By:Aaron Campbell (Twitter:@AaCamp81)
Photos Courtesy of John & Hazel May
Whitecaps Starting XI
Fire Starting XI
Techera will a great back track.
Tim Parker with a solid defensive marking.
Aird and Waston run down the Fire striker.
RIGHT BACK FRASER AIRD
On the match:
“Obviously delighted. Two wins on the bounce. Just what we need, going on two away games coming up. I though we didn’t play as well as we can today. But at the end of the day when the season finishes, no one looks back and sees how you played. Everyone remembers the three points. It’s finished now, we get the three points and move on.”
On Blas Perez winning bicycle kick goal:
“It’s probably the best finish I’ve seen live. Playing in the game, in my whole career to be honest. It was unbelievable. I think I was in the same boat as him. I didn’t think it was in, or the referee blew the whistle at the start of it. Everyone just started celebrating. I just went mental. But it just shows how much of a good pro he is. Obviously, biding his time, waiting for his chance to come on or make an impact to the game. Obviously very unfortunate that Kudo goes down, wishing him all the best in his recovery. But Blas comes on and scores two goals and wins us the game. It just shows you the type of pro he is. All credit to him. He deserves it and his finish was unbelievable. If that doesn’t win Goal of the Week, then I think I’m going to need to phone in and have a word with someone.”
Parker goes up strong on a corner.
Techera with the flick on.
Blas Perez reacting to his great bicycle kick.
STRIKER BLAS PEREZ (THROUGH TRANSLATOR)
On his goal:
“I thought the referee called the foul, so I was a little surprised because normally balls like that high up in the air, the referee sometimes calls fouls for high feet. But that’s what I normally wanted to do, when I saw my teammates coming towards me, that’s when I realized the ball had gone in.”
On his performance:
“I always come to work and do my job, I just support my team. I just haven’t scored goals and I was working hard and that’s the result.”
On the Kudo injury and coming on as an early substitute:
“Every time you see a colleague or a friend of yours on the field, it’s obviously a little surprising. It’s not nice and I was warming up. I just wanted to take the opportunity and you just have to get ready if you’re on the bench and come on to do your job.”
On his bicycle kick being his best ever goal:
“It’s mostly important getting the three points. It was a nice goal. What I was trying to do definitely ranks up there among the better goals I have scored. Given it was in the 88th minute, the game was winding down. It was a bicycle kick under circumstance, but I’ve scored bicycle kicks in the past, but this is definitely up there.”
Yes Blas the ball went it.
89` min game winner for Perez
That is the game. Whitecaps win 2-1 over Fire
HEAD COACH CARL ROBINSON
Update on Masato Kudo:
“It’s not good. I don’t think it’s looking very good. Obviously it’s a head injury, I think it’s a jaw problem. I’m going to go see him now, straight after. Mixed emotions today, because performance I thought we were ok, average. Blas, delighted for Blas. Top, top professional. Two super goals. Obviously a big blow losing Masato, so mixed emotions.”
On if in years past he ever thought Blas Perez would be on his side scoring these goals:
“Ah, no. Listen, he’s a good player. Every time he’s played against us he’s caused us problems and that’s the reason why I wanted to bring him to the club. I’d done my research on him, with his character, because it’s about character as well. Every player in the football club, you have to do your research on him. All the people, players, coaches, spoke very highly of him. So I knew there wasn’t a problem, it was just sometimes clubs decide to move players for whatever reason. I had no concerns about it, he fits in with the group very well. The boys love him. He’s an exceptional, experienced professional. And he’s still going, now as he’s getting into the later stages of his career. I said to him on the field, your father would be very proud of you today.”
On playing the same starting lineup:
“I think they deserved to play again. I haven’t done it too much since I’ve been in charge, for whatever reason, and this season’s no different due to some suspensions and other things as well. I haven’t been able to do it and I got the chance to do it today. In the first half we dominated possession. A little bit sloppy at certain times, defensively I thought we were a little bit open. Their game plan was obviously to catch us on the counter, and it worked. You know, fair play to them, but I think it also showed that a rested team – and they’re very well rested – can hurt you and cause you problems. I knew the subs might make a difference when they come on, I didn’t realize they would be that early, for one. But the two guys who come on, Kekuta and Erik as well, had a big part in the final goal.”
On what he will do in Toronto:
“There will be some changes, that’s safe to say. I’m going to have to make one or two changes. I’ll put a little bit of freshness into it because towards the end of the game, we were huffing and puffing, but great character show, absolutely phenomenal character by the guys. Sometimes it got called a trap game to me, by someone yesterday, and I didn’t like that word – trap game. Because it actually sets me off, winds me up when people say that because we’re expected to win, they’re putting added pressure on you. So sometimes I don’t care how you play. We all want to play attractive football like we did on Saturday, play wide open, expansive, free flowing – whatever you want to use – and we did. Today was another three points that we didn’t play as well as we could, but we’ll take the win.”
On player reaction to injury and slow start to second half:
“I went on the pitch to see my player, and I’m not allowed to go on the pitch, but I asked the linesman “could I go on”, and he said “yes”. So I got permission to do that because it’s important. Sometimes it’s not about football, and at that moment it wasn’t about football, it was about me checking my player is ok and showing him the support, which I’ll do again now when I finish up with you guys. You know, we deserved to be ahead, and second half I challenged them to come out again, as I did against Portland on Saturday. For whatever reason we didn’t, and I’m not sure what I can put it down to whether it’s tiredness; when you’re tired physically your mind stops working, and when your mind stops working you make wrong decisions. We made too many wrong decisions in the second half, but we hung in there. When things don’t go well for you you’ve got to hang in there, and we did. We showed great character. I let the guys know, it’s a special day for Blas today, but make sure you all send a message to Masato and his wife, because he’s a massive part of this football club and he’ll feel that we’re right behind him.”
On feeling that the team needed a second goal:
“I did, and I could see it coming. It’s easy to say once they score, but I just sensed it. I was always set to make a substitution probably around the 60-minute mark. The average substitution, apparently, is 58 minutes. I didn’t want to actually go on 58 minutes to be another dot on that line, so I was going to go after. But they scored, so it just made it a little bit quicker. But Kekuta came on and made the dynamic of the game a little bit different because of the type of player he is compared to Nico Mezquida, who’s done great for us. It was always planned to do that, obviously I only had two subs up my sleeve. We got back into it a little bit on the attacking side, cause I think we could score from a set play. But we left ourselves wide open as well, so we’ll have to narrow that for the weekend because we’re going to a well-rested Toronto who’ve got very good attacking players. But we’re not bad either, we can score goals as well.”
