Advertisement

Whitecaps rally for draw, Toronto FC lose late, Impact crushed again: Canadian MLS recap

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS 2 - LOS ANGELES GALAXY 2

A week after losing 1-0 to the Galaxy in California, the Whitecaps were looking to avenge that result in front of their home fans at a sold-out B.C. Place.

Vancouver outpossessed and outshot Los Angeles in the first half, but it was a goal from Stefan Ishizaki that gave the Galaxy a 1-0 lead after 45 minutes. In response, manager Carl Robinson inserted Kekuta Manneh at the start of the second half looking for the 19-year-old to add an edge to Vancouver’s attack.

Darren Mattocks took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Galaxy to level the game at 1-1 with just over 20 minutes to play before Robbie Keane reclaimed the lead for L.A. ten minutes later. Just as it looked like the Whitecaps were going to be undone by a Keane goal in back-to-back games, Manneh responded with a beautiful strike off a pass from Mattocks in the 86th minute to earn a point for Vancouver.

It was a strong display of resiliency to battle back against a team they’ve only beat once since joining MLS in 2011 and to see it led by Mattocks and Manneh is a promising sign going forward.

THE QUOTE: "It means a lot to me. That's what I'm always looking to do, whether I start come off the bench — make an impact for the team. Today, for me to do that, it definitely means a lot." – Whitecaps forward Kekutah Manneh

NEXT GAME: Saturday, April 26 – at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 ET

 

FC DALLAS 2 – TORONTO FC 1

Michael Bradley’s return to the starting eleven wasn’t enough for Toronto FC to avoid their second straight loss. The influential midfielder played the full 90 minutes after recovering from a quadriceps injury that kept him out last weekend but he could not wrestle control of the game away from FC Dallas.

While Toronto did have the lead early on when Issey Nakajima-Farran put in his own rebound in the 21st minute, there was no doubt which team was dictating play. Dallas had 61% possesion and won 16 corner kicks. Toronto FC keeper Julio Cesar was tested repeatedly before Matt Hedges equalized for Dallas with a header off a free kick in the 37th minute.

Despite consistent pressure from the home side, the score stayed 1-1 until second half substitute Blas Perez netted the game-winning goal in the 88th minute. It was a tough finish for Toronto, especially as they felt they should have been awarded a penalty when Gilberto was taken down in the box in the 75th minute.

After winning their first two games of the season, the Reds have lost three of the next four, giving them a total of nine points heading into next weekend’s bye. Jermain Defoe, who has missed the last three matches, is in line to be in the squad against New England on May 3rd.

THE QUOTE: "We have to be honest with ourselves tonight and just say we weren't good enough. You have to have a mentality that says you're not afraid to make mistakes. You're not afraid to play. You're not afraid to really get after it. And we fell short in those areas tonight." – Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley

NEXT GAME: Saturday, May 3 – vs. New England Revolution, 1 ET

 

SPORTING KANSAS CITY 4 – MONTREAL IMPACT 0

In a season that’s produced nothing but ugly results to date, this performance had to be the worst one yet for the Montreal Impact.

Through 70 minutes, Montreal was only down 1-0 to Kansas City after an own goal from defender Calum Mallace gifted the reigning league champions the lead.  Not satisfied, Kansas City scored three of their own in the game's final 20 minutes, including two from Dominic Dwyer, to seal a 4-0 win.

Montreal’s best chance came in the 14th minute when Felipe Martins and Marco Di Vaio’s two-on-one break forced Kansas City defender Aurelien Collin to clear Martins’ shot attempt off the line. The Impact stayed competitive for much of the game, mostly holding off Kansas City’s attack, before the game got away from them late in the second half.

It’s now seven games without a win to start 2014 for Montreal and there's little reason to believe that it will get better anytime soon.

THE QUOTE: "We just came out a little flat in the second half. Against a team like that, you really have to be disciplined and tuned-in for 90 minutes. If you're not, they can pod goals quickly like they did." – Impact midfielder Justin Mapp

NEXT GAME: Saturday, April 26 – vs. Philadelphia Union, 4 ET

PLAY OF THE DAY: Kekuta Manneh strikes to earn draw for Whitecaps

Israel Fehr is a writer for Yahoo Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @israelfehr.