VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Vancouver Whitecaps got a taste of what it’s like sitting at the top of the mountain. And Columbus Crew SC were the ones with the first chance to knock them off.
Having taken an early lead in the Supporters’ Shield standings over the weekend, the Whitecaps got Crew SC’s best shot on Wednesday night, which put Vancouver on their heels at times and forced them to fight back twice to secure a 2-2 draw at BC Place.
The missed chance to pick up three points at home ended Vancouver’s four-game winning streak, but head coach Carl Robinson lauded his team’s fighting spirit and mental strength.
“There was a lot of character shown today,” Robinson told media after the match. “We’re young, we’re hungry, we’re energetic, but when you get down a goal at home and then you’re able to bounce back, and then you concede again, we responded really well.
“I’ll never fault the character of the group in there because they want to win. They’re disappointed we only got a point, but that shows how far we’ve come.”
It was an attacking game from the start, with both sides combining for 37 attempts on goal. While the offensive display will have pleased both managers, neither will be happy with how open their defenses looked at times.
And Robinson wasn’t surprised at all that Columbus came out on the front foot.
“A very entertaining game for a neutral,” Robinson said. “They like to play, they like to attack and they were wide open at times. We got into that match with them because we’re wide open at times. That’s why it was an entertaining game.”
It was a departure from Vancouver’s defensive stance from their previous outings. After recording three clean sheets and a string of key saves this season, it was an uncharacteristic mistake from goalkeeper David Ousted on a goalk kick that gave the Crew a 2-1 lead to start the second half.
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It was disappointing to the ‘Caps coach, but he doesn’t hold it against the big stopper.
“The second goal was obviously a bad one for us to concede,” Robinson said. “We score goals as a team, and we concede goals as a team. So there’s no fault on any player from me.
“I can’t fault my players. We were exciting to watch on the attacking side; we just need to tidy a few things up on the defensive side.“
