Reyna comes through in the clutch
WHITECAPS WIN: Midfielder has made habit of scoring game-winning goals this season
An hour after Saturday’s final whistle, Yordy Reyna strolled the pitch at an empty B.C. Place Stadium, head buried in his phone.
He could very well have been watching the highlight of yet another game-winning goal.
Reyna scored once and set up another as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated the lowly Colorado Rapids 2-1 to expand their lead to four points atop Major League Soccer’s Western Conference.
The classy Peruvian midfielder dropped a perfect cross onto Fredy Montero’s head for an early lead before the roles were reversed in the second half following Colorado’s equalizer on a Vancouver miscue just before the break.
All five of Reyna’s goals have been game-winners, tying him for tops in MLS even though he’s made at least 11 fewer appearances than the other four players at the same number after breaking his foot in pre-season.
“You can see how happy he is when he scores,” said Montero, who had his post-match scrum with reporters briefly interrupted by a jovial and Halloween mask-wearing Reyna.
The Whitecaps (14-9-6) now have 48 points on the year, one point ahead of Sporting Kansas City, who defeated the L.A. Galaxy 2-1 Sunday to move to 47 points. Portland had 44 points before its Sunday night game against Orlando City (result not available at press time). Seattle, who lost 2-0 at Real Salt Lake on Saturday, also has 44 points.
“Great character again,” said Vancouver head coach Carl Robinson, whose team stretched its unbeaten run to seven games (5-0-2). “All players stepped up.”
The result was especially crucial with the Whitecaps set to visit the Seattle Sounders Wednesday and Sporting next Saturday.
After this weekend, Vancouver and Kansas City both have five games left on the schedule in the race for first in the West, while Seattle has four, and the Timbers just three.
Dominique Badji replied for the last-place Rapids (7-17-5), who hung around all night after the Whitecaps failed to connect on a number of chances that could have made for a more comfortable score line.
“We just want to get as many points on the board as we can,” Robinson said. “Sometimes the games against the teams at the wrong end of the table are as hard as the teams at the top end. I made them aware of that.”
After the Rapids got Badji’s goal just before halftime, Montero chipped a pass over the top and into the lightning-quick Reyna’s path in the 54th minute.
He left Colorado defender Axel Sjoberg in his wake and beat goalkeeper Tim Howard, who was slow to react off his line, to the loose ball before burying his fifth in just 14 games, and third in the last four.
The Rapids pushed forward and forced a good save out of Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted in the 67th minute when Micheal Azira tried his luck from just outside the penalty area.
That would be as close as Colorado would come as Vancouver improved to 8-2-3 over its last 13 games.
“They’ve got nothing to lose,” Robinson said of the Rapids.
“They play gung-ho football, which is dangerous.
“I was a little bit worried, but credit to the guys.”
Montero opened the scoring in the fourth minute with his 13th goal to tie a career-high in MLS off a lethal delivery from Reyna. After the Rapids could only partly clear a Vancouver free kick, the ball found its way back to Reyna on the left, and he fed a perfect cross between two defenders and onto the Colombian striker’s head.
The Whitecaps had a couple of opportunities to stretch that early advantage, but couldn’t find the range.
The Rapids made the hosts pay for their waste in the 45th minute when Badji jumped on a mistake by Whitecaps defender Tim Parker to poke home his ninth past a surprised Ousted to take the air out of the building before Reyna made sure his team left with all three points.
“It was a thoroughly professional performance, but we gave away a bad goal and we didn’t put (Colorado) away,” Robinson said. “When you don’t do that, you leave teams hanging.”