Photo by USA Today Sports
By RYAN TOLMICH
Knowing that Sporting KC had won five straight road contests, the Vancouver Whitecaps recognized that it would take a special effort to avoid becoming the latest team to fall to the reigning MLS Cup champions in front of their home supporters.
A special effort is exactly what the Whitecaps put forth, as the hosts harassed and disrupted the Sporting KC midfield all night on the way to a 2-0 victory. The result made the Whitecaps our choice for SBI MLS Team of the Week.
Pedro Morales proved to be the most difficult Whitecap for the visitors to deal with, as the Chilean midfielder made Sporting KC pay for repeatedly losing the ball in the midfield. Morales effortlessly combined with Darren Mattocks as the Whitecaps repeatedly overran the Sporting KC defense, as the 2-0 scoreline was only preserved by a pair of goalline clearances and a penalty kick save.
The Whitecaps beat out Real Salt Lake, the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas for this week’s honors.
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