Vancouver Whitecaps 2-Houston Dynamo 1
After a tough season, Vancouver Whitecaps supporters will take any sign of hope that they can get. Having already been eliminated from playoff contention and in the basement of the Western Conference, the Caps gave their fans a glimmer of what might be next season, scoring in extra time to defeat the Houston Dynamo 2-1.
Although the first half was pedestrian from an attacking standpoint, both sides raised the level of intensity in the second 45 minutes. Hwang In-Beom gave Vancouver the lead, converting his penalty kick chance in the 54th minute. Mauro Manotas equalized for Houston in the 74th minute, giving the Dynamo’s playoff aspirations a bit of hope. But Vancouver shut that door emphatically in the 90th minute with Fredy Montero playing the role of spoiler.
While the loss doesn’t officially eliminate the Dynamo (10-16-4, 34 points) it certainly harms their chances of a realistic shot at the second season. They stand ten points behind FC Dallas (12-11-8, 44 points) for the seventh and final playoff spot in the West, albeit with a game in hand. Saturday’s home match against Orlando City SC (8:30 CST, ESPN +) is very much ‘do or die’ for the side.
As for Vancouver (7-15-9, 30 points) the win snaps a three game winless run and all but assures that they will not get the dreaded wooden spoon for the league’s worst record. They can end another team’s playoff chances on Saturday when they host the Columbus Crew (5pm EST/2pm PST, ESPN +).
On hand to cover the match was Prost photographer Gerrit te Hennepe. You can check out more of his work on our SmugMug page.
