Kenny Miller scores on penalty as Whitecaps edge Dynamo 2-1 to remain unbeaten

VANCOUVER – Kenny Miller’s goal on a penalty kick in the 58th minute gave the Vancouver Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over the Houston Dynamo in MLS action Saturday.

The Whitecaps (2-0-2) remained unbeaten in the young season before a sellout crowd of 21,000 at B.C. Place Stadium. The Dynamo (2-1-0) suffered their first loss.

Miller scored what proved to be the winning goal as he put the hosts ahead 2-0 with his spot kick, rolling a shot into the right corner of the net.

Miller had to re-take the spot kick because teammate Darren Mattocks was still in the 18-yard box when he put the ball into the net. The penalty kick was awarded after Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie was called for a hand-ball in the box in the 56th minute.

Jordan Harvey, in the 14th minute, also scored for the Whitecaps while Ricardo Clark, in the 75th, was the lone Houston marksman.

The Whitecaps effectively negated Dynamo striker Will Bruin, who had shared the MLS scoring lead after netting three goals in his club’s first two games to start the season.

Harvey gave the Whitecaps a 1-0 lead as he bounced Andy O’Brien’s header past Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall. The play originated off a long cross from the left flank by Pedro Morales.

The assist was the first point in MLS for O’Brien, who joined the Whitecaps midway through the 2012 season. Harvey’s goal came two minutes after Mattocks volleyed a Miller cross just over the crossbar.

After assisting on the goal, O’Brien made several timely defensive plays with some key plays and a blocked cross that he took in the groin. He lay on the ground briefly but stayed in the game.

Houston started with a charge and forced Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted to knock a Giles Barnes header over the crossbar in the first minute. But that was the only attempt Houston put on net in the first half. Afterwards, aside from getting back-to-back corner kicks in the eighth minute — the second of which Ousted leaped out to catch — the Dynamo rarely penetrated a staunch Whitecaps defence.

On the other hand, Hall was forced to make three saves in the first half, including two on Morales. The second stop on Morales came in stoppage time and prevented the Whitecaps from going into halftime with a bigger lead and considerable confidence.

The Dynamo again attempted to get off to a strong start in the second half, but the Caps held them off fairly easily. Miller put the hosts ahead on a penalty kick in the 58th minute, rolling a shot into the right corner of the net.

Clark pulled the Dynamo within a goal as he headed home a Brad Davis free kick. But the Whitecaps managed to hold Houston off the scoreboard the rest of the way as coach Carl Robinson made substitutions to keep his attackers fresh and the defenders and midfielders remained solid in their play.

Notes: The Whitecaps honoured retired defender Y.P. Lee before the game. The former Korean international was presented with a photo of himself and his two children, taken prior to the final game of his career last season. Lee continues to live in Vancouver and works with the Whitecaps business operations while pursuing his education. … The game marked a rare time when a female official, Felisha Mariscal of Chula Vista., Calif., served as an assistant referee in an MLS contest. Mariscal’s brothers Apolinar (Polo) and Eduardo, who are twins, are also soccer officials. … Vancouver captain Jay DeMerit played the whole game a week after Robinson kept him at home to rest while the Caps earned a draw in Philadelphia.