Whitecaps beat Union to end losing streak
Posted June 19, 2011 1:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — Alain Rochat’s goal in the 12th minute gave the Vancouver Whitecaps a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
The win, the first since the Whitecaps’ season opener on March 19, ended the Vancouver expansion side’s Major League Soccer losing streak at a record 14 games.
New coach Tom Soehn picked up his first win since replacing the fired Teitur Thordarson at the end of May. The Whitecaps had gone 0-2-1 under Soehn in three road games.
After the game, the Empire Field crowd gave the Whitecaps a standing ovation in tribute to only their second home win. The players repaid the gesture by running around the field and waving at their supporters.
Thordarson’s firing was based largely on the club’s inability to win at home before raucous, passionate fans.
The Whitecaps improved to 2-6-8 while the Union saw its record drop to 6-4-4. Philadelphia missed out on a chance to gain sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference ahead of the idle New York Red Bulls.
Rochat scored after taking a pass from Davide Chiumiento, who made a fine run into the middle and then passed it to the defender near the corner of the 18-yard box. The ball curled into the opposite corner of the net while striker Eric Hassli tried to get his head on it.
The goal was the second of the season for Rochat, a 28-year-old native of Saint-Jean-sur-Richeliu, Que. It came two minutes after Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit blocked a Justin Mapp shot after he took a through ball from recently-signed striker Veljko Paunovic and raced toward the Vancouver goal.
Paunovic, a veteran of Spain’s LaLiga, played his first game since 2008, when he quit playing for family reasons but did not officially retire. He replaced Carlos Ruiz, who scored the Union’s lone goal in its 1-0 victory over Vancouver on March 26 and was away with Guatemala’s national side at the Gold Cup.
Vancouver survived a late scare in the 81st minute as Sebastien Le Toux’s flick-on during a scramble rolled just wide of the post.
Vancouver goalkeeper Joe Cannon picked up his first shutout and win as a Whitecap. He was rarely tested but made a nice save on Brian Carroll’s straight-on shot from about 25 yards out in the 23rd minute.
In the 36th minute, Philadelphia defender Carlos Valdes received a yellow card for a hard tackle from behind on Hassli, who writhed on the ground in pain for a couple of minutes. He left the pitch briefly before returning.
Gershon Koffie, one of Vancouver’s top midfielders, was relegated to a reserve role after starting six consecutive games. He was a late sub for Terry Dunfield, who delivered a strong effort in his first game under new coach Soehn after being away with Canada’s Gold Cup squad during the previous three games.
Dunfield also drew a yellow card on Philly’s Carroll, who took him down hard early in the second half.
Dunfield and other midfielders helped the Whitecaps control play most of the night after they started slowly and retreated with the ball frequently in the early going.
The Union, known for its strong defensive play, pressed from the start but could not get much going after Rochat’s early goal.
Philly has now generated one goal or none in 12 of 14 games.
Notes: Real Salt Lake holds the record for a losing streak spanning more than one season. RSL set the mark of 18 between Aug. 10, 2005 and May 6, 2006. … Vancouver coach Soehn and Philadelphia counterpart Peter Nowak were teammates with the Chicago Fire and coached together at D.C. United. … Vancouver midfielder Nizar Khalfan returned after leaving to play for Tanzania in a June 5 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. He subbed on in the 76th minute for Brazilian Camilo, who is usually a striker but played more of a midfield role under a new-look offensive scheme.
