Perfect start for Caps
Sebastien Le Toux scores four minutes into the game and the Whitecaps hold on to beat their Canadian rivals, the Montreal Impact, 2-0
Sebastien Le Toux has a sense of symmetry.
The French forward scored four minutes into his Vancouver Whitecaps debut Saturday at B.C. Place.
He did the same thing on his home debut for the Philadelphia Union in 2010.
Actually, he netted a hat trick that day against D.C. United.
But one goal was enough for the Whitecaps, who enjoyed a perfect start in front of 21,000 fans and closed out a comfortable 2-0 win over the expansion Montreal Impact to kick off their second season.
“It’s a little wink to the past,” said Le Toux, “but I’m just lucky. It’s good for me to score and I hope it will continue for the season and bring lots of wins. But most important is to win.”
The team-first Le Toux finished low to the far post behind Donovan Ricketts after Eric Hassli sent him in with a flicked-header off Alain Rochat’s pass.
Except for the goal, Le Toux had a quiet night on the ball. But overall he was everything the Whitecaps expected when they sent an undisclosed amount of money to Philadelphia for him in January.
Le Toux worked hard defensively, sprinting back from his forward position to quickly close any holes left by wingers Davide Chiumiento and Camilo after deep runs.
“When we didn’t have the ball he found the man every time,” said Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie. “Those things go unnoticed sometimes but, to me, that’s key.”
Early in the second half, Le Toux also played an important and subtle role in Camilo’s brilliant goal.
Le Toux dummied Eric Hassli’s pass, allowing it to roll through to Chiumiento, who one-touched the ball to a streaking Camilo. The Brazilian did the rest.
It’s the type of goal Whitecaps fans hope to see plenty of this season with so much attacking talent in the lineup.
“It was a nice combination,” said Le Toux, a 28-year-old who played against the Whitecaps in the second division when he was with the Seattle Sounders.
“Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I hope we’re going to continue to score goals like that.”