P osted by

Harjeet Johal ,

August 6, 2015 Twitter

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VANCOUVER, B.C - CONCACAF Champions League Group F action kicked off between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders on a cloudy evening at BC Place. The Cascadia rivalry was once again on display with two bitter rivals squaring off for the second time in four days. Champagne football it was not. Tim Parker and Lamar Neagle exchanged second half goals as the match ended in a 1-1 draw in front of 19,683 spectators. Carl Robinson shared his thoughts on a match that didn't provide top class entertainment. "I think it was an okay game. I’ll keep using the word okay now. Supporting that we didn’t lose. I think we didn’t play great. Obviously, sometimes that happens when you make that many changes. I’ll accept that. But we got our noses in front. Unfortunately we switched off at a vital moment and we let them back in with a bad goal. But I think it was probably a fair result." For Robinson, he was not about to critique his teams work ethic. It may not have been the most enjoyable football to watch, but the Whitecaps players put in a lot of work in a difficult match. “I can’t fault their work. I’ll never fault their work ethic. They put a hell of a lot of work in today. Unfortunately, sometimes things don’t come off. When they don’t come off, I challenge them to work as hard as they can and that’s what they did today. There was no champagne football today, unfortunately, but there was a lot of hard work. So I’ll never fault that.”



The Opening 45

Lineup changes from both gaffers meant that both sides were not playing at full strength. A healthy Pedro Morales played in his familiar no.10 role flanked by Kianz Froese, and Erik Hurtado. Seattle's back-line was formed with Oniel Fisher, Brad Evans, Zach Scott and Dylan Remick. Sigi Schmid elected to start veteran strikers Lamar Neagle and Chad Barrett. The first half was slow. The on and off rain reflected the tone on the pitch. Possession was easily given up by both teams and the flow was lacking in the final third because neither team could get forward. Neither team wanted to give up an inch of space. The tactical battle was played out in the midfield with little to no offensive outburst. Darren Mattocks had his speed burners going. However he did not receive enough service from the midfield and skipper Pedro Morales. In his first start since joining the Whitecaps following Jamaica's Gold Cup run, Mattocks believes the Whitecaps could have played better in what was a fair result. "Tough to play in. I think what we did to them in Seattle, they didn’t want to lose this game. I think we could've played better, but it’s about the guys that don’t get much playing time. I think this was the first time we got to play together, so something was off. So, it was going back and forth, back and forth. I think it was a fair result at home." Seattle had the better of slim scoring opportunities. Midfielder Andy Rose was picked out in front of goal thanks to a lovely cross from Aaron Kovar. The former Bristol City academy prospect headed a terrific ball over over the net. Paolo Tornaghi leaped, but did not have to come up with a save in the 34' minute. The opening half was a snoozefest. The Sounders held a 2-0 shots on target advantage and a 52% - 48% possession advantage. Link up playing from all three forwards was nowhere to be found. Things I would like to see from #VWFC in the 2nd 45: 1) three completed passes in a row 2) a shot on target 3) a goal — Eighty Six Forever (@86forever) August 6, 2015 First #CONCACAF #SCCL match in the history of @WhitecapsFC ! Being part of it was a great honour! #NighToRemeber #VWFC — Paolo Tornaghi (@PaulTornaghi) August 6, 2015

The Second Half

Seattle and Vancouver did not make any changes before the second half kicked off. With scoring chances at a premium it was the Whitecaps and not the Sounders who came out of the interval looking to break the deadlock. Pedro Morales sent in Erik Hurtado and with a defender wrapped all over him. Hurtado mustered a wide attempt on target. On the ensuing corner Vancouver would open the scoring with their first shot on target. Morales sent in a great ball that found centre-back Tim Parker. The rookie displayed a beautiful flick into the far corner past keeper Troy Perkins in the 62'. For the third consecutive match, a Whitecaps central defender had found the back of the net and chipped in with at least one goal. Following the goal, Carl Robinson made his first substitution brining on Robert Earnshaw for Pedro Morales in the 65'. Five minutes later, left-back Sam Adekugbe made his return to the pitch after a three month absence due to an ankle injury. While the Whitecaps looked to nurse home a 1-0 opening match victory in the final twenty minutes. The Seattle Sounders had other ideas and capitalized on a defensive blunder from a rookie centre-back. Andy Rose played a cross to a streaking Lamar Neagle. The Sounders goal-poacher was left unmarked and all to his lonesome. Diego Rodriguez had left him on his own and the Tacoma, Washington native buried the ball past Paolo Tornaghi. The Caps defensive lapse cost them as the Sounders made no mistake. The Whitecaps and Sounders gave very little away to one and other. Sigi Schmid and Carl Robinson did not want to open the full cupboard and show off their best lineups. The match was fit to be a draw after scoring attempts were non-existent. The second half provided more entertainment, but for the most past. Champagne football it was not and a draw was best suited with each team on 1 point in Group F. A vocal guy like Earnshaw is what @WhitecapsFC were missing for the first 60'. No coincidence team improves when he's on. #VWFC — Eighty Six Forever (@86forever) August 6, 2015

Man of the Match Fantastic goal from Tim Parker. @WhitecapsFC lead 1-0. #CCL #VWFC pic.twitter.com/ePmcR89nNW — Ben Jata (@Ben_Jata) August 6, 2015

Tim Parker

The first year defender sure doesn't play like a nervous rookie. Carl Robinson has brought the 22 year-old Long Island, native slowly during the course of the MLS season. Thus far, Parker has rewarded his coach with his fantastic play. Taking the initiative to deliver a cheeky back heel during a Champions League match takes skill and charisma. Parker is quickly becoming a prominent player within the Whitecaps team. His goal was timely and helped Vancouver secure a needed draw for what looks to be a very tough Group F. Parker talked about his massive goal following the match. "It was just a set piece. I was just trying to get to the near post and just try to beat the other guy there, and I ended up beating the other guy there, and just got a piece of the ball and just fortunate enough to find the back of the net." Who was your Whitecaps Man of the Match?

Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: Paolo Tornaghi; Ethen Sampson, Tim Parker, Deigo Rodríguez, Christian Dean; Deybi Flores, Russell Teibert; Erik Hurtado (Marco Bustos 77), Pedor Morales(C) (Robert Earnshaw 65), Kianz Froese (Sam Adekugbe 70); Darren Mattocks. (4-2-3-1) Seattle Sounders Starting XI: Troy Perkins; Oniel Fisher, Brad Evans(C), Zach Scott, Dylan Remick; Andy Rose, Michael Azira, Cristian Roldan, Aaron Kovar (Thomas 73); Lamar Neagle (Darwin Jones 87), Chad Barrett (Erik Friberg 79). (4-4-2) Notes: CONCACAF Champions League GROUP F Fixtures.

~ August 19: Seattle Sounders FC vs. CD Olimpia at CenturyLink Field.

~August 26: CD Olimpia vs. Seattle Sounders FC at Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino.

~ September 16: Whitecaps FC vs. CD Olimpia at BC Place.

~ September 23: Seattle Sounders FC vs. Whitecaps FC at CenturyLink Field.

~ October 22: CD Olimpia vs Whitecaps FC at Estadio Tiburico Carias Andino.