It was bragging rights on the night for the visitors as Pumas UNAM scored a goal in each half to defeat the Vancouver Whitecaps at BC Place.
The Whitecaps showed early resilience to keep the game in close hand, and in the first half, they were arguably the better team despite being down a goal at the break.
“We were doing well,” Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said. “We weren’t risking anything, to be honest. And then, unfortunately, we made an enormous mistake.”
That mistake, which came as a result of the relentless press from Pumas, forced Bjørn Inge Utvik to cough up the ball. The resulting play was the visitor’s first goal.
Pumas’ management of the game was their main strength, picking the most opportune moments to press but also sitting back, sometimes with nine players behind the ball.
“The second half was really hard because a team like this, they are also very intelligent and very organized,” Sartini said. “Unfortunately, in the second half, we conceded one chance, and they scored a goal.”
Pumas began the match giving the Whitecaps little space to operate. Their press was relentless and forced Vancouver to stay hemmed inside their half.
But the visitors had little to show for their early dominance. Yohei Takaoka was not called into much action.
As the first half wore on, the Whitecaps found their footing. In the 24th minute, Levonte Johnson took the one-touch volley at the edge of the six-yard box off a beautiful cross from Fafà Picault.
It was only through Julio González’s quick reaction that the ball stayed out of the net.
Johnson was at it again in the 27th minute. A Brian White flick-on in the middle of the park was put into the path of the streaking Canadian striker. Fighting off his defender, he got into the 18-yard box for a decent shot, again testing González’s reactions.
Pumas fought back into the match with a pair of chances themselves. In the 33rd minute, Takaoka was forced high to palm a hard shot over the net. A minute later, he had to get low as a shot got through a crowd in the box.
And that continued pressure gave Pumas the lead in the 36th minute. Utvik was bodied off his ball too easily. The quick pass made it to Cesar Huerta who carried it into the 18-yard box with space ahead of him. The shot was low and beyond the reach of Takaoka.
Pumas would double their lead just before the hour mark. Jorge Ruvalcaba deflected a cross from Rubén Duarte into the corner in a play that caught Whitecaps’ defenders flat-footed.
The second goal proved to be too high a hurdle for the Whitecaps to fight their way back into the match. It was a game of not necessarily being outworked but definitely one of being outclassed.
“I got to be honest, in the second half, we didn’t have too many chances. Brian [White] had a chance before their goal. We couldn’t convert. But they defended very well.”
Sartini added that he thought the scoreline “was a little bit harsh.”
“But it’s a lesson,” he continued, “if you don’t convert your chances. In an elimination game against a very good team, we’re going to be playing hopefully a lot of these games in the near future—the final of the Canadian Championship…the playoffs—and you need to be not only the best team box-to-box but also in the box.”
Good football but needs something more
While content with the overall performance, Sartini said he recognized the need for an added push in knockout elimination games.
“We have the awareness that we play good football and are doing well but [we need] to be better in those decisive moments.”
As the Whitecaps head into the business end of the season, they still have knockout-style competitions ahead. The Canadian Championship, a tournament where they were the winners in the previous two years, awaits.
Sartin said it’s difficult to know what the recipe is for these ‘one and done’ types of matches.
“It’s not a matter of approach. We had the right approach today. I think it’s a matter of quality. And it’s also a matter of being confident in what has happened to you even if you go a goal down.”
Up next
The Whitecaps face a 17-day break. Their next match is on Aug. 24 when they take on LAFC at BC Place.
Kickoff for that match is at 4:30 p.m., a rare afternoon match.
