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TSN Soccer Analyst

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The Vancouver Whitecaps revived their playoff hopes with a come-from-behind victory on Saturday at BC Place. Two second half goals from Chilean midfielder Pedro Morales - the first coming from the penalty spot - overturned a Nat Borchers goal for Real Salt Lake, as the Whitecaps held on for a precious 2-1 victory.

Coupled with Toronto FC's last-gasp victory over the Portland Timbers earlier in the day, the Whitecaps leapfrogged Portland into the fifth and final Western Conference playoff place. Vancouver now has 40 points from 30 games, while Portland sits just one point behind.

THE FORMATIONS

Vancouver elected to go with an unchanged lineup, sticking with their 4-2-3-1 formation to counter Real Salt Lake's 4-4-2 diamond midfield. That formation had allowed the Whitecaps to tie Real away from home on two occasions this season, and head coach Carl Robinson felt it was again the best choice, given where his squad is right now in its own execution of the 4-4-2 diamond.

Real Salt Lake rested a few key players, including goalkeeper Nick Rimando and central defender Chris Schuler, but they were in the 4-4-2 diamond that has served them well over the last few years. 

THE GAME

Vancouver had been struggling coming into the game. After a 3-0 humiliation at the hands of the Timbers last weekend, the Whitecaps knew they had to bounce back with a strong performance against Real Salt Lake. Given the result in Toronto earlier in the day, the Whitecaps had even more incentive to perform, knowing that a win would put them back in the playoff places.

The opening half was, however, a cagey, scrappy affair. Both Vancouver and RSL took turns giving the ball away, and neither team was able to create much in the way of scoring chances. Pedro Morales even had a penalty kick saved in first half stoppage time; the stars had aligned for the Whitecaps with Toronto's win over Portland, yet Vancouver looked set to waste their opportunity.

All of that changed in the second half after Borchers nodded the visitors in front. Poor defensive marking from Vancouver allowed the central defender to get in front of Andy O'Brien, and his glancing header nestled in the back of the net beyond the reach of goalkeeper David Ousted.

The goal brought the Whitecaps back to life, though. Matias Laba and Russell Teibert were excellent in midfield, snapping into tackles and upping the tempo of the game. After Erik Hurtado was fouled in the penalty area by Carlos Salcedo, Pedro Morales had the chance to make amends for his earlier penalty miss. While his first half effort was a weak one, Morales made no mistake with his second; he hammered the ball into the bottom left corner, drawing the Whitecaps level.

The home crowd sensed a comeback on the cards, and substitutes Darren Mattocks, Nicolas Mezquida and Kekuta Manneh came on to provide energy and pace. Manneh, in particular, was very effective on the left side of midfield. He pinned back RSL's defenders with his speed, and it was his cutback for Steven Beitashour to side-foot on goal that Morales deflected home to give Vancouver the lead.

Manneh nearly scored the goal of his life to seal the game in the 82nd minute, running 60 yards with the ball and beating two defenders before his shot was saved by Jeff Attinella. The sequence that followed highlighted the return of something that has been missing from Vancouver of late - leadership.

On Manneh’s chance, Mezquida wanted Manneh to feed him the ball rather than try to take on the last defender. Manneh probably should have done so, as Mezquida was in a better position to score. After Manneh's shot was saved by Attinella, he and Mezquida exchanged some heated words.

Before it could break into more than just words, Teibert jumped in to intervene. He quickly got his teammates back on task - to defend the next wave of RSL's attack - and showed maturity beyond his years.

I've been critical of Teibert's role in Carl Robinson's 4-2-3-1 formation, as he hasn't demonstrated enough to supplant Laba or the injured Gershon Koffie as a holding midfielder. But in the second half on Saturday, Teibert was superb. He covered every blade of turf at BC Place, was tidy with the ball and did as much as any of his teammates to preserve the crucial victory.

THE GOOD

Ousted was excellent in goal for Vancouver, and Laba and Teibert were dominant in midfield in the second half. The biggest thing to come out of the game however, could be the rejuvenated belief that the playoffs are a real possibility for Vancouver - win out and the Whitecaps will be involved in the post season for the second time in franchise history.

All three second half substitutes brought life to the Whitecaps when they needed it most. Mattocks, Mezquida and Manneh all excited the home fans and pushed RSL onto the back foot, which is exactly what Robinson would have asked them to do.

THE BAD

The first half performance wasn't great. It looked as though Vancouver were buckling under the weight of expectation, which is not a good sign going into the final four games of the season. It will be hoped that the players can take confidence from the victory into the next game, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4 at home against FC Dallas (TSN2, 7pm et/4pm pt)

Despite scoring both goals, Pedro Morales looked exhausted. He's played far too much football over the last 15 months and needs a rest. Robinson and his coaching staff will do everything they can to nurse Morales through to the end of the season, but for the Whitecaps to finish on a high, they will need their talisman to tap into his energy reserves for a few more games.

THE STAR MAN

Morales deserved it for his two goals, but I also think Ousted deserves a mention. He made a few fabulous saves in the second half to preserve all three points for his team, and there is nothing more that Robinson could have expected from his Danish shot stopper.