VANCOUVER, B.C. – A pair of strikes from Darren Mattocks on either side of halftime secured a 3-1 win for the Vancouver Whitecaps over the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon at BC Place.
The home side was in control through most of the game, but it wasn't until Jordan Harvey's late insurance goal that they could be sure of the result.
It didn’t take long for Mattocks to open his account on the night, turning the ball into the top left corner of Tally Hall’s goal following a fine cross from Young-Pyo Lee from the right, much to the delight of the Vancouver faithful.
Mattocks added his second in the 66th minute, finishing a play masterminded by a fine pass from Gershon Koffie. The Ghanaian midfielder received the ball from Jun Marques Davidson before hitting a perfect pass with the outside of his boot for Mattocks to run onto and finish.
Seven minutes from time, Macoumba Kandji belted home a finish from a Brian Ownby cross, but it wasn’t enough as Harvey scored four minutes later to restore the Whitecaps' two-goal advantage and dash any hopes of a comeback.
There were other chances too – in the 29th minute, Joe Cannon shanked a kick, hitting the ball right into the path of Brian Ching. The U.S. international was quick to react, attempting a left-footed shot, but his effort went over the bar to the relief of a stranded Cannon.
In the 41st minute, Cannon redeemed himself, stopping Bobby Boswell from close range, by getting a strong right hand on the defender’s effort to ensure Vancouver went into the break with the lead.
In the 57th minute, Chiumiento had a good chance to double Vancouver’s lead, as he streaked into the left side of the area. His left-footed attempt came from too acute an angle though, and the ball went wide to the right of the goal.
Moments later, Will Bruin made a good run in behind Vancouver’s backline down the right-hand chanel and similarly missed due to a tight angle, firing across Cannon’s goal from close range.
In the 71st minute, the ball fell to Koffie in the box after Houston failed to clear a corner and the midfielder took a touch before hammering a shot at Tally Hall. The Dynamo goalkeeper stood tall, however, parrying the strike away to safety.
In the 84th minute Mattocks had an opportunity to hit a hat-trick, running between two defenders to get on the end of a ball from Koffie, but Hall reacted well to stop the rookie’s low effort.
In stoppage time, Kandji hit a dipping shot from close range as he looked for a second, but Cannon got down quickly to stop the ball, meaning the match ended 3-1.
The Whitecaps, now 6-3-4, are next in action June 16, as they host the Colorado Rapids. The Houston Dynamo, falling to 4-4-4, also play Saturday, taking on FC Dallas back home at BBVA Compass Stadium (Buy Tickets).
Houston Dynamo (4-4-4) vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (6-3-4)
June 10, 2012 – BC Place, Vancouver, BC - Attendance: 18,811
Scoring Summary:
VAN — Darren Mattocks 2 (Lee, Thorrington) 4
VAN — Darren Mattocks 3 (Koffie 1) 66
HOU — Macoumba Kandji 1 (Ownby 1) 83
VAN — Jordan Harvey 1 (unassisted) 88
Houston Dynamo – Tally Hall; Warren Creavalle, Bobby Boswell, Nathan Sturgis (Brian Ownby 78), Corey Ashe; Calen Carr, Adam Moffat, Luiz Camargo (Colin Clark 71), Brad Davis; Will Bruin, Brian Ching (Macoumba Kandji 71)
Substitutes not used: Tyler Deric, Cam Weaver, Oscar Recio, Colin Rolfe
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC--Joe Cannon; Lee Young-Pyo, Jay DeMerit, Martin Bonjour, Alain Rochat; Gershon Koffie, Jun Marques Davidson, John Thorrington; Sebastien Le Toux (Michael Nanchoff 90), Darren Mattocks (Eric Hassli 87), Davide Chiumiento (Jordan Harvey 78)
Substitutes not used: Bill Gaudette; Marcelo Sarvas, Leonardo, Kyle Nakazawa
Misconduct Summary: VAN – Jun Marques Davidson (caution) 68, HOU – Brad Davis (caution) 79, HOU – Calen Carr (caution) 86
Referee: Ramon Hernandez
Assistant referees: Fabio Tovar, Jeff Hosking
4th Official: Yader Reyes
