VANCOUVER — Eric Hassli and Davide Chiumiento hate sitting on the bench.

The Vancouver Whitecaps striker and midfielder, best friends off the field and starters all year, went through that humbling experience together Saturday as they watched their teammates end a four-game winless streak with a 1-0 win over FC Dallas.

Hassli came on for the final 11 minutes of the game. Chiumiento didn’t see the field.

“I’m disappointed and angry but that’s part of my job — to be angry when this happens,” Chiumiento said after the game. “I’m happy for my teammates and the whole staff that we won. But when you’re on the bench, you always want to come in but the end result is more important.”

The former Swiss Super League player felt he played well in starting every game this season but accepted coach Martin Rennie’s decision to switch things around after two consecutive 3-1 losses.

“We are all good players and everybody has to feel part of something,” he said. “That’s OK, but as a player, you always want to be in there.”

Rennie said it’s crucial to keep his squad as competitive as possible.

“If we don’t make it competitive and give guys a chance, then the training level will go down and the effectiveness will go down because they won’t think they’ve got a chance,” he said.

“That’s not the case and everybody knows that now and everybody is going to have to fight hard to get on the field.”

Rennie’s roster-rotation included sitting Hassli, Chiumiento, John Thorrington and Atiba Harris and replacing them with Camilo, Omar Salgado, Jun Marques Davidson and Matt Watson.

Camilo got the early winner with a spectacular individual effort that brought back memories of his first goal of the season against Montreal last month.

Hassli, who hasn’t scored since last year, was happy for the Brazilian forward and took his benching in stride.

“I want to play every game and every minute but sometimes you can’t,” he said. “The coach made a decision and we won so it’s pretty good. I’m not frustrated. I just want to play but we won and that’s the most important thing.”

The big Frenchman knows exactly what it will take to get back in the starting lineup.

“I’ll just fight hard every practice and do the right thing,” he said. “We are 30 players and everybody is ready to fight all season. We have one goal — to go to the playoffs.”

Eighteen-year-old Salgado made his first start since last July and Rennie was happy with the young Texan striker’s performance as a left-winger, a new position for him that remains a work in progress.

“As he learns to play the position more and we work with him more and educate him, I think he’s got all the attributes to be a fantastic player,” he said. “He’s got great fitness, excellent pace and he’s the best player in the club crossing the ball with pressure on him.”

At the other end of the Caps’ age spectrum, 34-year-old right back Young-Pyo Lee continues to show why he’s a Korean legend as he kept dangerous Dallas winger Brek Shea in check and assisted on Camilo’s goal.

Rennie said Lee has been “fantastic” this season.

“He is the kind of person that we want to keep getting on our team,” he said. “[It’s] almost impossible to find another one, but we’re going to work hard to do that and we’re happy we’ve got him.”

The win over Dallas vaulted the 3W-2L-2D Whitecaps to third place in the Major League Soccer Western Conference and gave them their third win of the young season — something they didn’t accomplish until Aug. 7 last year. It also gave them their fifth clean sheet of the year.

There are 27 games left in the long, grinding MLS season but Rennie feels it’s not too early to think about qualifying for post-season play.

“Every time you step up in the standings, it’s important because what we’re trying to do is get into the playoffs and that race has already started,” he said.

SIDE KICKS: The Whitecaps reserves lost 3-0 to the Portland Timbers reserves Sunday in front of about 500 fans at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Brent Richards, Franck Songo’o and Bright Dike scored for Portland.

bconstantineau@vancouversun.com

On Twitter: Twitter.com/bconstantineau

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