Image credit: Vancouver Whitecaps
If there is one rule in Major League Soccer it is that any team can beat any other team on any day. Case in point: D.C. United versus the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday night. With United (4-6-2, 14 points) coming into BC Place on a three game losing streak and the Whitecaps (5-6-1, 16 points) having a four game winning streak at home one might expect this to be an easy night at the office for Vancouver. But thanks to a penalty kick goal from Lamar Neagle and a superb effort from Bill Hamid United earned their second consecutive victory at BC Place with a 1-0 victory.
It was not a pretty 1-0 win. With several interesting decisions made by head official Sorin Sotica (more on that in a minute) and United getting outshot 22-7 it wasn’t exactly the most convincing win of coach Ben Olsen’s tenure. But as this club showed last season on the road against Real Salt Lake and Sporting Kansas City and this year against the New England Revolution they can make the most out of their meager opportunities and ride Hamid to a result.It isn’t pretty but it is effective.
As for the Whitecaps this may be a difficult result to swallow. They seemingly outplayed United in all aspects of the match except in finishing their opportunities. That three shots hit the bar should be an indicator that they are on the right path towards creating a quality attacking side. But they need to finish their opportunities and in the first half they weren’t able to put United away. This match could be a great learning opportunity for Carl Robinson’s side as the season is still very young and there are plenty of matches to play. But dropping three points to a side at the bottom of the Eastern Conference at home may come back to haunt them come the fall.
Three other observations from tonight’s match:
#1 Bill Hamid. Need we say more?
In the first half Bill Hamid attempted to get all of the spots in the MLS Save of the Week category. Two particular moments stand out. In the 42nd he stopped Tim Parker’s attempt at two consecutive weeks with a goal with a deft kick save to preserve the 0-0 scoreline. He would follow that up with a similar Herculean effort just before halftime, this time denying Christian Techera.
Hamid’s saves coupled with the Whitecaps hitting the bar three times gave United at least a chance to get into the match. Although he is prone to the occasional bad decision (such as the foul on Brek Shea in injury time that led to the penalty kick) he almost always makes up for it. Without his four saves on the evening United would undoubtedly be heading home tonight from Vancouver empty handed.
#2 The Whitecaps might have the fastest midfield in Major League Soccer
Without Matias Laba Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson brought in Alphonso Davies and moved Andrew Jacobson into the defensive midfield. With Davies, Tony Tchani, and Christian Bolanos burned right past D.C. for goal-scoring opportunity after goal-scoring opportunity. In particular on the flanks the Whitecaps dominated D.C. with Davies breezing past the leaky D.C. defense.
While Davies gets a ton of credit for his physical skills, it is his drive that is particularly impressive. In the 39th minute Davies stumbled and appeared to lose possession. Instead he fought off United midfielder Jared Jeffrey and hit a good shot on target. These are skills that cannot be taught and are rare within a player at his age. Playing alongside Tchani and Bolanos will undoubtedly help him as he continues to develop as a professional.
#3 Let’s talk about the penalties.
In the 61st minute United forward Jose Guillermo Ortiz went to the ground after being ‘tackled’ by Kendall Waston. Upon further review (something that the referees do not have) it was apparent that Mr. Ortiz took a dive. There is no real way to cut it. Although Ortiz may very well face the wrath of the MLS Disciplinary Committee this week that play changed the tone of the match.
The penalty late in the match was also a curious display of officiating. While the call was accurate the chaos that came prior to it was sheer madness. Perhaps head referee Sorin Sotica was attempting to quell some of the unrest (of which there was plenty on both sides) before speaking with the fourth official. But the manner in which that series of events unfolded looked very disorganized and didn’t put PRO in a very positive light. One would expect that after these two calls and a series of other questionable decisions that Mr. Sorin would also be receiving a call from his bosses at PRO.
Referees do make mistakes but the problem is there is no way right to be able to rectify these mistakes in real time. MLS seems to be at the forefront of the movement towards adding video technology. In the future it may help avoid these situations. But that probably won’t make Whitecaps supporters feel any better right now.
D.C. United-Bill Hamid, Taylor Kemp, Steve Birnbaum, Kofi Opare, Chris Korb, Lamar Neagle, Luciano Acosta (Marcelo 78′), Ian Harkes, Sebastian Le Toux, Jared Jeffrey, and Jose Guillermo Ortiz
Goal- Neagle (62′)
Yellow Cards- Opare (76′) and Jeffrey (76′)
Vancouver Whitecaps- David Ousted, Sheanon Williams (Mauro Rosales 90′), Kendall Waston, Tim Parker, Jordan Harvey, Andrew Jacobson, Cristian Techera, Christian Bolanos, Tony Tchani (Nicolas Mezquida 78′), Alphonso Davies (Brek Shea 63′), and Fredy Montero.
Yellow Cards- Tchani (52′) and Parker (90+7′)
DC United
