P osted by

Harjeet Johal ,

September 10, 2016 Twitter

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VANCOUVER, B.C - A ninety minute storm delay proved to be the tonic for the Vancouver Whitecaps struggling offense as they earned an important 3-1 victory over the beleaguered Columbus Crew before 15,589 rain-soaked spectators at MAPFRE Stadium.



The Whitecaps first MLS victory since July 13 was due in part to some terrific work from a pair of second half substitutes. Andrew Jacobson and Erik Hurtado both scored to break open a potential draw. Assistant Coach Martyn Pert was filling in for suspended Manager Carl Robinson, and looked like a genius with his second half tactical game plan.



Vancouver secures a massive three points in the race to earn an MLS playoff spot and improves to 9-13-7 on the season.



Martyn Pert was delighted with the winning goal from Andrew Jacobson and his teams hard-fought effort against Columbus.



"It was a fantastic strike," said Pert. "We've got to take the positives from the game, it was a tough game. We won 3-1 won and had two shots. They were the dominating team in terms of possession." The Opening 45

A pair of early goals set the tone for the first half as players adjusted to the wet playing conditions. Mohammed Saied was able to send a corner into the Vancouver box that was side-footed home by Ola Kamara. The Norwegian striker was able to get around Russell Teibert and connect with the ball. Vancouver quickly trailed on Kamara's 11th goal of the season.



The Columbus Crew advantage did not last long as they gifted a goal for the Whitecaps in the 13' minute. Russell Teibert broke down the left flank and delivered a cross into the Crew box. The ball took a deflection off of Michael Pankhurst before centre-back Gaston Sauro headed the ball into the Columbus net, past keeper Steve Clark. The Crew lead vanished after an unlucky own goal.



That was exactly the kind of break the struggling Vancouver offense need. The first Whitecaps MLS away goal in 559 minutes may not have been a beautiful cracker from distance, but they all count just the same no matter how they enter the net. Neither side could capitalize on their early goal as the wet pitch conditions vastly hampered scoring chances for both teams.



Going into the half, the match remained deadlocked with the home side holding a commanding 66% - 34% possession advantage. I guess that's how the #Whitecaps will be scoring goals! They'll take it #owngoal — Karen Thomson (@KJT_CTVSports) September 10, 2016 There is hope!! A good goal from Jacobson #Whitecaps — Ben (@SportsBenno) September 11, 2016

The Second Half

Vancouver needed to win and Martyn Pert was not shy about making some quick substitutions. Andrew Jacobson came on for an injured Russell Teibert in the 55 minute, and Erik Hurtado replaced Giles Barnes in the 61' minute. Hurtado created many glorious scoring chances last Saturday vs New York Red Bulls, but could not score.



The Whitecaps substitutes made the difference as they secured that difficult elusive goal on the road. Andrew Jacobson darted through the midfield and cut around a pair of Crew defenders. He left the opposition flat-footed before firing a rocked from distance that beat Steve Clark inside the near post. Jacobson's second goal of the season had Vancouver up 2-1 in the 74' minute.



Surprisingly, the goals kept coming and this time it would be Erik Hurtado getting his sweet revenge on MLS goalkeepers. Christian Bolanos played a corner into the Columbus box that David Edgar was able to volley. Steve Clark made a great save, but he was down and out. Erik Hurtado was on the doorstep and scored his first of the season, top corner in the 82' minute.



The second half continued to get worse for the Columbus Crew as midfielder Tony Tchani was issued a straight red card in the 86' minute. Frustration clearly boiled over and the 27 year-old kicked out and intentionally tripped up Erik Hurtado. Referee Fotis Bazakos sent Tchani marching and Columbus played out the final few minutes with 10 men.



Vancouver needed to find a way to win and they did the trick. They've not been the strongest team in terms of scoring goals, but they caught a few lucky bounces and literally weathered a storm. Columbus didn't play poorly, but Vancouver was better on the day and deserving of all three points. The Whitecaps have now jumped back into the race for an MLS playoff spot.



Man of the Match: Andrew Jacobson Andrew Jacobson came on and scored the biggest Vancouver Whitecaps FC goal of the season. The Caps needed a player to come up clutch and deliver a much-needed goal and Jacobson provided that. Earning a playoff spot won't be easy, but a win over Columbus could go a long way in helping turn over momentum and confidence for the Whitecaps.



Vancouver Whitecaps FC Starting XI: David Ousted(C); Jordan Smith, David Edgar, Kendall Waston, Jordan Harvey; Christian Bolaños, Matias Laba, Russell Teibert, 55 (Andrew Jacobson) Cristian Techera; Giles Barnes, 61 (Erik Hurtado) Masato Kudo, 79 (Nicolas Mezquida). 4-4-2



Columbus Crew Starting XI: Steve Clark; Harrison Afful, Michael Parkhurst(C), 75 (Adam Jahn), Gaston Saurio, Corey Ashe; Mohammed Saeid, Nicolai Naess; Ethan Finlay, 67 (Cedrick Mabwati), Tony Tchani, Justin Meram; Ola Kamara. 4-2-3-1



