Manneh, Rivero help Whitecaps top Galaxy, record 4th consecutive win

VANCOUVER, British Columbia - The Vancouver Whitecaps are enjoying their best start to a Major League Soccer season. Still, they realize the real work is just beginning.

Kekuta Manneh and Octavio Rivero scored second-half goals to lead Vancouver past the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 Saturday night.

Manneh scored in the 56th minute and Rivero in the 66th. A sellout crowd at B.C. Place Stadium watched Vancouver win four consecutive games for the first time since joining Major League Soccer in 2011.

It was just the second time the Whitecaps had beaten the Galaxy in MLS. Vancouver improved to 4-1-0 for a league-best 12 points.

''It's one game for us,'' second-year coach Carl Robinson said. ''I think they have got to feel good about themselves.

''What we have to do is be more consistent. If we are more consistent then we become a very good team. I don't want to be a good team one week and a very poor team the next two or three weeks. It's about consistency,'' he added.

The defending MLS champion Galaxy took their second consecutive loss and saw their record drop to 1-2-2 for five points. Dating to last season, Los Angeles is winless in nine road games (0-5-4).

The Whitecaps dominated play most of the game and limited the Galaxy to one shot on goal. Los Angeles coach Bruce Arena was frustrated with his team's performance.

''They were the better team all night. They outplayed us the entire match,'' Arena said. ''They out-competed us from the start. Personally, every (Galaxy) player can look at their performance and make sure it doesn't happen again.''

Arena said time will tell if the Whitecaps can maintain their current pace.

''You don't know anything this early in the season,'' he said. ''Ask me that question in August and I'd have hopefully an answer for you.

''Right now they have four wins in five games. That's real positive.''

Whitecaps captain Pedro Morales made a pretty play to set up Manneh's goal. Morales chipped the ball over to the speedy Manneh, who beat Los Angeles goalkeeper Jaime Penedo for his first of the season.

Rivero made it 2-0 just 10 minutes later. Midfielder Nicolas Mezquida fired a shot from a sharp angle that a diving Penedo stopped. Rivero kicked home the rebound for his fourth goal of the season.

In 12 games against Los Angeles, the Whitecaps are 2-8-2 and have been outscored 23-10. Vancouver's only other win against the Galaxy came on May 11, 2013, at B.C. Place.

''There is definitely confidence in the locker room, but there is also the knowledge we need to be ever better every time,'' said Whitecaps goalkeeper David Ousted, who earned his third clean sheet of the season.

''Now, when people are going to play the Whitecaps, they are going to say, `They are really good and we need to beat them.' We need to work even harder if we want to keep ourselves up there.''

The Whitecaps dominated play during a scoreless first half. Vancouver mustered five shots at the net compared to one by Los Angeles.

Morales got the crowd of 21,000 on its feet in the 11th minute. He took a feed from Mezquida and then used a spin move to get around a Galaxy defender before getting off a shot that Penedo stopped.

Manneh had a good look in the 23rd minute. He used his speed to break through the defense and fired a shot that banged off the crossbar.