Camilo Sanvezzo's very early strike has given the Vancouver Whitecaps a 1-0 lead at halftime on the West Coast of Canada.
United hadn't had a touch of the ball when Sanvezzo put the Whitecaps ahead a mere 45 seconds into the contest on a disturbingly simple goal. The ball was played out to the left side, where it was received by Jordan Harvey. Harvey, who was given far too much time and space by Andy Najar, lofted a left-footed cross into the penalty area. Meanwhile, Sanvezzo had run right by left-back Marc Burch (who'd been caught much too far up the pitch), and the Brazilian only needed a simple touch with his right foot to redirect the ball past Bill Hamid.
United's best chance came in the 44th minute, when a 25-yard strike from a free kick by Burch sailed over the crossbar of Joe Cannon's goal.
A loss to Vancouver would not deal a fatal blow to United's playoff chances, but it could be a mortal one. Defeat tonight, coupled with wins for Houston and New York later this week, would mean that United would take the field against Chicago on Saturday night at RFK six points out of the final MLS playoff spot with three games to play.