Cristian Techera scored his fourth goal in two games and Yordy Reyna had a goal and an assist to help the Vancouver Whitecaps beat the Colorado Rapids 2-1 on Friday night.
Colorado (2-8-2) has lost seven in a row overall and four straight at home, tying the team record for both such streaks.
Vancouver (4-5-5) snapped a five-game winless skid, including a franchise-record four consecutive draws.
“It’s always nice to win, we’ve been drawing too many games, points we’ve thrown away, really,” Vancouver coach Carl Robinson said. “The league’s very tight, you can go on a winning run or a losing run or a drawing run at any stage. But you’ve got to make the key differences that gain you points.”
"It's nice to win, we've been drawing too many games and throwing points away." pic.twitter.com/VrKMlu6w1F
— Vancouver Whitecaps (@WhitecapsFC) June 2, 2018
Techera, who had his first career hat trick on Saturday, opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Reyna, at the top of the box, tapped it to Techera on the right side. He clutched as defender Tommy Smith slid by and ripped a left-footer just inside the near post.
Reyna first-timed a half-volley off Smith into the net to double the advantage in the 39th. Alphonso Davies’ cross deflected off two defenders to Reyna for the finish from near the spot.
Colorado’s Edgar Castillo blasted a rising left-footer from well outside the area to make it 2-1 in the 41st minute.
“A very entertaining match end to end, probably a little bit too open for both manager’s like,” Robinson said. “Lots of chances, obviously three goals, lots of blocks, lots of missed chances.
“A very tough game but we’re obviously delighted in there. The guys in my locker room put a lot of effort in and if you put the work in you get the rewards.”
The Associated Press
