Harvey feels the fans' love in return to Vancouver

Jordan Harvey was not going to let anyone spoil his moment.

The former Whitecaps defender was serenaded as he left late in Friday's game as his new team, Los Angeles FC, blanked Vancouver 2-0 at B.C. Place Stadium.

“It meant a lot,” said Harvey. “It took me by surprise, obviously. I’m not sure which (Vancouver) player it was, but he tried to get me to get off the field. But regardless of what anybody did, I was gonna take that (ovation) in, because that meant a lot to me."

Many in the crowd were standing as he subbed off in the 86th minute, showing appreciation for his seven seasons of mostly unspectacular, but solid service with the Whitecaps.

"It means a lot to my family," he continued. "I’m just very grateful to have spent the years here and (for) the memories that I have.

“It was up there with every moment that I’ve had with the Whitecaps.”

Harvey, 34, arrived unceremoniously in Vancouver in 2011 as a result of a mid-season trade from Philadelphia and went on to become the Caps' all-time leader in Major League Soccer minutes, games played and appearances. He signed with expansion side L.A. as a free agent in the off-season after losing his starting spot late in the 2017 campaign.

He made his first start with L.A. on Friday after Joao Mourinho was suspended for taking a pair of yellow cards in the club's previous match. The Whitecaps paid tribute to him briefly before the game. 

“It’s been kind of strange from the moment that we were about to land, just seeing the landscape and then landing and coming in,” said Harvey. “It was really amazing. The fans were so nice. I’m just so grateful for my time here and the memories that I have, and I really appreciate the support that I got tonight.”

His new team should also appreciate the support that he provided on the back line. The Whitecaps never threatened offensively as L.A. used five defenders in its formation.

“The staff really prepared us well, and that’s what, I think, calmed the group,” said Harvey. “We felt prepared when we went into it and we were sound defensively, which was good for me personally. It was kind of a whirlwind of emotions because, coming back here, this being my first time with a new club, I wanted to make a good first impression. All those things built up and I was able to just spend another night on the field. I felt really good. I had a lot of support from my teammates.”

L.A. earned its clean sheet after allowing nine goals in its previous two games, which both resulted in losses.

“We went back to the basics," said Harvey. "The first game that we played against Seattle was more like this performance. We get a goal on the road and then defend soundly and defend properly.”

Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi scored second-half goals for L.A., and Tyler Miller earned his second shutout of the season.

The Whitecaps dearly missed top striker Kei Kamara, who was sidelined due to a groin injury suffered in training Thursday.

"I could say (Kamra's absence) didn't affect (the outcome)," said Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson. "Clearly, I would be lying."

According to the Caps coach, L.A.'s switch to five defenders also made a difference.

"They adjusted their formation, and credit to them because they got their tactices spot on," said "We weren't sort of in the game. We weren't much in the game.

"They kept going. We weren't good enough."

And, in the end, Jordan Harvey stole the show.

 

 

Whitecaps get rare taste of life at the top

The Vancouver Whitecaps have traditionally been climbers, but now they hope to avoid a fall.
The Whitecaps (13-9-5) sit first in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference heading into Saturday’s home game against the Columbus Crew (13-12-4) at B.C. Stadium. The Caps usually find themselves battling for a playoff spot at this time of year, with the end of the regular season approaching, but they have avoided their seemingly annual summer swoon – and displayed more consistency than expected.
However, Vancouver coach Carl Robinson and his players are not making a big deal of their success.
 “We’ve just got to keep ticking along,” said Robinson.
The Whitecaps are coming off a 3-0 thrashing of expansion side Minnesota United on Wednesday at home, where they made amends for squandering a 2-0 lead earlier this season in the Twin Cities and settling for a tie.
They have climbed up the standings by going 7-2-2 in their past 11 games
“It feels good, but we want to be there at the end of the season,” said Caps rookie defender Jake Nerwinski. “It’s good to be in first now, but we’ve got seven games left.”  
Saturday’s tilt is likely to be much more difficult for the Whitecaps. The Crew is 3-0-2 in its last five games and arrived early to watch Wednesday’s game at B.C. Place. After the game, many Whitecaps renewed acquaintances with former popular teammate Kekuta Manneh. The popular Gambia native, who has played both striker and midfielder, was traded to Columbus early in the season for Tony Tchani, who has performed well albeit with less flair.
“I hope he does well against us, but I hope we get the win,” said Whitecaps striker Erik Hurtado.
On Wednesday, Hurtado scored in a starting role against Minnesota after rarely seeing the pitch for most of the season as Robinson elected to go with other players. Hurtado could finding himself watching again Saturday. The Caps will likely draw heavily again on Yordy Reyna, a player who has provided the consistency that was often lacking with Manneh, who struggled with injuries in Vancouver and never quite lived up to expectations after his play hinted that he could earn a large transfer fee from a European club.
Reyna, a Peurvian international who missed much of the season with a broken foot suffered in the preseason, has three goals and an assist in his past five games. He scored a brilliant goal against Minnesota on a long lead ball from Canadian midfielder Marcel de Jong and also provided a helper.
“He’s such an exciting player,” said Nerwinski. “He’s explosive, he’s quick, he’s skillful and he makes things happen.”
And, if he continue to make more things happen on a regular basis, the Whitecaps may just avoid a fall from first place.

 

Whitecaps hope different lineup spells same resolve

The Vancouver Whitecaps will not look the same when they take on Orlando City in Florida today.

“We’ll have different players playing in different positions on the weekend,” said Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson.

Robinson only made one lineup change for the Whitecaps’ last game – an adversity-filled 1-1 comeback draw with Seattle – as he looked at a busy schedule and the season's "big picture." But this time he has no choice but to make a number of moves. The Caps lost midfielder Tony Tchani to a suspension after he took two yellow cards and an automatic red against the Sounders.

Robinson will also try to manage fatigue as his team plays its third game in eight days after making a cross-continent flight.

The lengthy trip means that players, like midfielder Brek Shea, who watched from the bench Wednesday will see action. Shea will likely replace Tchani, while Jake Nerwinski appears likely to return to his right back post after Sheanon Williams committed the foul that led to Seattle’s goal on a penalty-kick.

It will be interesting to see how Robinson adjusts his attackers. It would not be a surprise to see midfielder Yordy Reyna get a rest for at least part of the game. Robinson will likely want to keep going with striker Fredy Montero, who might be in need of a break but has five goals in five games after scoring Vancouver’s lone goal against his former Sounders side on Wednesday.

“It’s about concentration levels,” said Robinson. “When balls come into the box, he becomes alive.”

Alphonso Davies, 16, who suffered an injury while with the Canadian squad at the Gold Cup, could see more action after he came on as a substitute and made a brilliant move to assist on Montero’s goal Wednesday. But Robinson, who has limited Davies’ playing time, given his youth, recent injury and inconsistency, was coy about the youngster’s status.

“I still don’t think that he’s 100 per cent,” said Robinson. “Maybe we’ll get to see on Saturday whether he is. He needed a break – a mental break, a physical break – and you’ve gotta remember how old the boy is. There’s lots of things going on, but we support him. You’ll respect my decisions and listen, because I know what’s going on with the boy.”

While Robinson uses a different lineup, the Whitecaps will try to play with similar resolve that they displayed after Tchani was sent off against Seattle.

“Forget the point, forget the game,” said Robinson. “The mentality and character shown in this group (were) phenomenal (against Seattle), and they deserve a lot of credit.”

“It is like a win,” added Montero. “We were playing one of the best teams in the MLS with one man down. It was very tough for us. But at the end of the day that (ejection) sparked us. We got that goal. We got one point.”

Montero said the Whitecaps, who held the sixth and final Western Conference playoff berth heading into the weekend, will try to make up for losing two points against Seattle. However, it will be difficult to earn points against an Orlando squad that has lost only one game at home while going 6-1-0.

The Whitecaps will need to hold off Canadian international Cyle Larin and some other offensively gifted players, including Brazilian legend Kaka.

“They’re very good at home, especially their front four,” said Vancouver  goalkeeper David Ousted. “It’s (a) fantastic (group of) players, and we know the offensive threat they pose. They’re gonna put us under a lot of pressure, but that if we approach that game correctly, we can go in there and get points.”

But, naturally, Ousted, who was outstanding against Seattle, is confident that the Whitecaps, who sport a 4-6-2 road record, can prevail far from their B.C. Place Stadium den.

“We’re going in there to win. I’ll say it straight out,” said Ousted. “We’ve been good at going away from home and taking those games head-on.”

Reyna coming into his own with Caps

Yordy Reyna continues to make up for lost time.
After missing most of the season with a broken foot, the Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder has two goals in just eight appearances heading into Wednesday night’s game against the Seattle Sounders at B.C. Place Stadium.
“He’s like a rash,” said Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson. “He’s all over the place.”
Robinson and Caps fans will be hoping that Reyna follows up well on a strong effort in a 2-1 win over Houston on Saturday, when he figured in both of Vancouver’s goals. Fredy Montero scored on a penalty-kick in the 17th minute after Reyna was fouled by Boniek Garcia.
Then, 15 minutes later, Reyna took a pass from Montero and scored on a well-placed shot from distance that fooled Houston goalkeeper Tyler Deric. The goal, which gave the Whitecaps a 2-0 lead, proved to be the winner before Romell Quioto scored in the second half.
“I think (Montero) and Yordy have a nice little bit of chemistry,” said Robinson.
The coach is starting to see what he envisioned from the duo when he acquired them in the off-season. Reyna, a 23-year-old Peruvian international, joined the Whitecaps as a free agent from Austria’s FC Red Bull Salzburg, while Montero, a 30-year-old Colombian, was brought in as a designated player on a one-year loan from a Chinese squad.
"If I can hold the ball long enough for (Reyna) to come support me, then that's good for the team," said Montero, who now has 10 goals on the season. "We have different kinds of players that can go one-on-one, who can shoot on goal."
Reyna’s return to action on July 1 has helped the Whitecaps (10-9-4) move into Major League Soccer’s sixth and final Western Conference playoff spot.
"We had (Reyna) in pre-season so we got a little glimpse of (his talent),” said Whitecaps midfielder Andrew Jacobson. "We got to see it and then it got taken away. Now, he's really starting to come into his own."
Reyna’s presence also appears to have revitalized Montero, who has four goals in as many games. Six of Montero’s 10 goals this season have come since July 5. Before then, he produced only one goal in nine games – a span of more than two months.
With both Reyna and Montero in good form, the Whitecaps now have a good chance to move up the table, considering that six of the club’s next seven games are at home.
“What we do at home is going to be very important to us,” said Jacobsosn. “We see the stretch we have in front of us, we know we’ve gotta start picking up points.”
Montero, a former Sounder, is looking to have another strong outing against Seattle after scoring two goals in a Vancouver win in April.
“It’s going to be another neat opportunity for me to try to play against my old friends, but it’s going to be (just) another game for me as well as the team,” said Montero. “All of our focus is on the victory.”