Ho hum, Camilo scores again for the Whitecaps

Camilo PHOTO: TONY LEWIS/CANADA SOCCER

Another game, another goal for Vancouver Whitecaps striker Camilo.

This time it was a late first-half free kick effort which proved to be the eventual equalizer in a 1-1 away draw against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday.

On the play, Camilo curled a ball into the right upper 90 from 25 yards out after Soony Saad conceded a free kick. The strike left little chance for Jimmy Nielsen to do anything but stare on helplessly as the ball spun past the post before rippling the netting.

The goal marks the Brazilian’s eighth goal in his last seven matches as he continues to smash goals in from set pieces, penalties and open play.

“He’s so consistent,” Whitecaps left fullback Jordan Harvey said of Camilo’s free kicks on the post-match radio broadcast. “Every day he’s working on it, and it’s not a surprise. When you work as much as he does, and he’s so consistent, you’re going to get goals.

“For me, getting in the box on those, I know it’s going to be on target, and that one was perfect.”

Camilo’s marker cancelled out a 35th minute goal from Sporting defender Aurelien Collin. The Frenchman banged home at the second attempt after Whitecap Johnny Leveron threw his body in front of the SKC defender’s attempt. Then Collin followed up on the rebound, before slipping the ball underneath goalkeeper Brad Knighton.

“They have a long throw with [Matt] Besler,” Harvey said. “I think everybody was planning on them getting that long throw in there, and when they took a quick one down that right side, [Kei] Kamara was able to turn and get a cross in.

“It kind of went back post to Chance Myers. I jumped to try and do what I could, but went by me, and it looked like Collin had a nice cut. I came in there and tried to get a block on it, he got it in.”

The win means the Whitecaps record now stands at 7-5-5 – the club is now unbeaten in four matches, and has picked up four points in its last two matches on this Eastern Conference road trip at D.C. United before Wednesday’s match against Sporting.

So is four points on this road swing a happy return for Vancouver? It could have been all six, according to head coach Martin Rennie.

“To be honest we really believed we could do that,” Rennie said. “Tonight as the game opened up and we got playing I thought that we really had a great chance to make that happen. We were certainly worthy of the point here tonight, but a little bit more quality in the final third we could have got more.

“Obviously we’re a little bit disappointed with the way we defended the goal they scored, but yeah, maybe we’re being a little bit greedy, but that’s the confidence that we have and the belief that we have to go and win any game wherever we’re going to play.”

The Whitecaps secured their point despite playing their first match without budding star Russell Teibert and centre back Carlyle Mitchell.

Teibert in particular is a massive loss given his incredible form of late which has seen him pick up six assists over his last seven games. The Niagara Falls’ native’s presence was missing on this night, as his replacement Corey Hertzog offered little.

A bright spot, however, was the play of Leveron, who was the coolest player on the pitch and did well time and time again to ease the pressure the ‘Caps found themselves under as road teams often do.

“I thought he was fantastic,” Rennie said. “He was so composed on the ball and he put himself in great positions to defend. He’s still someone who can improve quite a lot. He’s still learning quite a lot about his positioning but he’s naturally just such a fantastic player.”

The Whitecaps are back in action on Saturday against the Seattle Sounders, as they continue their quest for a first ever win over Cascadia opposition in the Major League Soccer era.