Chapter V - A taste of glory
The return leg against the Impact was easier than anticipated. We controlled the game from the moment the ref blew his whistle, a quick double by Kenny Miller helping us to a 2-0 win and a place in the finals against Toronto, and our second clean sheet of the season. The joy was not to last, though, as our next game, away at Real Salt Lake, brought us bad news. Kenny Miller suffered a double leg break after a horrific challenge that the ref didn't even deem a foul. We managed to rescue a draw thanks to a late goal by Charisteas, but losing our designated player and top goalscorer dealt a hard blow to our chances, particularly considering our next game was LA Galaxy at home.
That was a far sterner test than what we had faced so far. A forward pairing of Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane facing Johnny Leveron and the inexperienced Emmanuel Gomez? A rout was on the cards, and when the game begun our worst fears were confirmed, as the Galaxy threatened our goal time and time again. Finally, half an hour into the game, Robbie Rogers got the first goal for LA. "If we can hold on till half time we might just turn this around", I thought. It was not to be, as just before half time Rogers got his second. While my main concern for the game had been my centre backs, it was Klukowski, playing at left back, that proved most vulnerable. A sigh of relief mixed with disappointment could be heard around the ground as the referee called time on the first half.
"We've been poor and you know it. They may have some top, top players in their team, but I expect more from you, and so do those fans. This may be a retirement league for the Robbie Keanes or Thierry Henrys of the world, but not for us. We're expected to work hard. I expect you to work hard. So let's get out there and give 100%. If we are to lose, at least we'll do it with our dignity intact. Let's go get them!"
The response was almost immediate. It wasn't reflected on the scoreline right away, mind you, but the team showed a different attitude, with Charisteas heading inches away five minutes into the half. A handful of minutes later, a foul by Omar Gonzalez inside the box was overlooked by the ref, but we were not to be denied for long. On 60 minutes, after a scramble in the box, Emmanuel Gomez hit the back of the net. Soon after, Rogers had to leave the game after being injured by Klukowski, who got booked, and I decided to replace him with Lee for the final minutes of the game. It proved to be a lucky call - on the 89th minute, Salmeen found Lee open outside the box and the Korean set himself up before unleashing a powerful strike past the hapless Jaime Penedo. The fans were ecstatic, and even though we missed a couple of chances in added time, I was more than happy with the draw. It wasn't only a good result, but it was also a morale-raising one in preparation for a tough run of games: away at Toronto for the first leg of the Canadian Championship final, a derby against Portland, the return leg of the final and a trip to New York to face the Red Bulls.
Things went a lot better than expected: The first game against Toronto was hard-fought, but we were in control for most of the 90 minutes and right after the break Charisteas managed to curl a cracking long range effort past the hapless Stefan Frei. The real surprise, however, was the game against Portland. 25 seconds into the game, Bouazza put us in front, and three minutes later Rusin doubled our lead. 2 minutes later Charisteas scored his first goal of the game. Alhassan made it 4-0 on 16 minutes and Charisteas scored twice more on 21 and 30 minutes to put us 6-0 up. I decided to rest a few key players for the second half in anticipation of the second leg against Toronto and the scoreline wasn't altered in the final 45 minutes. Confidence among the players was at its highest, and so was the trust the fans and most importantly the board had in me.
The second leg of the final was, in the end, a walk in the park. Goals by Charisteas and Reo-Coker gave us a 2-0 win in a game we dominated with ease. It was my first-ever title, as either player or manager, and I was thrilled. While it was a relatively minor competition, it was the first time since its inception that Vancouver took the trophy home. Furthermore, it gave us a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League, and 80 thousand dollars I could use for transfer purposes.
The game at New York on June 1 was a different matter. We had a few shots during the first half and Charisteas put us in front just before the break, his goal turning him into the top season goalscorer in Whitecaps history. From then on, however, it was all New York, who -luckily for us- were without the injured Thierry Henry. They had a glorious chance wasted by Dax McCarty, who had hit the woodwork in the first half, and decent chances for Timmy Cahill and Bradley Wright-Phillips, but Donovan Ricketts had a blinder and managed to keep us in front. When the ref blew his whistle, there was a huge sigh of relief coming from the away stand where our fans had been biting their nails throughout the half.
We had had four clean sheets in a row, after finding them hard to come by during most of the season. We had held out against LA, had won the Canadian Championship and had beaten NY at their place, even if it they were without their star player. As we rode the bus back to Vancouver -we had a few days off and the chairman was feeling like saving a few extra bucks-, I couldn't get something off my mind. Sitting alone at the back, I couldn't help but worry about our goalscoring. Granted, we had put 6 past Portland, but none of those came from Kenny Miller's replacement, Guatemalan veteran striker Carlos Ruiz. Charisteas was on fire, and our midfielders had pitched in with a few goals of their own, but what would happen if Charisteas' goals dried up, or if he got injured? We needed a killer in the box, someone who we could rely on to score goals regularly. As I was thinking on potential alternatives for Ruiz, my mobile rang.
"Hello?"
"It's me, Amelie. Bob sent me an e-mail, he's offering an extension. Before you say anything, there's been contact from Mexico. The season is about to begin down there and a couple of teams asked about your availability, being on a short-term deal and all."
"I'm not going to leave the boys mid-season, plus I'm pretty comfortable here anyways. Thank the Mexicans for their interest but I'd rather prolong my stay."
"Alright, when do I set up the meeting with Bob?"
"Don't, I won't be back for a couple of days and I'll be quite busy when I get there. Could you handle this for me? I trust your judgement."
"Well, considering I get 10% of whatever you earn, I should try to get you a good deal, shouldn't I?"
I laughed, said goodbye and hung up. "Enough chit-chat," I thought. "Back to business. Next game is Seattle away, followed by New England and Chivas at home? all in the middle of the international break. This is going to suck..."