It was a night to forget as emotion and fatigue caught up to Vancouver Whitecaps in a 3-0 rout by Seattle Sounders.
Perhaps a saving grace, the loss did not cause the Whitecaps to lose any ground in the Western Conference standings, where they remain in seventh position. However, the chance of a top-four spot is quickly dwindling.
Whitecaps Vanni Sartini shouldered the blame for the match, citing fatigue with the recent gruelling schedule and his choosing of players for the starting XI.
“We didn’t have any energy,” he said. “We struggled from the start. We weren’t able to cover the distance like normally we do. We were always a little half late. And then, we tried, to be honest. We had some chances in the first half to score…but there was never the impression that we were doing, that we were intense enough.”
Difficulties began for the Whitecaps even before the first kick. Both Ryan Gauld and Stuart Armstrong were out of the lineup due to injuries. A lineup favouring possession and midfield congestion was to be the Whitecaps’ game plan.
However, that plan did not come to fruition. Seattle pushed early in the match, driving the ball wide and hitting crosses into the six-yard box.
Increased pressure paid off for the visitors in the 14th minute when they were awarded a corner just after defender Sam Adekugbe was handed a yellow card. Jordan Morris’s corner was flicked on and Georgi Minoungou put in the final touch to get it over the line at the back post.
The Whitecaps continued to play themselves into the half after their lacklustre start, but it remained the same at the half.
The second half started poorly as well. Passes were behind the mark. Players were second to the ball. And the defence (and Yohei Takaoka) had to deal with consistent pressure inside their 18-yard box.
Somehow, the Whitecaps did find some space in the 58th minute. Fafà Picault’s cross from the right got to Adekugbe who was able to keep the ball alive and drag Stefan Frei out of his net. The Canadian cut it back for Pedro Vite but the ball was cleared off the line by a defender.
Unfortunately, Vancouver’s misery went from back to worse as Sebastian Berhalter lost his man and Ranko Veselinović hauled down Paul Rothrock in the 18-yard box in the 64th minute. Albert Rusnak stepped up to the spot for the kick and though Takaoka guessed the right direction, he was not quick enough to make the save.
“Ranko did something that he’d never do. It’s a mistake [because] the players were really, probably tired,” Sartini said.
Rothrock added a third goal just three minutes later as he ran unimpeded down the left. His low, hard shot beat Takaoka as it nestled in by the far post.
Fafà was sent off late in the match when he picked up a second yellow card. He will miss not only the Minnesota game this Saturday; he will also miss the following match against LAFC with international duty with Haiti.
The loss means that while Vancouver remains at the top of the Cascadia Cup standings, both Seattle and Portland have a chance to jump them.
Those two clubs play one another on Decision Day.
“I apologize to the fans,” Sartini said, “because losing 3-0 against our biggest rival is bad.”
No rest for the weary
The Whitecaps have had midweek matches for the past three weeks, playing roughly every three days during that time.
Sartini said the team “hit a wall mentally.”
“We probably should have done different choices…mostly, I would say in terms of structure.”
With matches every three days, the Whitecaps have been unable to train between matches for those three weeks. Recovery periods have allowed for low training but only a single session between these matches.
However, the Whitecaps cannot rest just yet. They play Minnesota this Saturday in three days.
“We’ll have to choose the players with more energy, and we’ll have to choose a way of playing that is less demanding than we usually do that is very demanding. Not too much time to prepare.”
No Gauld, no Armstrong, no 10?
The loss of Gauld in the starting XI and even from the bench highlighted the dependency the Whitecaps have on their player.
The captain has been electric this season, posting nine goals and 15 assists throughout MLS play.
“When Ryan [Gauld] doesn’t play, we can’t play with a no. 10. So, we never play with a no. 10 when Ryan doesn’t play because there’s no one that can play in that position. The only one probably could be Stuart [Armstrong], but he’s still not ready to play.”
It is not that often such a situation pops up, but when forced to change their structure to Gauld’s loss, the Whitecaps find themselves coping rather than adapting.
It remains an issue for the coaching staff.
Up next
Minnesota comes to BC Place for a rare afternoon match on Saturday, Oct. 5. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m.