The Vancouver Whitecaps earned their first road victory in franchise history, snapping a streak of 17 winless matches, defeating Chivas USA 1-0 in front of a rain soaked crowd Saturday.
The Whitecaps broke through in the 68th minute when Davide Chiumiento fired a corner that found the waiting head of DeMerit, who bypassed his defender and easily beat goalkeeper Dan Kennedy from close range.
Chivas dominated the possession for wide stretches of the match, but was unable to exploit a stingy Vancouver defense. Chivas' finest opportunity came in the 32nd minute when rookie forward Casey Townsend launched a curling shot from nearly 25 yards that was tipped over the crossbar by goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Cannon did not last the entire match, however, as the Whitecaps starting goalkeeper was replaced by backup Brad Knighton after straining his left quad in a first-half collision.
