P osted by

Harjeet Johal ,

March 22, 2015 Twitter

@HarJournalist Read this on your iPhone/iPad or Android device



VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps got a taste of Kaka on Saturday night against Orlando City Soccer Club. 31,072 supporters filled Citrus Bowl Stadium hoping to see Orlando pick up their first MLS home victory. Instead they witnessed the first MLS loss for Orlando City Soccer Club. A stoppage time goal headed in by Octavio Rivero helped Vancouver escape with a 1-0 win in hostile territory. Octavio Rivero has had quite an impact in just his first three MLS matches. Rivero has scored in each Whitecaps match this season. His penchant for scoring late goals and back to back David Ousted clean sheets have secured big road wins over Chicago and Orlando. Pedro Morales took a free kick in the 95+ minute of stoppage time. Octavio Rivero was able to get away from Amobi Okugo and deliver a fantastic diving header for the only goal of the match.



The Opening 45

The tackles were flying in during the first half. Gershon Koffie earned his first MLS start of the season as he replaced Russell Teibert. The Ghanaian holding midfielder and Matias Laba were tasked with shutting down Brazilian magician, Kaka. Koffie appeared to be getting under the skin of Kaka with some closing man-marking and physical play. Orlando City's own holding midfielder Amobi Okugo escaped with what looked like a deserving yellow card after a late challenge on Whitecaps leading scoring Octavio Rivero. The opening 20' minutes featured both sides settling into the match with the midfield being hotly contested. Koffie's hard-nosed play finally caught with him as he was given a yellow card in the 22' minute. Vancouver were lucky to escape without a penalty call against them in the 30' minute when Kaka played Kevin Molino into the area. The 24 year-old midfielder had a heavy first touch and received a push in the back from Kendall Waston. Orlando supporters looked for a penalty to be called, but Jorge Gonzalez wasn't biting. Octavio Rivero had a brilliant opportunity to open the scoring in the 32'. Pedro Morales sent the Uruguayan striker in behind the Orlando City defense and Rivero was 1 v 1 with Donovan Ricketts. The Jamaican goalkeeper came out of his net and got just enough of the ball to make sure Rivero's shot rolled wide of the target. Moments later, it was Octavio Rivero who found himself in a prime scoring chance. Whitecaps centre-back Kendall Waston deflected the ball to Rivero. His powerful shot was on target, but Ricketts was able to get a slight touch on the ball to tip the ball off the crossbar and out of play. In the 37' minute Vancouver captain Pedro Morales had a great chance to score. Nicolas Mezquida sent a pass across the Orlando City box and Morales one-timed his shot. Unfortunately for the Chilean, his shot was wide of the Orlando net. Orlando dominated the possession battle with a 60% - 40% advantage andt he home side also led the way on corners 3-1. Vancouver picked up a trio of first half yellow cards, Koffie, Adekugbe, and Rivero all entered the second half on cautions. Solid defensively, shocking giveaways, concerning injury, huge save, miracle goal and undeserved but welcomed 3 pts. #VWFC #TweetAnalysis — FTBL Podcast (@FromTheBackline) March 22, 2015

And ladies and gentlemen… that is why the #WhitecapsFC brought Rivero to the club. #VWFC — Tyler Green (@tylergreenFC) March 22, 2015

The Second Half

Adrian Heath's purple clad team started taking more risks as they searched for a goal. Brek Shea had a wild attempt that missed the target and Kaka looked focused and eager to bring the Orlando supporters to their feet. Sam Adekugbe was whistled for a handball in the 57' minute, but it was determined not to be intentional and he was not sent off. Kaka stepped up to take the free kick at the top right corner of the Whitecaps box. Pedro Ribeiro connected on the free kick, but his header was too strong as the ball sailed over the net. Kekuta Manneh delivered a rash and reckless two-footed challenge as he chased down the ball. With Aurelien Collin also in pursuit, Manneh went in with both of his feet extended. Collin was incensed as he exchanged words with Whitecaps manager Carl Robinson. Manneh was issued a yellow card and lucky to have not been given a straight red. Major League Soccer's disciplinary committee may review Kekuta Manneh's challenge and could issue him a suspension. Carl Robinson made a double substitution as he was hoping to inject some life into his teams offensive tactics. Kianz Froese, and Erik Hurtado came into the match for Kekuta Manneh, and Nicolas Mezquida in the 67' minute. 2015 1st Overall MLS SuperDraft pick, Cyle Larin made his MLS debut coming on for Pedro Ribeiro in the 72'. The Brampton, Ontario native is set to join the Canadian national team for a pair of international friendlies against Guatemala and Puerto Rico later this month. Canadian international, Sam Adekugbe was forced to leave the match after a collision with Donovan Ricketts. The 20 year-old left back was going for a ball and collided with the six foot-four keeper. Adekugbe was stretchered off and received well wishes from his teammates as he left Citrus Bowl Stadium. Jordan Harvey came in for Adekugbe who may have suffered broken ribs. Injury update: @SamAdekugbe has severely bruised ribs & will receive further evaluation over the next couple days #speedyrecovery #VWFC — Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) March 22, 2015 Cyle Larin almost became a hero for Orlando. The 19 year-old was fed a beautiful pass into the box from his skipper, Kaka. Larin was forced to shoot against his body and had his shot roll wide of the far post. David Ousted looked to be caught, but Larin could not hit the target in the 88'. Moments later Ousted came rushing out of his net to stop another Larin opportunity by getting his hand on Larin's shot. Just when it appeared that this match was headed to a scoreless 0-0 draw Octavio Rivero showed everyone some football brilliance. The 23 year-old scored in his third consecutive match as he connected on a Pedro Morales free kick in stoppage time. Rivero was able to get away from his defender and his diving header got past Ricketts to give Vancouver a 1-0 victory. Vancouver and Orlando created plenty of chances to score, but it was Octavio Rivero and not Ricardo Kaka who delivered. After the match, the Brazilian conceded: "No I don’t think we lost the focus, we were concentrating on the game. This is game you can win at the end of the game, you can draw at the end of the game, and you can lose. This is one thing that we can take serious because sometimes these things happen. It’s part of the process to build a strong team." The Whitecaps went into Chicago and Orlando and scored a pair of late goals thanks to Rivero. The early leading contender for MLS newcomer of the year has had a terrific start to his MLS career. The Whitecaps are moving in the right direction with Rivero. Man of the Match





Octavio Rivero

The second week in a row the young striker delivered in the clutch right when the Whitecaps needed him. Rivero has been the best looking Whitecaps player in three matches this season and while things can change quickly, is on pace to score 34 goals this season. Rivero created chance after chance throughout the match and his last opportunity resulted in the goal the visitors needed to pick up all three points.

Who was your Whitecaps Man of the Match?

Vancouver Whitecaps Starting XI: David Ousted; Steven Beitashour, Kendall Waston, Diego Rodríguez, Sam Adekugbe (Jordan Harvey 75); Matias Laba, Gershon Koffie; Nicolas Mezquida (Erik Hurtado 67), Pedro Morales(C), Kekuta Manneh (Kianz Froese 67); Octavio Rivero. (4-2-3-1) Orlando City Starting XI: Donovan Ricketts; Rafael Ramos, Aurelien Collin, Seb Hines, Brek Shea; Amobi Okugo, Darwin Ceren; Kevin Molino, Kaka(C), Eric Avila; Pedro Ribeiro (Cyle Larin 72). (4-2-3-1) Notes: Vancouver will return home and open up a three match home stand starting with the Portland Timbers (March 28), LA Galaxy (April 4) and Columbus Crew (April 8). Orlando will travel to Quebec to take on the Montreal Impact next Saturday.