The Vancouver Whitecaps had not played at BC Place in over a month. Tonight, they gave their fans a reminder of what they can be in a statement 4-1 win over San Diego FC.
Four goals came from four different goalscorers: Aleksa Cvetković, Brian White, Ryan Gauld and Bruno Caicedo.
It was a match that Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen credited to his players’ aggression and pace.
“We played with courage,” he said. “And the players, we were not perfect. But we were on the front foot, and we were, all the time, seeking some positive impact…We played optimistic, and I was happy.”
It was a different look for the Whitecaps as they took to the pitch in a 4-4-2 formation. Rayan Elloumi took position alongside White at the top, and Gauld slotted in at right wing.
Cédric Bakambu came close to giving the visitors the lead in the 13th minute. Tate Johnson forced him wide as he ran into the box, and he unleashed a hard shot that Yohei Takaoka parried.
Bakambu jumped on his own rebound, but the second shot was headed off the line by Mathias Laborda.
But it was the Whitecaps who struck first. Gauld played a short pass into Mathías Laborda, who was up from an earlier set piece.
The centre-back looked up and found Cvetković at the top of the six-yard box. Cvetković, unmarked, redirected the ball with his left foot into the net for his first goal in MLS in the 13th minute.
“I think now today is special with a goal,” Sørensen said of the midfielder. “And it’s great. It’s always great to see a young man come in and score his first goal.”
White added another in the 41st minute. Oliver Larraz’s perfectly weighted ball was headed in by the striker for his 100th goal in MLS (98th goal with the Whitecaps).
With that goal, White became the 17th player to have scored 100 goals in MLS.
In the second half, the Whitecaps were content to let San Diego hold onto the bulk of possession. But that did not dent their attack.
Gauld scored in the 66th minute with a diving header. Édier Ocampo’s cross from deep floated to Elloumi, who hit it off the volley. The shot was wide, but the captain pounced on the ball for the third goal of the match.
The Whitecaps scored a fourth goal, courtesy of Bruno Caicedo, who had only come onto the pitch a couple of minutes before. The speedster received the ball at the halfway line and raced away.
No one was able to keep up with him as he barrelled in on goal and put a record 67th goal of the season for the Whitecaps past Pablo Sisniega in the 76th minute.
But San Diego would go on to spoil Takaoka’s clean sheet. Omni Valakari flicked on a free kick from David Vasquez in the 82nd minute, sending the ball past the Whitecaps keeper.
It was too little, too late for the visitors. The win moved the Whitecaps ever closer to guaranteeing the top spot in the Western Conference. Only FC Dallas can mathematically catch them with the remaining matches.
But the final whistle was a death knell for San Diego as the loss eliminated them from playoff contention.
New look Whitecaps?
Sørensen opted for a change in formation for tonight’s match, going with a 4-4-2 rather than the 4-2-3-1 Whitecaps fans have become accustomed to under his reign.
“It was the first time we played with two strikers, Brian and Rayan, together. And I think it looked good. We wanted to go a little bit earlier to the backspace, and I think Rayan Elloumi caused a lot of trouble in that regard, and it also freed up a bit more space for Brian,” Sørensen said.
Sørensen added that it is a formation they can utilize in the future as it provided alternatives to how teams expect them to line up.
Centurion Brian White
White’s goal tonight was his 100th in his MLS career. He is two away from becoming the Whitecaps’ sole centurion as well.
White was gracious in acknowledging the achievement but was quick to point to more team efforts.
“It’s always nice to achieve something like that,” he said. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to get to and had my eyes on, if I’m being honest, to get to 100 goals. But at the end of the day, you want to win championships with the team. These things are nice…but we want to win MLS Cup. I want to win MLS Cup.”
Only 17 players have ever scored 100 or more goals in MLS.
Up next
The Whitecaps play this Sunday, November 1, against the Seattle Sounders.
Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.
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