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Harjeet Johal ,

August 2, 2015 Twitter

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VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders will be seeing a lot of each other in MLS and CONCACAF Champions League with four combined matches before the end of September. The Whitecaps visited CenturyLink Field on Saturday night hoping to deny the Sounders a chance to claim the coveted Cascadia Cup. Pa-Modou Kah scored a brace as Vancouver jumped out to an early lead and never looked back with a 3-0 win over Seattle in front of 53,125 bewildered fans. Pa-Modou Kah talked about his goals and where they rank on his list of goals scored in his career. “Yes. I have one of the best goals, when I was playing Holland it was one of the best goals of the year. It was crowned one of the top 20 goals of the year in Europe. But, to have two finishes like this today it is just unbelievable, especially two days after my 35th birthday. Like I said earlier, there’s ten goals a year [on set pieces]. I put my two goals so I’m done for the year hopefully. Now it us up to Octavio (Rivero), Kekuta (Manneh), and the rest to score." After turning 35 years-old on Thursday, Pa-Modou Kah scored his first and second career goals as a Vancouver Whitecap. Pedro Morales added a goal soon after entering the pitch as a second half substitute. David Ousted was hardly tested by the offensively challenged Sounders. The Great Dane earned his 8th clean sheet of the season and talked about the teams defensive play. "Yeah I thought we played well. Kah’s two goals is one thing, I congratulated him, but even better I thought we defended fantastically all night The back four was very solid and the midfield did an incredible job. So, I’m delighted to come here and get a clean sheet and a big win." Carl Robinson thrilled to see his team put in a sold performance against the Sounders. Every player did what was asked and the end result was a deserving three points. The Welsh gaffer could not have asked for more from his team. "It was a really positive and strong performance by the guys tonight and I’m absolutely delighted for all the guys because they put a huge amount of work in, which is what you need to do when you play Seattle away. And you get your rewards and we got our rewards tonight so we’ll enjoy it. The performance was absolutely fantastic and every single one of my players tonight carried out the instructions I asked them to do because we need to be organized and disciplined to play against a very good team. They did it to a ‘T’ so I’m delighted about that."



The Opening 45

Mauro Rosales picked up a goal and assist last weekend vs San Jose, but also picked up a groin injury. With Pedro Morales still making his way back from a calf injury and Rosales unavailable. Nicolas Mezquida was tasked with playing the no.10 role and supporting lone striker Octavio Rivero. Kekuta Manneh has recently torched Seattle with 4 goals in his previous two matches at CenturyLink Field. Manneh was matched up with Tyrone Mears on the left flank. Vancouver got off to a blazing start in the 6th minute thanks to an unsuspecting scorer. Cristian Techera took a free kick that Seattle was unable to clear. Brad Evans chested the ball into the path of Pa-Modou Kah. The Norwegian centre-back blasted the ball past Sounders keeper Stefan Frei. Vancouver had shocked the home faithful with a Kah goal, his second career MLS tally. Sounders Manager Sigi Schmid was pissed off and none too happy with how the Whitecaps celebrated their goals at CenturyLink Field. The Whitecaps celebrated a bit too much for Schmid and he sounded off following the 3-0 loss. "Hopefully (my team will) remember that they went out and celebrated on our field a little bit, and that pisses us off. We’ve got to make sure we right that and get them back for that. I don’t think teams should come in here and be taking snapshots and taking pictures on our field.” The Whitecaps carried the play in the first half and controlled the midfield with ease. Mezquida was a terrific addition and played with great energy and creativity. Seattle was having trouble containing the quick pace of the Whitecaps. Jordan Harvey always thrives in Cascadia Cup matches. After returning from his 1-match suspension. Harvey settled in at left-back and worked his way into the Caps counter-attacks. Octavio Rivero was able to find a streaking Harvey on the left flank as he burst towards goal. The 31 year-old fired a bullet on target that struck the post. Frei appeared to get a slight hand to the ball. Just before halftime the Vancouver Whitecaps caught a massive break. Thomas delivered a cross into the Vancouver box that clearly struck the arm of Pa-Modou Kah. Chad Marshall was able to get a weak shot off that David Ousted was able to save. The Seattle crowd hollered for a penalty to be given, but it was not forthcoming from referee Mark Geiger. The Whitecaps outplayed the Sounders in the opening forty-five and went into the break with a 1-0 lead. Vancouver's quick counter-attacking style hurt them in terms of possession. Seattle had an advantage of 64% - 36%. 53,125 fans watching the Caps dismantle Seattle tonight! — AFTN (@aftncanada) August 2, 2015 Teams going opposite directions: 'Caps jump into Western Conference and Cascadia Cup leads. Sounders lose eighth in 10. | SEA 0-3 YVR | FT — Liviu Bird (@liviubird) August 2, 2015

The Second Half

The halftime break did little to boost the efforts of the slumping Seattle Sounders. On the opposite side of the pitch Vancouver scored an early goal to double their lead and once again, it was from an unfamiliar player. Pa-Modou Kah was the recipient of a beautifully worked goal. Techera played a short corner to Manneh who returned the ball back to Techera. Pa-Modou Kah was unmarked in the Sounders box and sent a cheeky back heel past Stefan Frei. Kah displayed the touch of a seasoned striker and gave his side a 2-0 lead in hostile territory in the 49' minute. Despite dominating the Sounders the Whitecaps still wanted more. They surged forward and continued to push the pace. Nicolas Mezquida struck the post and Jordan Harvey missed on a bicycle kick attempt from in close. Carl Robinson looked to keep the momentum going by bringing on Pedro Morales. The Chilean wizard came on for Mezquida in the 72'. Morales had been working on his match fitness after a long-term calf injury. In the 75' minute Morales delivered a cracker of a free kick past the Sounders wall and behind Frei for his 4th goal of the season. The Whitecaps jumped ahead 3-0. The Sounders keeper lamented his teams inability to defend free kicks. The Whitecaps had a clinical display off of set pieces and made the Sounders pay. The former Toronto FC man gave full credit to the Caps and knows his Sounders have to be better. "The third is probably a good finish. In general we just gave away too many silly free kicks around the box and maybe one was just in a nice sweet spot for him to take advantage and obviously he took advantage of it. A center back with two goals for them is right spot at the right time but still we have to be in the right spot at the right time. You can’t just always say it’s bad luck. We have to win individual battles, we have to be sharp defensively on set pieces and do better.” Seattle was no match for Vancouver. The Whitecaps came into Seattle and seized the match from the opening kickoff. For whatever reason it is, the Whitecaps always come to play at CenturyLink Field and they did so tonight. Pa-Modou Kah was an unlikely scorer, but you need a complete team effort and unsung heroes in derby match. The Whitecaps got all of that and more. Portland is now eliminated as Vancouver holds the tiebreaker over them. #CascadiaCup — Cascadia Cup (@TheCascadiaCup) August 2, 2015

Man of the Match



Pa-Modou Kah

Kah is most certainly known for his strong presence as a central defender. It was a remarkable bonus gift that he was able to score not only one, but two goals in any match. Kah had a derby game that many footballers dream of having, but never do. He took both of his opportunities and buried his chances. He also was able to keep his defensive responsibilities in check. Kah showed that his 35 year-old legs still have a lot to offer. He made the difference against Seattle. Who was your Whitecaps Man of the Match?

Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted(C), Steve Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Pa-Modou Kah, Jordan Harvey; Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie; Cristian Techera (Russell Teibert 86), Nicolas Mezquida (Pedro Morales 72), Kekuta Manneh (Darren Mattocks 79); Octavio Rivero. (4-2-3-1) Seattle Sounders Starting XI:Stefan Frei; Tyrone Mears, Brad Evans(C), Chad Marshall, Dylan Remick; Erik Friberg, Gonzalo Pineda (Cristian Roldan 60), Osvaldo Alonso, Thomás (Andy Rose 76); Clint Dempsey, Chad Barrett (Lamar Neagle 63). (4-4-2)