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Whitecaps kickstart their playoff push with 'gut punch' to Quakes

After taking it on the chin, the Whitecaps finally landed some body blows of their own as they make the push for the playoffs.

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This time, the gut punch was buried deeply in the midsection of someone other than the Vancouver Whitecaps. And if there was ever a moment to savour a little schadenfreude, this was it.

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β€œDevastating. I don’t think words can quite describe it right now,” said San Jose striker Chris Wondolowski. β€œJust a gut punch.”

The No. 2 all-time scorer on the Major League Soccer list, who’s broken the hearts of the Caps and their fans many times, watched from the bench as his team dominated, thenΒ staggeringly imploded Saturday night at Avaya Stadium, a 2-0 lead over the dissipating like Thanos had snapped his fingers.

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InΒ a nine-minute heartbeat, the game had been flipped on its head. The Caps, a team that had been dominated and shown three straight yellow cards for frustration-fuelled actions suddenly score three straight goals.

β€œI thought we came out bright. The first 15 minutes … two goals and dictating the game,” said β€˜Wondo,’ who has 11 goals in 11 career games against Vancouver.

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β€œAnd then we just had 15 minutes of β€” (I) don’t know exactly what happened. Can’t pinpoint exactly what went wrong, but it went real wrong.”

It’s been going wrong at home for the Earthquakes (13-14-8) all season. They haven’t won at home since their 3-2 opening-night victory over Minnesota, a club-record 11-game winless streak.

But for the Whitecaps (10-9-7), something finally went right. They’d seen heartbreak in two straight home games, giving up 11th-hour equalizers to Toronto and Red Bulls New York, and were flushed away on the road to TFC.

And it appeared through 58 minutes that their playoff hopes, already on life support, had flatlined after falling behind to the league’s worst team. But when Yordy Reyna’s 25-yard free kick curled between two Whitecaps in a wall, then off the hands of San Jose keeper Andrew Tarbell and into the net, they suddenly had a pulse and the Quakes, heart palpitations.

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β€œWhen we conceded the first goal, I think we lost everything, actually,” said San Jose coach Mikael Stahre. β€œWe lost the shape, the power and the will to play. Crazy defeat.”

Two minutes later after Reyna, El Bicho β€” a.k.a. Cristian Techera β€”Β scored the equalizer. Kei Kamara then recorded the game-winner after another seven minutes of sustained pressure, giving the Caps their first win in San Jose in 11 games and blowing away the dark storm clouds circling coach Carl Robinson’s head.

β€œRobbo got into us at halftime, and that’s what woke us up,” said fullback Jake Nerwinski. β€œWe were asleep at the wheel the first 20 minutes. We came out in the second half and nearly scored in the first 10 seconds, and I think that set the tone for us. We were really able to put on pressure.

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β€œWe knew if we got one goal, we were OK. It was all mentality. We know we have the players to score the goals, and shut people out. We just have to really get down to it, and do it.”

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The substitution of Aly Ghazal and Nico Mezquida for Marcel De Jong and Felipe in the 56th minute was the game’s pivotal moment. De Jong had given up a penalty kick in the first half with a late tackle, and seemed uncharacteristically tardy on a few others, getting whistled for a team-high three fouls, and both he and Felipe were yellow-carded in a two-minute span in the second half.

Ghazal, who was called up for Egypt’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Niger on Sept. 8 β€” his first in four years β€”Β was disruptive as usual in midfield. Mezquida took over Reyna’s spot in the middle, allowing the Peruvian to move wide, and the Caps began to exploit the gaps it created.

β€œI thought we were soft in those first 20 minutes. … I thought they won every second ball, they won every header, they wanted it more, and that is a big concern. No team of mine wants to be outfought and outbattled,” said Robinson. β€œSo that’s what I said at halftime. I don’t mind losing the game, but you don’t go under and you don’t give in and you don’t be soft. We’re in professional sports, we’re in big boy world, so you have to roll your sleeves up and fight.

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β€œAnd we did fight, we showed a little bit of fight, subs made a big impact in the game.”

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Nerwinski was one of the few bright spots in the first half. The right back shut down the Quakes on his side, and produced the best scoring chance for his side in the opening 45, nutmegging his defender before putting a cross right on the foot of Kamara eight yards out.

The sophomore defender made several attack-nullifying tackles β€” finishing with a team-high four, along with two interceptions and four clearances, finishing the game as the top-rated defensive Whitecap.

β€œI’m starting to play the way I want to play. I had a little rough go at the start of the season,” he said. β€œI think I’ve had a good run for a few games … I have If I can keep this up, if we keep this up, we can make a good run in the playoffs.”

The Whitecaps are tied in points (37) with the Portland Timbers (10-6-7), who were hosting the Seattle Sounders (10-9-5, 35 pts) late Sunday. Both teams have multiple games in hand on Vancouver, who have eight matches remaining.

jadams@postmedia.com


NEXT GAME

Saturday

San Jose Earthquakes at Vancouver Whitecaps

7 p.m., B.C. Place Stadium, TSN, TSN 1040 AM

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