The Vancouver Whitecaps long road trip made a stop in Texas for the first of two games in the Lone Star State.
They say everything is bigger in Texas. While it is early to think about Supporters Shield and playoff clinching scenarios, every point feels significant.
This was also the first time Vancouver and Dallas had met since their first-round series in last year’s playoffs. The Whitecaps swept Dallas in two games.
Thomas Müller was back in the lineup after dealing with illness, but he started on the bench.
It was a scrappy game, and Vancouver gave up two rough goals, but they managed to prevail.
First half: Rough start, but Whitecaps improved
It was nearly a disaster of a start for the Whitecaps. Less than a minute in Christian Cappis beat Yohei Takaoka, but couldn’t beat the post. That was a close call.
But then there was trouble. Tristan Blackmon pulled Logan Farrington’s shirt, and the referee pointed to the spot, and Blackmon got booked. However, he had to check VAR to determine whether the foul was outside the box or not. After what felt like forever, the penalty was given, and Musa caught Takaoka going the wrong way.
Rough start.
But knowing the Whitecaps, conceding first didn’t faze them. Sebastian Berhalter has been arguably the ‘Caps best player this season, and surely, he has to go to the World Cup with the US? Well, this bar down screamer certainly helps his case.
It was a battle. Vancouver was trying to control the game, while Dallas sought to create chaos on the counter. It didn’t take long for the visitors to take the lead. A great ball from Edier Ocampo for Brian White caused FC Dallas defender Osaze Urhoghide to put it in his own net.
The game was as physical as a Punisher episode. (maybe not that far) There were lots of cards, brutal tackles, and it felt like a UFC match instead of soccer.
But the ‘Caps deserve plaudits for bouncing back after conceding early.
Second half: Another rough start, but good finish
Chiekh Sabaly hasn’t really hit the ground running since arriving in Vancouver. In the first half, he and Emmanuel Sabbi weren’t offering a whole lot down the wings. But Sabbi was taken off at halftime even though Sabaly was on a yellow. The young and speedy Bruno Caicedo came on.
Unfortunately, the Whitecaps started the second half the same way as the first. Logan Farrington converted the header past Takaoka from the cross from Ran Binyaman. Guess Farrington’s Olympic-style diving/dark arts paid off.
The blue and white then decided to all lock in. They did a good job with their buildup and ball control. And who was going to step up the most? That was Berhalter, and he scored another screamer. Sure, Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi made a huge mess of it, but it was still a great goal from Berhalter.
From this point, the Whitecaps shut FC Dallas down. That included Takaoka making a brilliant save.
The game continued to be scrappy and gritty. Andres Cubas looked to have picked up a knock, and he was taken off for Müller. Hopefully, Cubas is alright, and it was good to see not just Müller on the pitch, but also Ranko Veselinovic. He made his first appearance in 298 days.
The soccer wasn’t at their best, but a win is a win for the Whitecaps. The unbeaten streak rises to seven.
Stat of the match
Since Jesper Sørensen took over as the Whitecaps head coach, they have been unbeaten in MLS play when leading at halftime with a record of 21 wins, zero losses and three draws.
Tweet of the match
A trip to Turkey for Sarver during the World Cup break might be what he needs.
What was said
“It was difficult,” said Sørensen after the match. “It was a Dallas team that came with a lot of confidence and also jumped us right from the beginning in both halves. They were quite uh aggressive and we knew that to begin with. I think e didn’t play with the quality we normally are capable of, but they also played very well. We had difficulties under the pressure to win the ball up high as we normally do. Thanks to some moments from Sebastian, we pulled through.”
“I think we were a bit slow coming out of both halves,” said Berhalter. “It’s tough sometimes on the road when you don’t have your home fans behind you and giving you that extra push. That’s something we can work on and it really shouldn’t really be happening. I think we should have a little bit more control in the game. But, the determination and the fight to go out there and get the win is the most important thing.
Wrap-up
Everything is bigger in Texas. The Whitecaps got themselves three big points. At the time of this writing, they sit on top of the Supporters Shield race.
But there isn’t much rest as the ‘Caps travel to southern Texas to take on the Houston Dynamo on Saturday at 5:30 pm Pacific. Let’s see if they can keep the unbeaten streak going.
