Match Report: Vancouver 1-0 DC United

Thoughts

The scoreline definitely does not tell the whole story of the evening. DC had a strong lineup out, which included the return of Wayne Rooney, and with Kamara making the bench. Against the side who were bottom of the Western Conference, and we hadn’t been beaten by since 2013, this one, on paper, should have been a formality. Unfortunately, for those in the world of the popular PC game Football Manager will know, DC were well and truly FM’d. DC having the majority of play but without anything to show for it. 24 attempts, 11 corners, 560 passes at 85% accuracy, and just over 64% possession, those stats though, they don’t win you games. And what DC failed to do was to take any chances. And one lapse in concentration, or poor positioning from Bill Hamid let in a tame long range effort from Reyna.

Frustrations were there to be seen as Wayne Rooney let his feelings known to the 4th official, audio that was picked up on microphone, I’ll be amazed if he isn’t warned about his conduct as a minimum. Yes the standard of refereeing is very poor in MLS and that needs to change massively, but I can imagine there is a better way for change.

That’s not to say there weren’t positives from the game. We recycled possession well, Felipe looked great in his 2nd outing for the Black & Red, and our movement was much better, it just didn’t click in the final 3rd. Something that has been the story of the season, but this looked better, you can see things are improving. And hopefully by the time the lads are back and ready for the Red Bulls, something will click. Hamid made a great save in the 2nd half to deny Cornelious, 2nd time in 2 games where he has made a one-handed save from point blank range. This is what Bill is great at.

It was tough for me staying up til 3am for kick off, and then not going to bed til 5am, but I wouldn’t change it. I love this game and this club. The ups and downs are what’s part of being a supporter. I just hope we can send Wayne back to England on a high.

Post Match Facts

• Emmanuel Boateng made his D.C. United debut in the 67th minute of the match.
• Ola Kamara made his Black-and-Red debut in the 74th minute of the match, his first MLS appearance since October 28, 2018.
• Wayne Rooney returned to the starting lineup for D.C. United, he made his 23rd start for United.
• Paul Arriola registered five shots during the match, his highest shot total of the season. 
• D.C. United are now 5-3-2 in club history against the Vancouver Whitecaps.
• The Black-and-Red are 2-2-2 on the road against the Whitecaps.
• D.C. United lost their first match to the Vancouver Whitecaps since June 29, 2013

Lineups

D.C. United lineup: Bill Hamid; Joseph Mora, Steven Birnbaum, Frédéric Brillant, Leonardo Jara (Ema Boateng 67′); Júnior Moreno, Felipe Martins; Lucas Rodríguez, Paul Arriola, Ulises Segura (Luciano Acosta 58′); Wayne Rooney (Ola Kamara 74′) 

Unused Substitutes: Chris Seitz, Jalen Robinson, Quincy Amarikwa, Donovan Pines

Vancouver Whitecaps Lineup: Maxime Crépeau; Jakub Nerwinski (Doniel Henry 50′), Erik Godoy, Derek Cornelius, Ali Adnan; Andy Rose, Hwang In-Beom, Russell Teibert, Theo Bair, Fredy Montero (Tosaint Ricketts 79′); Yordy Reyna (Scott Sutter 90′) 

Unused Substitutes: Zac MacMeth, Victor Giro, Jon Erice, Jaoquin Ardáiz

Man of the Match

Difficult to say, but I’d be happy to go with Felipe. He looked good on the ball, was all over the pitch and was good on the set pieces. Not many highlights and stand-out performances from DC. Official MotM though goes to;

Up Next

We have the big rivals New York Red Bulls at Audi Field on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning depending on where you are. 1am kick off here in the UK. Being shown live on FreeSports.