Whitecaps look to get back in MLS playoff race with win vs. LA

Pedro-Morales;-Vancouver-Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps' Pedro Morales. (Darryl Dyck/CP)

VANCOUVER—When Erik Hurtado scored his first goal of the year earlier this week—in a CONCACAF Champions League win over Sporting Kansas City—he might not have anticipated the affectionate ribbing that would come with making headlines.

The Vancouver Whitecaps forward, in the midst of an interview with Sportsnet ahead of Saturday’s road game vs. the LA Galaxy, was politely interrupted by teammate Giles Barnes, who insisted that Hurtado’s team nickname—or nicknames, rather—be made public.

“His nickname is ‘Protein,’” Barnes said. “‘Protein’ and ‘The Hulk.’ Just write: ‘Erik “The Hulk” Hurtado,’ a.k.a. ‘Protein.’”

“No, it’s not,” said Hurtado before bursting into laughter.

“Look at these biceps,” said Barnes, pointing to Hurtado’s hulking frame. “Protein! That’s what you have to say.”

Barnes, in fact, already had a headline prepared for a possible story about Hurtado’s recent success: “The Hulk scored: The story of Protein.”

Whatever his nickname—Hurtado seems to prefer “EMoney”—the 25-year-old had a banner game on Tuesday. And while it wasn’t a league match, and Kansas City hadn’t fielded its best team, he’s hoping the Whitecaps’ recent win will translate into further success as they attempt to fight their way into back in the Major League Soccer playoff race.

“There’s a different vibe going on in the locker room right now,” he said of the effects of Tuesday’s 3–0 win.

The task ahead is a daunting one, though: The Whitecaps have eight MLS matches left on the schedule, and they currently sit ninth in the Western Conference. They’ll need to pass Seattle, San Jose and Portland to squeeze their way into the top six.

Hurtado, though, said he’s not trying to pay attention to just how many points or wins his team needs. And he’s hopeful that his goal on Tuesday night—which he admitted, again laughing, to have watched “a couple times” since—might be the spark of a scoring streak.

“I hope so. I hope it does,” Hurtado said. “I know what I’m capable of doing. I was just glad to get that win to help us move forward.”

For the Whitecaps, moving forward will mean trying to salvage their season. But harnessing the lofty team spirit that came from Tuesday’s win into better results down the stretch will be tricky—especially in the short term. The team’s playoff chances are ugly, but so are their chances of a win in their next match—at least if you consider that the L.A. Galaxy, whom they’ll face at StubHub Center on Saturday evening, haven’t lost at home all season.

Vancouver coach Carl Robinson called the matchup “a massive challenge” and acknowledged that “no one will probably give us a chance.”

The Galaxy, sporting a 9-4-12 record, sit fourth in the Western Conference. They’re winless in their last five league matches, though in many cases a tough schedule has forced coach Bruce Arena to sit some of his stars. In the team’s last match, a 2–2 draw to the Chicago Fire on the road, several key players were either on the bench or missing from the lineup.

With the likes of Giovani dos Santos, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane—who was missing from action in Chicago after taking a knock but is expected to be available on Saturday—the Whitecaps will have their hands full.

But the Champions League win on Tuesday didn’t just lift the mood in the Whitecaps’ locker room: It showed that changes could be made to re-energize the squad. Robinson employed a two-striker formation instead of his usual 4-2-3-1.

“It worked for us against Sporting Kansas on Tuesday, so we’ve just got to regroup and see what’s going to work for us against L.A. on Saturday,” he said.

The change in formation meant that no striker was left stranded up top, and Robinson has indicated that he’s prepared to keep making changes as they’re needed—whether that means sitting players, or mixing up how they line up on the field.

What he really needs, in a battle versus the mighty Galaxy, is for players who’ve underperformed all season to come through and contribute in crucial moments—as Erik “The Hulk” Hurtado, also known as “Protein,” did earlier this week.

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