Raposo scores first MLS goal, Whitecaps down Sporting KC

VANCOUVER — Ryan Raposo scored and the Vancouver Whitecaps earned their first win of the season Saturday, downing Sporting Kansas City 1-0 at B.C. Place.

It was a revenge victory for the Whitecaps, who were eliminated by Sporting in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Raposo put away the game's lone goal in the 73rd minute, unassisted.

Thomas Hasal made four saves for the 'Caps (1-3-1) and collected his second clean sheet of the season.

Tim Melia stopped two on-target shots for Sporting (2-4-0),

The result snapped a dismal four-game winless streak for Vancouver, who lost 3-1 to Los Angeles FC in their last outing on March 26.

Sporting pushed hard in the final minutes to find an equalizer but some solid stops from Hasal preserved the Whitecaps lead.

One of the Canadian 'keeper's best came in injury time when he dropped and smothered a header from Roger Espinoza.

Raposo broke the goalless deadlock in the 73rd minute, putting a right-footed shot just out of Melia's reach from the left side of the six-yard box.

It was the Hamilton, Ont., native's first ever goal in Major League Soccer.

The Whitecaps had a solid chance at getting their first of the game in the 68th minute when Raposo sent a cross into Russell Teibert in the box and the 'Caps captain fired a shot wide of Sporting's net.

SKC nearly got on the scoreboard after slipping through the Vancouver defence early in the second half.

Johnny Russell sent a crisp pass to Daniel Salloi, who waltzed through a pair of 'Caps defenders and unleashed a blast from the top of the box at the 52nd-minute mark. Hasal kept the score knotted at 0-0 with a diving save.

It was the Whitecaps who recorded the first shot on goal earlier in the half when Melia had to drop