WHITECAPS PLAY TEXAS HOLD-’EM
Tight defence, solid goaltending earn scoreless draw
The Whitecaps are no longer 0-for-Texas.
Saturday’s hardearned scoreless tie in Houston was the Caps first-ever point in The Lone Star State after 10 straight defeats to the Dynamo and FC Dallas combined.
Vancouver (8-8-6) gained the valuable point the old-fashioned way. They were organized and tough to break down and they didn’t risk much on a steamy night at BBVA Compass Stadium.
It looked a lot like the way they earned a league-best seven road wins in 2015, although the opportunistic goal didn’t come on this night.
Substitute Erik Hurtado had his 84th-minute tally called back for intentional handball. The call was, at best, harsh, and at worst, wrong.
One angle made it look like the ball struck his shoulder; another angle showed it perhaps hit his upper arm.
Regardless, splitting the points felt like a fair result. Houston’s Boniek Garcia struck the far post with his curling shot in the 71st minute after a smart dummy by Will Bruin.
The Caps were the better team through a half, enjoying 57 per cent possession away from home. The Dynamo looked more likely to score in the final frame, with David Ousted having to be sharp for the Caps.
Houston (4-9-7) is last in the Western Conference, so there’s no reason to get carried away with this result. Still, it was a step forward for a team that was desperately in need of a solid defensive showing.
It was just the fifth shutout of the season for the Caps, but it was also something to build on.
Kendall Waston cleared everything in sight and kept his composure. Christian Bolaños controlled the midfield and appears to be getting harper and quicker as the season progresses. Nicolas Mezquida and Masato Kudo continued to show signs of chemistry up top. And Cole Seiler, in his MLS debut, was steady at right-back.
NOTES: Stay tuned on the Fabian Espindola trade. Ives Galarcep reported on Twitter that Espindola might not report to Vancouver after all and that the Caps might flip him to a Liga MX team. The veteran striker didn’t join the Caps in Houston. They acquired him Wednesday for allocation money.