The Vancouver Whitecaps came up against the current stingiest defence in MLS in tonight’s 1-0 loss versus Houston Dynamo.
Compounded by the goalscoring struggles the Whitecaps currently find themselves in (they’ve scored only five goals in the last seven matches across all competitions), Vancouver is now watching the Western Conference table closely.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen said, “It was the match that I expected.”
“We would have a lot of ball. We would play high up the pitch, and they would try to counter us. And they did.”
The Whitecaps started with their typical high-intensity, possession-based game. In particular, passes were crisp as they switched play quickly, looking to exploit spaces in between Houston’s defence.
Ryan Gauld had the first good chance of the match in the 10th minute. The recipient of a good ball in the 18-yard box after a quality passing sequence, the captain’s shot was on target but blocked by a last-ditch effort from a Dynamo defender.
At the other end, Mathías Laborda displayed excellent defending, blocking a shot off the line in the 16th minute from Lucas Halter.
Houston drew first blood in the 34th minute with a goal from Franco Negri. The Dynamo fullback picked up a loose ball that Laborda initially defended and poked it away.
No one was around to pick up Negri. His shot beat Yohei Takaoka by the far post.
Sørensen brought in Thomas Müller at the half, bringing Cheick Sabaly to the bench. The injection of the German star beside Gauld was well-received by supporters.
And it seemed to work. The Whitecaps found more dangerous positions and were getting balls into the box. But Houston’s defence held firm and dealt with incoming threats efficiently.
Rayan Elloumi thought he had tied the match up in the 64th minute. An excellently worked ball through Müller and Sabbi before finding the young striker attacking the 6-yard box, VAR ruled, calling referee Ricardo Montero Araya to the pitchside monitor.
The goal was disallowed as Olier Larraz committed a foul in the build-up to the goal.
The Whitecaps piled on the pressure in the final 15 minutes; however, Houston’s backline held firm.
The visitors dropped to two lines of five players for much of the second half, stymying the Whitecaps in getting to the end of their numerous crosses. The Dynamo simply played with a game plan of strength in numbers, overloading their box to ensure clearances.
The game plan worked, and Houston took all three points, lifting them past the Whitecaps for the top spot in the West.
Low blocks continue to frustrate Whitecaps
The early-season attacking prowess of the Whitecaps changed how teams play them. Low blocks and counterattacks have been what Vancouver has faced these past few months.
The Whitecaps still get their chances, but for the most part, they are low danger.
Today, they had 17 attempts on target for a combined 1.32 xG. That averages to 0.07 xG per shot.
And to top it off, only one of those attempts actually hit the target.
“Our finishing was horrible,” Sørensen said. “We hit the target once out of 17. And of course, it’s difficult to really complain about anything when you have the opportunities and you don’t even hit the target.”
Sørensen gave credit to Houston’s defence, pointing to the number of blocked shots.
Despite loss, Laborda shines
Laborda’s heat map showed a man possessed today. The centre-back was tremendous in defence, registering 102 touches on the ball, nine defensive contributions, seven recoveries, two blocks and three clearances.
On top of that, he had 17 passes into the final third and was not dispossessed once.
“Mathías is playing well,” Sørensen said. “He looked strong. We’re in a tough schedule. He also have rotations in the three centre-backs. Mathías has been looking very strong. He helps us on a lot of the issues we have. He helps us on the full-back positions. He helps us at centre-back. He’s dangerous on set plays.”
Up next
There is no time for rest as the Whitecaps are back at it this Saturday, August 22, against FC Dallas.
Kick-off is at 6:30 p.m.
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