There is no way to sugarcoat this. The Vancouver Whitecaps are in a slump.
For all their possession of the ball, the Whitecaps were devoid of answers, falling 1-0 to Minnesota United FC at BC Place.
Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini credited the defensive performance but criticized his team’s attacking threat.
“Offensively, we didn’t move enough. And it became a little bit disconnected sometimes,” he said.
Despite early pressure, the Whitecaps found it difficult to get any sort of attacking cohesion. For a team that prides itself on numerous crosses into the 18-yard box, there were few to count.
In addition, the Whitecaps had difficulty getting anyone on the receiving end of those few that did make it.
Minnesota was given a reprieve in the 21st minute after referee Ramy Touchan awarded the visitors a penalty. Mathías Laborda was adjudged to have clipped the heel of a Minnesota player at the edge of the 18-yard box.
Video replay seemed to show otherwise, but the penalty stood and Hassani Dotsun converted the penalty a few minutes later.
The Whitecaps thought they had tied the match in the 35th minute. Sam Adekugbe’s shot bounced off Miguel Tapias and the redirection went beyond Dayne St. Clair. However, Touchan was called to the pitchside monitor and Ryan Gauld was deemed to have interfered with a Minnesota player as they fought for the ball in the buildup to the goal.
It was waived off much to the ire of fans in BC Place.
While they had the majority of possession, the Whitecaps registered no shots in the first half.
The intensity grew in the second half, and so too did the chances. Moving through Adekugbe and after his substitution into the game, Ryan Raposo, the Whitecaps started to find some movement through their wings.
A change in tactics helped with this. The Whitecaps went to a system with three midfielders with Stuart Armstrong dropping into a no. 8 role to join Andrés Cubas and Pedro Vite.
“We had a player more, and we were able to move the ball and attack,” Sartini explained. “That helped a little bit…They were defending very low, so we tried to put crosses in. That’s the reason why we put Ryan Raposo on one side, Sam [Adekugbe] on the other side.”
But there was nothing on target that truly threatened St. Clair.
This is now five MLS matches without a win for the Whitecaps. There are only two matches left in the regular season.
“We have to be honest, we are not brilliant like we were a month ago or even three weeks ago. I think it’s probably the toughest period of the season where we are not brilliant. And luckily, the only thing is that it’s happened now and not in two weeks when we have the elimination games. And luckily, we guaranteed the playoffs before. So, we have two games, especially Sunday [against LAFC] where no one’s playing. And if we win, we’re back seventh [in the West].
Adekugbe back to form
Adekugbe has had his share of injuries to deal with this season. But he has now had back-to-back 90-minute matches.
“[Adekugbe] did very well today,” Sartini said of his wingback. “I think he’s finally back to the real Sam. We saw it today He was probably our most dangerous player on the left, attacking the space in behind, crossing, having a shot a couple times.”
Adekugbe had five defensive actions and five recoveries. He also won 100 per cent of his duels.
Referee decisions called into question
Touchan came under pressure from Whitecaps fans in BC Place after a number of calls that went against the home side.
Fans showed their frustration over the penalty awarded to Minnesota and Adekugbe’s disallowed goal in the first half.
“I think the referee team had a bad night. I disagree on a couple of calls,” Sartini said.
The Whitecaps also had two penalty shouts of their own—a handball by Kelvin Yeboah and a foul late in the game on Raposo—but neither call was given.
“I’m just asking about having the same metric,” Sartini said. “I understand if the goal of [Gauld] is being taken off. If the metric is, if [Laborda’s] is a foul, it’s a foul, half a foul…But if you do like this, it’s two penalties for us [too]. I don’t understand the metric there.”
Sartini was handed a yellow card at the end of the match as he confronted Touchan.
“I was a little bit emotional,” Satini conceded. “But luckily, I didn’t say anything as usual. It’s the bad thing about being Italian; we talk with our hands. And so it looks like it was much more big and threatening.”
Sartini reiterated he likes Touchan but said tonight was a bad night for the entire refereeing team.
Up next
It’s an international break next weekend, but MLS doesn’t stop. Of the few matches being played, the Whitecaps have their rescheduled game against LAFC.
That match is on Sunday, Oct. 13. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m.