The Whitecaps were unable to get a result in their final match of a five game road trip as they dropped a 1-0 decision to the ten men Chicago Fire. The goal by the Fire was scored early in the match when Pavel Pardo converted a perfectly placed free kick past Joe Cannon. For the last twenty minutes the Caps enjoyed a one man advantage when defender Arne Friedrich received his second yellow in a matter of minutes for taking down Darren Mattocks.
After a few good minutes of possession by the Caps, it was the Fire who got the first chance as Segares sent in a cross into the box which was sent wide by Rolfe. The Fire continued to get their chances as Nyarko was able to force a turnover by Lee and made a run towards the box but was pulled down by Davidson. The Fire were able to convert a free kick near the box as Pavel Pardo chipped the ball over the wall and past Cannon to give the home side an early lead.
The Fire had a great opportunity to double their lead when Oduro had a clear chance on goal but a quick thinking Cannon came off his line and cleared the danger out of the box. After some of their first sustained play the Whitecaps got their first chance on goal thirty minutes into the match when Darren Mattocks took a shot from outside of the box that was handled by Sean Johnson.
Another good opportunity came for the Caps a few minutes later when Lee was able to send in a cross from the right that just missed the a leaping Mattocks in the box. The Fire continued to control the midfield as long distance shots from Alex and Pardo missed the target by only a few feet.
Barry Robson displayed some skill as he danced around a couple of Fire defenders but his shot was deflected into the keeper. Minutes later Robson blasted a free kick from distance that just went over the bar as the ball did not dip enough for the Scotsman. In the last five minutes of the half Jordan Harvey saved a goal as a cross was heading towards Nyarko but the defender was able to head it away from goal.
It was almost a quick start for the Fire as Cannon whiffed on a long throw in but the keeper was bailed out by the post as Oduro was unable to connect on the post. The Caps countered with a chance as Mattocks once again tried with a shot from just outside the box that was stopped by a diving Johnson.
It looked as though the Fire had doubled their lead when Oduro deposited the ball past Cannon but an appropriate offside was called by the linesman keeping it a one goal game. Mattocks almost connected with a Robson free kick but the header was directed towards Johnson who handled it easily.
A second yellow card by Friedrich on Mattocks put the Fire a man down with a little more than twenty minutes to go. However, Robson was unable to convert on the free kick as his left footed attempt just missed the far corner. With the extra man the Whitecaps continued to apply pressure as Camilo attempted to whip the ball at the far post but just missed.
Second half sub Dane Richards flashed his pace as he forced Johnson to charge and make an interception on a long ball into the box. More pressure from the Caps as a cross was sent into the box and Hassli sent a header that forced Johnson to make a huge save. Unfortunately he landed awkwardly on his ankle forcing him to get treatment for a number of minutes. The four minutes of injury time saw the Caps get a number of corner kicks but were unable to make anything of the set pieces as the final whistle blew.
It was clear on this night the Whitecaps did not have the legs to compete with the Fire who hadn’t played for a week. The tempo of play was controlled by Chicago especially for the first fifteen minutes of the match. At the break Dane Richards made his debut for Vancouver after being acquired on Friday and showed the dangerous pace that he gives on the wing.
They now return back home after two weeks and four games on the road but it doesn’t get easier for the Whitecaps. They will face the defending champs LA Galaxy midweek before facing the top team in the Western Conference San Jose on Sunday.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
