VANCOUVER, B.C. – It was a good day of soccer for the Vancouver Whitecaps' two Welshmen, head coach Carl Robinson and new forward Robert Earnshaw.
The pair watched Wales secure a crucial 3-0 win over Israel in Euro 2016 qualifying Saturday morning before securing the Portland Timbers’ downfall in a dramatic 2-1 win later in the evening.
With the game at BC Place looking like it was heading for a 1-1 draw, Robinson decided to go with one last throw of the dice, bringing Earnshaw on for his Whitecaps debut in the 87th minute. Three minutes later, the veteran striker delicately chipped the ball over onrushing goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey in the Portland goal to give Vancouver all three points.
"The length of time I've been playing football and that feeling when the ball hits the net, oh my god, it's the best," Earnshaw told reporters after the game. "Within that split two, two-and-a-half seconds, my mind is going. It's like three minutes because I have to know what to do, when to do it and react to what he was doing."
Even for a man who is now in his 18th year as a professional, the joy that came over Earnshaw when he scored the goal was clear for everyone to see after the match.
The Welshman, who only signed for the Whitecaps on Wednesday, ran around the pitch at the final whistle, jumping for joy to all corners of the ground.
"I didn't know what to do," Earnshaw said, jokingly. "I was so emotional. I was so happy. I kind of lost myself a little bit. That's credit to everyone here.
"Yeah, I scored the winner. But it's not possible if Pedro [Morales] doesn't see me, David Ousted doesn't make a save maybe a minute earlier, the defending and the amount of work we put in. All these things, that's the game. That's what I see out there, so it's credit to the whole team."
Earnshaw's predilection for scoring goals on his debuts is impressive. In MLS alone, he has scored on his debuts for Vancouver and for his previous club, Chicago Fire, along with grabbing a pair on his home debut with Toronto. He's done it so often in his career that the actual number is even unknown to him.
"I'll leave it to you guys to get on Google or something," Earnshaw said. "I don't know, but it's a lot. Carl was saying to me just now that as soon I came on he knew I was going to score, as it's a debut. It's amazing how many times debuts seem to go your way in games. What an amazing, amazing feeling."
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Robinson has known Earnshaw for years, and his match-winning performance against Portland explains why he was so keen to add the striker's experience to his young squad.
"I said he'll get one chance," Robinson told the media after the game. "I brought him here because he can score goals. When he gets the chance and he gets in the right position, he usually takes it. I knew he'd get one chance. The coolness of the finish and the calmness in his head was outstanding.”
Michael McColl covers the Vancouver Whitecaps for MLSsoccer.com.
