Vancouver looks for redemption again as five-game road swing concludes

VANCOUVER - After another disappointing loss to Toronto FC, the Vancouver Whitecaps are hoping they can salvage the end of a five-game road trip before facing a string of tough home games.

The Whitecaps (8-5-6) had hoped to redeem themselves Wednesday in Toronto, but fell 3-2 on a last-minute goal by former Vancouver midfielder Terry Dunfield. The loss to the struggling Reds added to the disappointment of dropping the Amway Canadian championship to them in May.

Now, the Whitecaps must try to come up with a better effort against the Chicago Fire (8-6-4) on Saturday before heading home for a difficult stretch of games against Western Conference rivals.

"That's going to be important, just because we've got so many hard games after that," said Whitecaps goalkeeper Joe Cannon.

After Saturday's game, Vancouver will play 12 of its final 14 games against Western Conference clubs.

The Whitecaps are 1-2-1 so far on this road stretch, which allowed them to return to Vancouver following each of the first three games.

Whitecaps coach Martin Rennie is looking for his club to display the discipline that has characterized many of its road performances.

"When you're on the road, you're in that mindset of defending well, being professional, being hard to play against, so we have to keep that mindset - very much so," Rennie said.

The Caps opened the road swing with a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy before beating Colorado 1-0 and drawing 0-0 with Chivas back in L.A.

Saturday's game marks the only meeting between Chicago and Vancouver this season. Last season, the clubs played to a 0-0 draw in their first encounter in May at Chicago, and the Whitecaps doused the Fire 4-2 in the second game in August in Vancouver.

The Whitecaps can expect a tougher test this time. The Fire has posted three wins and a tie in its past fives games, but has gone scoreless in its past two outings.

The game will serve as a homecoming of sorts for Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit. He grew up in nearby Green Bay, played four seasons for the University of Illinois at Chicago Flames, and also toiled for the Fire's first-ever reserves squad in 2001 before going on to play for Watford FC in England.

DeMerit has cause to celebrate with family and friends even before the game starts, because he was named to the Western Conference starting lineup for the MLS all-star game later this month.

"Guys are appreciative and giving me high-fives and stuff and saying 'well done,'" DeMerit said. "But I also know that a lot of these individual successes come with the team success and the players that are surrounding me. I have to thank them a lot for our success and for making me a better players this year."

The central defender has excelled after groin-related injuries limited him to 21 games last season. This year, he has started in 18 of Vancouver's 19 regular-season games to date.

In other words, he has found redemption. Now, it's a question of whether the whole team can.

Following Saturday's game, the Whitecaps will return home to face the Galaxy on Wednesday and San Jose Earthquakes on July 22.

Notes: Vancouver striker Darren Mattocks' goal on high-rise header against Toronto was still a hot topic of discussion two days later. A replay of the goal, on which Mattocks leapt high above two Reds, had received more than 17,000 views Friday morning on YouTube. … Whitecaps striker Eric Hassli is eligible to return after serving a one-game suspension in Toronto. … Former Whitecaps goalkeeper Jay Nolly has yet to play league game for Chicago since being acquired in a trade in December. The situation is quite a contrast from 2009, when he played every minute of every game, including league and Canadian championship play, for the Whitecaps. … Vancouver midfielder John Thorrington, who played six seasons with the Fire, is out with a quadriceps injury. Whitecaps strikers Atiba Harris (knee) and Omar Salgado (foot) and midfielder Matt Watson (ankle) remain out with injuries. … The Fire will play without injured defender Cory Gibbs (knee) and midfielder Steven Kinney (Achilles).

News from © The Canadian Press, 2012