By DAN KARELL
In the span of 90 seconds in first-half stoppage time, the Vancouver Whitecaps turned the game completely on it’s head.
Trailing by a goal, Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey followed up a miss by Camilo Sanvezzo with a low finish from the top of the box. Soon after, Camilo was given another opportunity on goal, this time finishing after dribbling past Chivas USA defender Mario De Luna to give the Whitecaps a shock lead heading into the break.
Camilo added his second and the team’s third in the 81st minute, finishing inside the box on a shot that was deflected along the way, giving the Whitecaps a deserved 3-1 victory over Chivas USA at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Brazilian midfielder has scored now five goals in his last three MLS matches, and has jumped in to fourth place in the goal charts with eight this season.
Tristan Bowen gave Chivas and new manager Jose Luis Real a perfect start to the game in the 7th minute with a majestic looping strike past Whitecaps goalkeeper Brad Knighton to take an early lead.
It was Camilo and fan-favorite Russell Teibert though who came to the rescue of the Whitecaps, as the two assisted on Harvey’s goal and then Teibert’s strong play in midfield provided the assist on Camilo’s first of the match.
Harvey, the first goal scorer, provided the pass for Camilo to score that put the match away nine minutes from time, dooming Chivas USA to their sixth loss in a row, and extending their winless streak to nine MLS matches.
Here are the match highlights:
That’s the tough part about being a CUSA fan, they can actually play really well for long stretches of games and not get results. They’re a great team for the soccer fan that loves the passing game, but couldn’t care less about goals.
Some impressions from attending the game last night:
• Chivas actually looked decent the first 35 minutes; maybe the Whitecaps were just uninspired, but credit to them, they looked organized and didn’t play poorly.
• Obviously giving up two stoppage time goals before the half was devastating.
• Kenny Miller had a strong game. He worked hard, popped up everywhere, and stretched the Chivas defenders or pulled them out of position with his off-the-ball runs.
Big fan of Camilo. I can see him moving onto a better league and producing at the same rate.