The Atlanta Silverbacks avenged an earlier loss to the Vavcouver Whitecaps with a 3-2 win under new head coach Jason Smith. The goals started early for the Silverbacks with Fabian Dawkins taking a through ball from Alex Pineda-Chacon and slipping it underneath goalkeeper Mike Franks left side in the 4th minute for an early 1-0 lead.
The game could have started off ugly for the Backs when goalkeeper Joe Barton found himself one on one with Martin Nash in the first minute inside the box, but Barton came up big to smother the attempt. Barton started the game forn his first action of the year due to a concussion suffered by Christian Fegler in training earlier of the week.
A corner kick in the 7th by David Hayes found it's way across the goalmouth and found Chacon on the left, outside the 6 yard box, near the end line, who volleyed a great dipping shot into the upper right corner that left Franks sitting on the ground shaking his head in disbelief.
The Whitecaps answered in the 8th off a long throw in by Nash with Dave Morris heading it in to make the score 2-1.
The action went back and forth untill the 26th minute when a questionable handball call on the Backs gave the Caps a penalty kick. Steve Klein easily converted to even the score 2-2.
In the 36th, midfielder Antonio de la Torre's shot from in side was saved by a diving Franks to set up a corner which led to de la Torre finding defender Adilson DeLima, who's blasting header put the Backs up 3-2.
There was plenty of action in the second half with both defenses coming up big. Vancouver, with a man down due to the second yellow to Ian Fuller, dominated at the end nut the Backs came up big on defense to preserve the win, which is Atlanta's first since May 7th, giving them a 4-5-3 record with 15 pts in the standings.
Line-ups:
Vancouver-Franks, Clarke, Klein, Nash, Kindel, Lyall, de Silva, Harmse,Gjertsen(Trout57), Morris, Jordan(Fuller55)
Atlanta-Barton, de la Torre, Chevalier, Afful, DeLima(McManus95), Hayes, Dawkins(Stone71), Pineda-Chacon(Plute83), Rios, Brooks(Mattison91), Murriagui(Ilarionovhalftime)
Cautions:
Atlanta-Afful(32), Ilarionov(81), Brooks(87)
Vancouver-Klein(33), Fuller(58)(86)
Ejections:
Vancouver-Fuller(86)
