Rennie’s lineup changes backfire as Whitecaps lose to FC Dallas By Martin MacMahon Posted on September 8, 2013 2 0 785 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Martin Rennie The Vancouver Whitecaps started strong but fell apart in the late going Saturday evening, falling 3-1 to FC Dallas in Frisco, Tex. Daigo Kobayashi gave the visitors hope with a fourth-minute strike, as he banged home a Kenny Miller ball across goal from the right side with his right foot, but there wasn’t much to celebrate from there. “We got a great start to the game,” head coach Martin Rennie said on the post-match radio broadcast. “It was a great goal. We certainly would have liked to have not been losing a goal so quickly. It was a great goal and tonight Dallas scored three unbelievable goals, at least that’s how I view it having just watched the game…we saw how cruel the game can be.” Vancouver didn’t hold their lead long, as Dallas midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson equalized just four minutes later, smashing a right footed effort just under the crossbar past Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted’s near post. Mauro Diaz ended up scoring the game-winning goal on 87 minutes, lashing home a well taken volley before Jair Benitez topped off Dallas’ win with a fantastic left-footed effort from just past the centre circle. Benitez caught Ousted off his line and the Dane couldn’t get back quickly enough to swat the ball aside. “I feel the quality of goals being scored against us amazing,” Ousted said. “It’s the [goal of the week] almost every week right now, and it’s frustrating for me. I want to do more. I want to help the team. I want to get some saves in, but when they’re putting it in the corners now I just have to tip my hat and work harder, and hopefully get there next time.” Rennie made a number of changes to his starting lineup, partially as a result of the return of Nigel Reo-Coker from suspension and the absence of Russell Teibert due to international duty, but the Scottish tactician also made a number of unforced adjustments. At the back, Nigel Reo-Coker played as a right fullback rather than his standard role in central midfield, and Carlyle Mitchell dropped in at centre back in place of Johnny Leveron, who moved into the holding midfield role. Daigo Kobayashi returned into midfield after substitute roles over the last few games. The latter move looked as if it would prove inspired, as Kobayashi finished expertly just four minutes in. As for the other changes, Mitchell was steady enough but some will question whether using Reo-Coker in the back reduced the Englishman’s influence. Still, Rennie disputed a broadcaster’s assertion that he hasn’t settled on a starting XI. “I think we’ve had a fairly settled lineup,” Rennie said. “We’ve obviously got Russell away on international duty, so we changed things up maybe slightly because of that. Last week we had a player suspended, but generally our lineup’s been fairly settled. “There’s always been maybe one or two players we’ve had to make decisions on but I think for the most part we’ve had most of the same players playing most of the time. I think tonight on the road it’s a different type of game. We played a little bit of a different system and until the 86th minute it was working extremely well for us.” The Whitecaps entered this match tied with FC Dallas on 37 points as joint sixth place holders in the Western Conference, but now see their rivals leapfrog into fourth place on 40 points, at least for the time being. Vancouver, now 10-10-7, returns to league play next Saturday, as they travel to San Jose to face the Earthquakes.
