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Harjeet Johal ,

April 9, 2015 Twitter

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VANCOUVER, B.C - The top of the table Vancouver Whitecaps hosted the Columbus Crew at BC Place in a rare mid-week fixture. Vancouver was in for a tough match with Gregg Berhalter's team and neither side was able to deliver a final knock-out punch in a 2-2 draw in front of 18,083 supporters. Vancouver are unbeaten in five consecutive matches and currently remain top of the MLS table with 13 points from six matches. Carl Robinson believes his team did enough to find that elusive third goal. "A very entertaining game for a neutral. I think we’ve had enough chances to probably win the game. We didn’t take enough of our chances. But we weren’t good enough defensively, we let two sloppy go in. We got countered, and the second goal obviously, it was a bad goal for us to concede.” Kei Kamara scored a brace and the first goal in each half, but it wasn't enough as Octavio Rivero and Darren Mattocks both answered back for the Whitecaps in each half. The Columbus striker was happy to see out a draw in a hard-fought battle against the top of the table Whitecaps. "It was a tough game, obviously Vancouver's a good team. Obviously it shows why they are top of the table. Offensively they are really really really good, very fast and getting some good goals. For us, we stuck in there to get a point on the road. It's really tough, but we were able to grind it to the finish."



The Opening 45

Justin Meram nearly caught the Vancouver Whitecaps napping in the opening minutes of the match. The Iraqi international midfielder beat a trio of Whitecaps defenders inside the Caps box and had his shot roll wide of the target. David Ousted and Vancouver looked caught off guard and Meram should have opened the scoring. An unexpected substitution occurred in the 15' minute when Diego Rodriguez left the match. The Urugyuan defender was making his first start since his suspension for tugging on Aurelien Collin's private parts. Pa-Modou Kah entered the match and it was later revealed that Rodriguez left because of a tight quad. Kendall Waston picked up a yellow card on 17' minutes when he put his hands up to stop Kei Kamara. The former Sporting Kansas City man was one on one with Waston and the San Jose, Costa Rica native looked more like a linebacker with his awkward tackle. Carl Robinson did not have any further centre-backs on his substitutes bench and Waston had to stay out of trouble for the remainder of the match. A defensive malfunction helped open the scoring for the visiting Columbus Crew in the 24' minute. Kendall Waston and Sam Adekugbe both went to cover Ethan Finlay. While both Whitecaps players did well to take him out of the play, Kei Kamara was left all alone because Russell Teibert had fallen an injured his foot. Kamara was one on one with the keeper and buried his shot past David Ousted. Ethan Finlay was happy with the result after going up against an elite western conference side. Columbus was coming off a bye week and they certainly showed no rust against Vancouver. In a tough hostile environment the Minnesota native was glad to have earned a point. "I think it's a fair result. A result that were very happy with. We had some opportunities to maybe get that third goal and they also had their own opportunities. It's a very good team, there's a reason they're first in the west right now. The west is tough top from bottom. I think we're happy with this result coming off kind of bye week, not having a game. We'll take the point." Vancouver did not sit back as they continued to control the majority of ball possession in the first half. Darren Mattocks earned the start over Kekuta Manneh and he picked up an assist on the first Caps goal. Octavio Rivero added to his league lead in goals with his 5th tally of the season when he converted in the 31' minute. Rivero had Michael Parkhurst wrapped all over him, and still he managed to catch Columbus keeper Steve Clark going the wrong way. Rivero was given a huge ovation after doing all the work himself thanks to a sneaky Darren Mattocks throw in from the sideline. Heading into halftime the score remained tied 1-1 courtesy goals from Kamara and Rivero. Vancouver carried a possession advantage of 60% - 40% and a 4-3 shots on target advantage. Vancouver is no joke. Solid in all positions. Great communication. Balanced formation. Youth. Speed. Finesse. Composure. Depth. #VWFC #MLS — Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) April 9, 2015

Strong attacking performance by #VWFC. Shaky at time from the back line. Slow start to both halfs is what hurt them. — Kasey Hunter (@KRWJonze) April 9, 2015

The Second Half

Mohammed Saeid made his way into the match for Wil Trapp before the second half kicked off. Trapp had been questionable to play against Vancouver due to a right calf strain. The Whitecaps conceded the go ahead goal in the 54' minute thanks to a rare mistake from Danish keeper David Ousted. Justin Meram sent a pass across the Vancouver box to Kei Kamara. The Columbus leading scorer paused for a brief moment before sending what looked like a harmless shot on target. Just like an NBA point guard, Ousted appeared to break his own ankles and to trip over his feet. The ball rolled in behind the Caps keeper for a 2-1 Crew advantage. Kamara was pleased as he recounted the play by recalling his memory of a famous retired corn-rowed NBA guard. "Yeah, Allen Iverson. I kind of love that." Looking to add a punch of pace and offense to his lineup. Carl Robinson switched on Kekuta Manneh for Nicolas Mezquida on 57' minutes. Manneh patrolled the left side, while Darren Mattocks shifted over to the right side of the pitch. Vancouver's substitutes combined to set up Darren Mattocks for the tying goal in the 64' minute after some pretty passing. Pa-Modou Kah found Kekuta Manneh on the left flank and he cut in towards the Crew keeper. Manneh drew all the attention and calmly found an unmarked Mattocks in front of goal. The recently on form international was able to beat Steve Clark between the legs. Mattocks talked about the build up to the goal and gave credit to the young Gambian winger. "He’s a great player. Every game he plays, we know what he’s capable of doing and what he’s expected to do. He gets by defenders so easily. Fortunately for me, I was in the right place at the right time. That goal was all because of him. As soon as I scored, I told him, ‘That’s all you, kid.’ This squad is deep and we’re going to need it from him for the entire season" A hush fell over the Vancouver crowd as six-foot and four-inch centre-back Kendall Waston took a nasty fall going up for a header. Waston did a complete somersault in the air and landed on his neck and head. After being attended to by a member of the Whitecaps training staff he returned to the match for the final minutes. Carl Robinson updated the media on Diego Rodriguez's injury and Waston flip-over. "I’m carrying five centre backs for a reason, and I might have lost two in one game. Diego has a slight twinge in his groin, obviously to what extent I don’t know and Kendall fell very badly. I think everyone was clear to see he got undercut and fell awkwardly, which made me angry, as you can see." The Columbus Crew certainly gave the Whitecaps a tough go. Vancouver's new ball possession oriented attack created a few blunders at the back that we've not seen in the last month. Rivero and Mattocks both answered Kamara's goal, and the Whitecaps were lucky this midweek clash did not turn into a banana skin. A 2-2 draw was a deserving result for both sides as they move on to weekend fixtures. Man of the Match





Darren Mattocks

The Jamaican had his best match for the Whitecaps in quiet some time. The Caps striker has always drawn the ire of supporters and media, but today he played hero and brought an outstanding showing. Mattocks finished with a goal and an assist. He easily could have had a hat-trick because he was buzzing all over the pitch. Mattocks has never been lost for confidence and tonight he used his speed, hustle, shot and teammates to provide a terrific match for the Whitecaps. "It was a fantastic game. We should’ve gotten three points. In the second half, I think the guys did really well and showed great character. That’s what’s going to take this club to the next level. After five games, we’re unbeaten so we just have to keep that going."

Who was your Whitecaps Man of the Match?

Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Diego Rodriguez (Pa-Modou Kah 15), Sam Adekugbe; Matias Laba, Russell Teibert; Nicolas Mezquida (Kekuta Manneh 57), Pedro Morales (C), Darren Mattocks (Robert Earnshaw 90+1); Octavio Rivero. (4-2-3-1) Columbus Crew Starting XI: Steve Clark; Hector Jimenez (Chad Barson 70), Tyson Wahl, Michael Parkhurst(C), Chris Klute; Tony Tchani, Wil Trapp (Mohammed Saeid 45); Justin Meram, Ben Speas (Kristinn Steindorsson 70), Ethan Finlay; Kei Kamara. (4-2-3-1)