Whitecaps Vs Timbers; Battle of the Pacific Northwest

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The Whitecaps hosted the Timbers on Wednesday in a classic Cascadia rivalry. The game ended in a 1-1 draw as the Whitecaps scored in the 88th minute to pull themselves from the jaws of defeat. What was the overall tale of the game and who were the top performers? Lets get into it!

Game Breakdown

The first half was taken control mostly by the Timbers. They offensively had more chances and were breaking past the Whitecaps defence with ease. All the pressure amounted in a failed clearing attempt by the Whitecaps that landed on the feet of Portland centre back Kamal Miller who rifled a half volley from way outside the box to put it up and over Vancouver goalkeeper Takaoka to give them the 1-0 lead. The rest of the first half remained the same and the Whitecaps were off to a subpar first 45 minutes. The second half started off better for the Caps. They began advancing the play more and creating chance after chance but seemingly unable to find the back of the net. After a beautiful save from Portland goalkeeper James Pantemis, the Whitecaps had one more chance to capitalize off a late corner kick. Sebastian Berhalter stepped over the ball, raised his hand, and whipped it into the box, Laborda flicks it on the near post and who other than Brian White is there to tap it in on the 6 yard box.

Which Whitecaps Stood Out

Although the Whitecaps did have a better second half, it was more of a hard fought team effort for them to be able to get the point. That being said, two players that had stand out games and have been consistent all year were Sebastian Berhalter and Brian White. Berhalter was making beautiful passes and creating chances all game and assisted the Whitecaps goal which was the cherry on top. And for Brian White, his goal scoring ability continued as he added yet another to his tally to keep the Caps unbeaten streak alive and has been pivotal in the Whitecaps success this season.

Vancouver vs Seattle

Tomorrow the Whitecaps play the Sounders in Seattle. The Sounders have always been a huge rival for Vancouver so it would definitely be a good 3 points to get especially on the road. Thomas Muller was not in the lineup against Portland on Wednesday but seemingly will make the start when they face off at Lumen field tomorrow night.

Do you think Muller being back in the lineup will secure the victory for Vancouver tomorrow?