Bruno Caicedo scores again, but Vancouver settles for 3-3 draw with DC United

A brilliant give and go finished off with a first time strike. That's how Bruno Caicedo once again showed up at just the right moment to put Vancouver Whitecaps ahead, in a match that finished 3-3 against DC United and left everyone on the edge of their seats.

The play came right as the clock was winding down on the first half. Caicedo received the ball, settled it calmly (not always easy in that part of the field with defenders closing in) and combined with Thomas Müller on a one-two, with Müller sending back the perfect pass for the Ecuadorian to finish first time. The result: a 2-1 lead for the Canadians at the time, on a play that mixed patience with sharp execution.

The goal wasn't enough to secure all three points (the match slipped away and ended level at three), but it does confirm something that's becoming clear in Vancouver: Caicedo is enjoying his best stretch since arriving in North American soccer. The former Barcelona and Orense player now has five goals in 21 matches for the Whitecaps, all of them in MLS play, and over the past month he's looked especially sharp in front of goal.

Still on top despite the stumble

The draw doesn't cost Vancouver much in the standings: the club remains atop the Western Conference in MLS, proof that beyond this one result, the season has been a solid one. Attention now turns to what's next: on Tuesday, the Whitecaps will travel to face Chicago Fire, looking to get back in the win column and, along the way, add another goal to Caicedo's tally.

With Müller as his partner up front and Caicedo growing sharper by the game in front of goal, Vancouver has more than enough to keep fighting at the top of the West. The question now is whether they can turn that individual form into results that keep them firmly in first place.