Houston Dynamo 4 : 1 Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps remained on course, just about, to equal or break their MLS regular season goals tally this season.

With 46 goals in the net and six games to go, they are closing in on their total of 54 set in 2018. Kei Kamara scored 17 that year. Brian White on 11 and Ryan Gauld with ten are the most realistic challengers to that although neither will eclipse Camilo’s total of 22 regular season goals set in 2013.

Coach Vanni Sartini saw the relevance of the goals recird within the broader fraame of the standings and, perhaps with an eye to the coming home games, a duty to please the fans.

“We’re here primarily to get results but entertain. It would be fantastic (to beat the record). Not only because if we beat this record, we will be in the play-off.”

But for 89 fairly miserable minutes in Houston, even that consolation looked unlikely. The Dynamo were the hungrier side and both passed and moved with more fluidity than their Canadian guests.

Four different scorers had comfortably secured all three points for Dynamo by the time the otherwise dominant Erik Sviatchenko bundled a consolation goal into his own net. To be fair to the Dane, Seb Berhalter was poised to tuck the ball home had he left it, but still the name is in the books and only a late and otherwise meaningless own goal prevented the Caps from falling behind in their chase.

To be fair, the Whitecaps created plenty chances. On two occasions within minutes of each other, free headers were comically directed almost as close to the corner flag than the Dynamo goal. Only four Whitecaps weenefforts from eleven were on target and the Dynamo keper Steve Clark was well up to the task when he was not well protected by Sviatchenko, the outstanding Luís Caicedo and Teenage Hadebe.

Sartini used the term a 10c to the dollar performance and observed that the distance between the players was too great at times. Nonetheless, given there has only been one away win in 22 meetings between the clubs, he seemed less than crestfallen and a look at the fixtures to come probably explains that.

Vancouver  have three home games left and their two road games are at Real Salt Lake, bottom club Colorado Rapids and their Cascadian neighbours Seattle. Junior Hoilett played the second half and although Brian White had a really off night, on another occasion, the Caps top scorer would have surely done better.

There are more grounds for optimism than would usually be the case after a 4-1 defeat.

But first they must tackle two trips to the mid west to face RSL and the Rapids. Vancouver have a point lead and a game more to play than RSL and a draw would not be a disaster. A loss however might and perhaps (local rivalries apart), this may be the game Sartini would least want to lose.

With Minnesota, San Jose, RSL and Sporting Kansas all obligingly losing, the damage to Vancouver’s play-off hopes was minimalised and the top seven still looks a realistic prospect for Sartini’s side.

For the excellent Dynamo, Héctor Herrera, Griffin Dorsey,  Iván Franco and Ibrahim Aliyu netted with Franco’s goal being especially tough for the Caps as he superbly ducked and directed a diving header goalwards away from his direction of travel.

If only the guests had headed the football with such flawless technique, they may have put a far bigger dent in that goal chase.

Attendance: 13,866
Referee: Fotis Bazakos