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Kei Kamara day of jubilees
Ahead of the match, the question was whether Carl Robinson would start Kei Kamara and allow him to play his 300th game in Major League Soccer. That question was answered one hour ahead of kickoff when the Whitecaps confirmed that Kamara would once again lead the line for the Caps.
His 300th start in MLS would have been enough to celebrate on its own. But in the 28th minute, he was brought down in the penalty box and stepped up to score his 100th goal in MLS. Kamara is the 10th MLS player to cross the century mark in goals and the first one born outside CONCACAF/CONMEBOL.
100th MLS regular season goal = 💙💙💙💙💙
Congratulations @keikamara! Proud to call you one of our own. #VWFC pic.twitter.com/BQekZ8V2hl
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 11, 2018
The Whitecaps remain road warriors
Going into the match the Vancouver Whitecaps were first in the West with 17 away victories in the last three seasons and tied for first spot overall with Toronto FC and New York City FC for the most road wins in the league in the past three seasons — all three had 17.
Head coach Carl Robinson has his men sit deep and with many fast players at his disposal likes to hit teams on the counter-attack, which has been the foundation for many of Vancouver’s road heroics over the last three seasons. It is a tactic built to deal with the demands of travelling long distances in the Western Conference and once again worked will on Saturday night against Houston as the Whitecaps are now first in road wins, until at least next weekend, in the entire MLS.
Alphonso Davies shows tactical flexibility
Starting the match as an attacking winger Alphonso Davies was forced to play as a left-back after Nigel de Jong had to be substituted in the 34th minute with a suspected rib contusion. Bringing on Brek Shea, who has also played as a left-back for Orlando City, it was at first suspected that Robinson would keep Davies in his traditional role.
Instead, it was Davies, who was pushed back, and the 17-year-old took well to the position. Using his pace and physical strength the winger highlighted his physical development over the winter break. Several times Davies could be found outmuscling Houston forwards making six clearances, blocked one shot, managed one interception and three tackles to help his Whitecaps to collect a vital three points on the road in Texas.