Whitecaps snap winless streak with Brian White's winner over Austin FC
Toronto FC's winless streak continues, CF Montreal earns draw with FC Cincinnati
Brian White had a sliding finish in the 74th minute to help the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Austin FC 2-1 on Wednesday night.
Vancouver (4-7-8) entered having drawn five straight matches — one shy of tying a MLS record. Austin (4-11-4) avoided a shutout for just the fourth time in its last 15 matches.
"We addressed a little bit of things in our pressure from the front, we expanded a little bit more, took a little bit more risks but it gave us the opportunity to find key players in good spots to make good actions," he said.
Wednesday's result was a big one for a group that hasn't played in Vancouver yet this season, Dos Santos said.
"The mentality of these guys is road warriors I would say, they deserve it and every one that's working hard in the club deserves it," he said.
Jake Nerwinski tied it at 1 for Vancouver in the 52nd minute by getting a foot on a loose ball in front of the net following a blocked header.
"I wanted to put an emphasis on trying to get more goals, trying to get assists, and really trying to help this team offensively," the veteran defender said.
WATCH | White's sliding finish in Whitecaps victory in Austin:
Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver came out of his area in the 74th minute to defend a counter attack, and Ryan Gauld slid it across the goal to an unmarked White at the back post for the winner.
Gauld was in his third game with the 'Caps since signing as a designated player late last month. He came on at halftime and had an immediate impact.
"I think most important was getting the win, it was a great feeling after getting a lot of consecutive draws but to be able to turn one into a victory is very good and I feel good I've settled into the team," he said. "It's been a very easy group to settle into, I think everyone's happy tonight.
Alexander Ring headed in Sebastian Driussi's corner kick in the 37th for Austin. It was the team's 14th goal this season.
The Whitecaps will host Los Angeles FC on Saturday. It will be the club's first game in front of home fans since March 2020.
TFC winless streak extends to 5 games
Ezequiel Barco scored in the 20th minute to help Atlanta United beat Toronto FC 1-0 on Wednesday night.
Atlanta (5-6-9) has won three in a row following a 12-game winless streak and is unbeaten in its last four.
Toronto 'keeper Quentin Westberg said the ball deflected off defender Eriq Zavaleta, changed the trajectory of the shot and cost his side the game.
"I think we were focused but not taking the game to them," Westberg said.
"They started the game really strong. They were finding good pockets. Creating a bit of chaos, coming our way, but I think once more, once we actually took more responsibility of building out of the back a little bit and frustrating them defensively, we were able to find the corridors and then take the game to them."
WATCH | Reds extend winless streak with away defeat:
Toronto (3-11-6) is winless, with three losses, in its last five games and has an MLS-low 15 points.
Despite the result, TFC head coach Javier Perez felt his team was solid in Wednesday's game.
"I'm happy with the performance of the team, the performance of the players," he said. "They came out, they executed the plan that we had, which it was just stay compact, working together defensively and then we will have the ball, start moving, get the ball."
TFC are set to visit Inter Miami CF on Saturday.
CF Montreal, FC Cincinnati play to scoreless draw
Sebastian Breza made three saves for his first MLS shutout and Montreal finished a man down in a 0-0 tie with FC Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
Rudy Comacho was shown a yellow card in the 68th minute and then another in the 74th and Montreal (7-7-6) played with 10 men the rest of the way.
"When you go on the road and you are down to 10 men and you get a result, I think it's always a success," said midfielder Djordje Mihailovic.
"It was a pretty even game until the second yellow which changed the game. A draw tonight is good given the circumstances."
WATCH | Breza comes up big for Montreal:
Montreal's head coach Wilfried Nancy said an issue with a plane delayed the club's arrival in Cincinnati and it had been a trying day.
"There was a lack of energy and freshness up front but it was to be expected," he said. "We wanted to control play, and our decision making in the final third wasn't perfect. We had our chances but we didn't shoot enough."
Breza made his third consecutive start with James Pantemis out because of COVID-19 protocols. Clement Diop, who became the team's starting goalkeeper in 2020 and started eight of its first nine games this season, and the club parted ways Tuesday.
Cincinnati (3-7-8) has just one win in its last eight games.
Montreal will be in Philadelphia on Saturday to face the Union.
With files from Field Level Media
