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The ship was creaky at times, but it’s the result that matters.

Job done for the Vancouver Whitecaps, who held on for a 1-1 tie Wednesday at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., against New York in the first leg of a CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final.

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When you get an away goal, everything feels better, even if the overall picture was rather sloppy. There was a decidedly pre-season feel to Wednesday’s affair.

The Red Bulls, who coach Jesse Marsch said were still feeling things out with 10 days to go before the MLS season kicks off, still came out of the blocks buzzing and controlled play for the first quarter of an hour or so. The Caps struggled on defence, but found their form as the half went on.

Pre-season legs losing their gumption might have something to do with it, too.

Either way, when Kekuta Manneh redirected a Kendall Waston header off a corner toward the bottom left of the net to open the scoring in the game’s 39th minute, it was hard to say they were undeserving. The Caps had survived the early New York pressure, then found their feet as Manneh led a series of dangerous counterattacks.