Vancouver, BC (Sports Network) - The Vancouver Whitecaps will go for their
second consecutive victory to start the season when they take on the Columbus
Crew on Saturday at BC Place.
Vancouver got off to an excellent start in their season-opener last week when
they dispatched their Canadian rivals Toronto FC, 1-0, on the strength of a
goal from Gershon Koffie.
Vancouver head coach Martin Rennie was happy with his team's resolve following
the match:
"I think it's very good to get our first win the first game of the season.
It's always a bit of a nervy affair, and in the first half we were a little
bit scratchy in our passing and in our technique," Rennie said. "But in the
second half, we changed the system, we changed the way that we created a lot
of chances, created lot of pressure, and managed the ball well at the end of
the game, and didn't give up a lot of chances. So overall, I'm very happy
about it. It's an important win for us."
Vancouver's backline will have a new face in the starting 11 when the match
kicks off as U.S. international Jay DeMerit suffered a torn left Achilles just
eight minutes into last week's match and is likely out for the remainder of
the season.
The absence of DeMerit will likely allow center back Brad Rusin to earn his
first start for the Whitecaps, as he performed strongly after replacing
DeMerit.
Columbus, meanwhile, is coming off a convincing 3-0 win over Chivas USA at the
Home Depot Center last week.
With only a few thousand fans in attendance, Federico Higuan and Josh
Williams scored second-half goals, and newcomer Dominic Oduro added a third
for the Crew.
"It's good to go on the road and get a win," Oduro said. "[The Home Depot
Center] is not an easy place to play. I think we did well defensively staying
disciplined."
Against Chivas USA, the Crew controlled the midfield for most of the match as
veteran Danny O'Rourke and offseason signing Agustn Viana combined to win 14
headers in the middle of the park, six of which were completed for a second
pass.
"We won the middle of the field," Columbus coach Robert Warzycha explained.
"It was a little bit shaky in the beginning. We lost the ball a couple times
and it led to scoring chances, but I think we cleaned up everything pretty
quick. The rest of the game was pretty good."
If Columbus is to claim three points on Saturday, O'Rourke and Viana will have
to continue to keep possession and distribute the ball.
In three all-time, regular-season meetings between the clubs, Columbus holds
2-1-0 advantage. The sides met just once last campaign with the Whitecaps
claiming a 1-0 victory on April 28, 2012 courtesy of a goal from Young-Pyo
Lee.
The Sports Network