The Vancouver Whitecaps sent a message to the rest of MLS this past Sunday, beating first in the league San Jose Earthquakes in a 2-1 victory at BC Place.
The Earthquakes (13-5-4) went into the game on a winning streak, having beaten second in the league Real Salt Lake and second worst in the West FC Dallas; whereas the Whitecaps (9-6-7) went into the match without a win in five matches.
The Whitecaps opened the scoring in the 20th minute when Y.P. Lee found Dane Richards with a through ball, and the Jamaican buried a powerful strike past Jon Busch in the Earthquakes goal.
Alan Gordon continued his impressive streak of goals and leveled the game in the 38th minute when Martin Chavez found his head in the Whitecaps box. This was Gordon’s ninth goal of the 2012 season and far surpasses his career-high of five goals in one season.
The Whitecaps got the lead for good after a controversial decision by referee Jair Marrufo in the 68th minute. When Sam Cronin challenged a play inside the box, the referee signaled for Whitecaps midfielder Camilo to get up as he waved play on. However, after the side assistant called a foul on the play, the Whitecaps were awarded a penalty kick. Robson stepped up in front of 20,112 cheering fans and took the shot, notching what would become a 2-1 victory for his team.
This match was the second time this season that the Whitecaps beat the Earthquakes at BC Place. The first victory took place in May with an identical score of 2-1. This is the last time these two teams will meet in regular season play this year.
The Earthquakes next match is July 28th at home against Chicago Fire.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
