They say timing is everything, and the Vancouver Whitecaps couldn’t have picked a better moment to secure three straight wins for the first time this season.
Friday night, the Whitecaps bounced back into the Western Conference playoff positions by defeating the Seattle Sounders 1-0 on the road at CenturyLink Field.
Kekuta Manneh was the man to score the winning goal just before halftime, and even for him the stars seemed to line up, as he was only in the starting lineup due to Sebastian Fernandez’s suspension for yellow card accumulation.
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The fact Manneh scored the goal was fitting, too, in that Seattle is where he made his mark around this time last year, becoming the youngest player in MLS history to score a hat trick, doing so in a 4-1 victory.
The goal itself was a brilliant bit of individual skill, but there was also an element of fate to the play, as Manneh took advantage of being left unmarked by Brad Evans, who had kept him in relatively controlled all night.
Evans wandered up the pitch as Manneh was off getting treatment after being caught by a wayward boot from Obafemi Martins. The Gambian turned Chad Marshall, the lanky centre back, with ease before slotting the ball past Stefan Frei from close range. The goal was to be Manneh’s last contribution to the game, as he limped behind the goal after his celebration, before being helped off the pitch.
The win means the Whitecaps now sit in the fifth and final playoff position in the Western Conference, bumping the Portland Timbers back into sixth place.
For hardcore supporters, the win also ensures a second consecutive Cascadia Cup, the fan created trophy awarded to the team in this region which finishes with the best regular season record.
As for the playoffs, the Whitecaps are one point up on the Timbers, and both teams have two matches left to play. For Vancouver, that means a trek to play against the San Jose Earthquakes next weekend, before the regular season finale against the Colorado Rapids at BC Place. The Timbers must play host to Real Salt Lake before wrapping up their campaign on the road against FC Dallas.
On the surface of things it would seem the Whitecaps have the better of the two schedules.
But still, there will be challenges. Centre back Kendall Waston, who has been powerful and commanding at the back, will be suspended for next week’s clash against the Earthquakes after picking up a suspension for yellow card accumulation. After Friday, the defender has picked up five yellow cards from nine matches, a remarkable tally that illustrates just how careless at times the player has been when throwing his body around.
This match was a perfect illustration of that, as Waston needlessly clattered Clint Dempsey in the second half. It was a pity, as Waston and his defensive partner Andy O’Brien had an almost perfect match against the potent duo of Dempsey and Martins.
There will be other positives for the Whitecaps—with his clean sheet, David Ousted now has 11 on the season, good for the No. 1 position in MLS.
Steven Beitashour and Jordan Harvey were both steady on the flanks at the back again.
In midfield, Matias Laba and Russell Teibert were as energetic as ever and shielded the back four well in a heated stadium filled with 55,765 fans— the seventh largest crowd at a Sounders’ match.
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At the heart of the attack, Pedro Morales didn’t necessarily put in a dominant performance, but it was his perfectly placed ball that sent Manneh on his way for the game’s lone goal. It really was a pass that not many players in the league would have been able to have made.
On the flanks, Mauro Rosales put in a good shift, and 18 year old Kianz Froese didn’t look out of place after coming on at the half to replace the injured Manneh. Given the circumstances of the match, and the fact that this game came in the heat of such a massive playoff race, not looking out of place was a remarkable achievement for a player so unseasoned.
Up top, Erik Hurtado didn’t put in a complete performance, but his hold up play continues to steadily improve. He didn’t have much in the way of joy when it came to opportunities—his best chance a half breakaway early in the second half which he blasted directly at Frei.
After mid-season struggles, it finally seems that coach Carl Robinson has turned around his Whitecaps at just the right time. Now we’ll see if he can guide his side across the finish line and into the playoffs with the Timbers in hot pursuit.
Martin MacMahon is a Vancouver-based writer. Follow him on Twitter.