-created trophy based on in-season games between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. He also helped the Caps deny Portland a playoff berth after the Timbers ousted the Caps from the 2015 post-season en route to winning the MLS Cup.

But Barnes and the rest of Vancouver’s effort must be viewed realistically. As Portland coach Caleb Porter indicated, the Timbers were terrible. A defender passed the ball right to Pedro Morales for Vancouver's third goal in the 54th minute and Nicolas Mezquida easily steered the ball around a Portland player before scoring Vancouver’s final goal a minute later.
While Portland’s showing was stunningly bad, the Timbers struggled on the road all season. In fact, they never won a game away from Providence Park, finishing 0-11-6 outside of their confines.

And, for a rare occasion, the Whitecaps made the most of their chances, leaving one reporter to ask: Where was that performance all year?

“Good question,” replied Robinson. “If you could give me an answer, then please do.”
Robinson later added: "This performance absolutely drives me mad, because I know we've got the players to do it, but we haven't done it on a consistent basis." 

The reality is that the Whitecaps will make some key changes in the off-season. Morales, the club’s captain, is not expected to stay after a sub-par season in which he still led the team with nine goals. Some other older veteran members of the team’s core also appear likely to depart.

Robinson did not want to contemplate changes just yet. Instead, he and players pointed to successes. The Caps finished first in their CONCACAF Champions League pool, advancing beyond the group stage for the first time. They also came within seconds of winning the Canadian championship before losing on the away-goals rule to Toronto.

But defender Jordan Harvey put Sunday’s win in the proper perspective.

“This was our best performance of the year,” he said. “Unfortunately, it happened at the end of the season and not at the beginning.”

The Whitecaps can use the showing to build on next year. But it remains to be seen who will still be around to do the building.

Timbers tumble out of MLS playoffs

What a difference a year made for the Portland Timbers.

In the fall of 2015, the Timbers made a habit of winning games late in the season. They then snuck into the playoffs and won the Major League Soccer championship in rousing fashion.

But on Sunday’s final game of the game 2016 regular-season, they crashed out of the playoffs. Desperately in need of a win to capture a post-season berth like they did last, the Timbers delivered a terrible effort and fell 4-1 to the Vancouver Whitecaps, who had nothing to play for but pride.

Timbers coach Caleb Porter only needed one word to describe his team’s showing.

“Disappointing,” he said. “Obviously, the performance was not good enough. Defensively, we leaked goals. Obviously, without [Liam] Ridgewell and [Diego] Chara, you can see we were missing some quality. But that’s where your depth needs to step up. They didn’t. We had some guys who really had poor performances. You can’t win when you get that – and we got that across the board.”

Porter went on at length about how a lack of depth, especially on the wings, hurt his team at key times during the season and again on Sunday. Giveaways on the wings led to Vancouver’s first two goals, both by Giles Barnes. Now, Porter and the rest of the team’s management will spend part of the off-season evaluating fringe players who were on the verge of becoming starters and bench personnel to determine whether they should stay with the club.

If Sunday’s performance was an accurate indication, they should not.

 “Obviously, there were some turning points that maybe could’ve changed the game. … So those are factors of the game. But when I look at the overall performance, I didn’t think we were good. When I look at the overall performance, I didn’t think we were good. I didn’t think we defended well. I thought we got some surprisingly poor performances out of some of our key guys and some of the depth pieces that we have to plug in with some of the absences that we had. When you look at the last two games – our Champions League game on Wednesday and this game, we had two key guys out in both of those games. I think that sums up our season. On Wednesday, [Fanendo] Adi and [Diego] Valeri were out. When we needed our depth to step up and get the job done, they didn’t. And this game, (Diego) Chara and (Liam) Ridgewell were out. We needed our depth to step up and get the job done. They didn’t.”

Porter thought the situation was exacerbated on the road. The Timbers racked up 12 home wins – the second-highest total in the league – this season. But as a result of Sunday’s loss, they went winless (0-11-6) in 17 games away from Providence Park.

“What do you blame it on?” he asked of the inconsistent season. “You blame it on injuries (or) you blame it on depth. I blame it on depth because, ultimately, you have to have a good enough bench to get the job done regardless of injuries. And, I think Wednesday and (Sunday are) a bit of the story of the season.”

Whitecaps show signs of moving upward with win over Timbers

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.