After a tough last-minute defeat in leg one and a big win in Portland, the Vancouver Whitecaps had their backs against the wall against Saprissa.
While they had the away goal, it was clear a win was needed.
However, head coach Jesper Sørensen raised some eyebrows by putting Ryan Gauld, Andres Cubas and Ranko Veselinovic on the bench and starting Ralph Priso and Jayden Nelson up front with Ali Ahmed and Brian White.
Like watching a scene from Squid Game, some moments of the game were nerve-wracking for Vancouver. But when the final whistle blew, many sighs of relief were uttered.
First half: Lots to like but there could have been more
Photo Credit: Stewart Johnstone. Area 51 Sports Network Whitecaps Photographer.
Saprissa was not parking the bus. They made sure to come out fast on transitions and former Whitecaps centre-back Kendall Watson was playing as a nine.
Yohei Takaoka is usually good at handling the ball with his feet like it was a hot potato. But he made two errors and was bailed out by Bjorn Inge Utvik.
As the game went on, Vancouver started to find spaces in Saprissa’s mid-block. Nelson, Ali Ahmed and Sam Adekugbe were threatening on the flanks.
Like a Nine Inch Nails song, the Whitecaps were building up their attack into something that would be great. However, they were missing the climactic moment.
Vancouver only managed one shot on target with 76% possession. They could’ve been up by at least one. For instance, there was some really good build-up play from Sebastian Berhalter and Adekugbe, but Ahmed has to finish this. How did he miss that? It was like a Stormtrooper took the shot.
Second half: Tough but they pulled through
Photo Credit: Stewart Johnstone. Area 51 Sports Network Whitecaps Photographer.
They couldn’t have asked for a better start. Nelson proved he wasn’t a one-hit wonder and delivered this beautiful cross to White, who buried the header. Fresh off his big day in Portland, Nelson added another goal contribution. He is so hot right now.
The Whitecaps looked hungry for the second goal. But getting that second goal was like trying to kill a mosquito, it won’t just die. Ahmed missed another sitter and White hit the post after he received a pass from Gauld, who came on.
It felt like a Saprissa goal was coming. At times, it was like watching the opening scene of Jaws; you felt the tension. The Costa Rican side hit the post after a cross somehow went through everybody.
The most Whitecaps thing of all time nearly happened in the 85th minute. Waston with his signature header from a corner hit the crossbar.
The Whitecaps started getting too complacent on the defensive side of things late in the half. It felt like a repeat of the first leg was coming.
But they did make the fat lady sing in stoppage time. Berhalter’s free-kick was denied by Alvarado, but Saprissa did a poor job of clearing the ball, and White put the game to bed.
Despite the scary parts, everything was alright in the end and the Whitecaps were off to the round of 16.
Stat of the match
With Nelson’s assist on White’s first goal, he has four assists and a goal in two out of his first three games as a Whitecap. What a way to announce yourself to your new team and fans.
What was said
Sørensen was happy with the win, but he wanted more from his team.
“I thought that we should have finished this game off earlier on,” said the Danish coach. “They had this header on the crossbar that might as well have been turned into a goal. Overall… I think that we were, over the two games, the better team. I think we deservedly went through, even though it was a difficult opponent.”
He also believed his team could’ve been better in the final minutes of the game.
“I think that we were sloppy when we had the opportunity, we didn’t really know if we needed to attack or protect the 1-0 lead,” said Sørensen. “I think we played a little bit inaccurate in the last ten minutes, where we could have kept the ball and made the pitch a little bigger, switching over the middle a couple of times, but then we kept it to the side and that brought in some pressure situations. It’s very normal that when you have a 1-0 lead and you know the opponent scores, then you get a little bit nervous and start maybe to protect the 1-0 lead too much.”
White echoed his coach’s statements.
“I think there were a lot of times that we didn’t execute in the final third,” said the American striker. “In games like this where it’s a knockout situation, you want to put these early chances away and get the game to bed as soon as you can. So, I think we can learn from the situations that we were in, especially in the first half, and get those chances away, and we can kill games off early.”
He spoke highly of Nelson as well.
“He came with a point to prove and he’s doing that,” said White. “It’s no secret to the talent that he has, the speed that he has. Hopefully, he can continue to perform the way he’s performing and we have a very successful season.”
Tweet of the night
While Waston is remembered fondly for his time in Vancouver, this Tweet he put out after he was traded to FC Ciniccinatti in 2018 left a bitter taste in the mouths of Whitecaps fans.
Well, it is safe to say Waston isn’t happy about losing to his former side and hitting the crossbar. Looks like Whitecaps fans get the last laugh.
Up next
The Whitecaps have their MLS season opener against defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on Sunday. Note the kickoff time as it is at 2 pm Pacific. Then their round of 16 tie against Monterrey begins on Wednesday. The first leg is at BC Place and kickoff is at 7:30 pm.
