Over a month ago, things were hopeful for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
A second straight trip to the MLS Cup Playoffs seemed inevitable. A coveted top-four spot in the Western Conference was within reach. The Whitecaps were a few points close.
Flash forward to now. It’s not looking good bruv, the vibes are low.
The Whitecaps have had a rough month. However, rough seems to be an understatement.
Vancouver has won only one game since the beginning of September. That was the 2-0 win against the San Jose Earthquakes. They pretty much have the Wooden Spoon wrapped up.
They did win the Canadian Championship against Toronto FC. But anyone who watched that game knows they didn’t deserve to win as Toronto was the better team throughout the 90 minutes. It took some heroics from Isaac Boehmer and penalties to win.
It has been ugly for the Whitecaps.
Since the Leagues Cup break ended, the Whitecaps have only beaten Austin and San Jose. Austin has also been eliminated from playoff contention and fired head coach Josh Wolff on Sunday.
Since the beginning of September, Vancouver has scored six goals in six MLS matches.
The game against FC Dallas was frustrating because they couldn’t beat their goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer. But it was also encouraging because they did not have their best players available.
The game against the Portland Timbers was frustrating. The one against the Seattle Sounders was an embarrassment and the one against Minnesota United was a mixture of both.
Sure, there was bad officiating on Saturday’s game against Minnesota. But it doesn’t excuse the fact that the Whitecaps could barely generate any offence and had trouble connecting in the build-up, much like Wednesday against Seattle.
According to FootyStats and their 10-game form table, Vancouver sits 19th in MLS. If you look at the last five games, they sit second-last only above Toronto FC. We’ve arrived at Panic Station.
The Whitecaps sit in eighth in Western Conference and if the season ended today, they would host the play-in round. So yes, the vibes are low. Think of the meme of the dog saying “This is fine” while everything around him burns. That sums up how Whitecaps fans feel now.
Things are going wrong but is there still hope?
The Whitecaps dream of finishing in the top four seems to be dead. It really is a shame because there was promise for most of the season and it seemed possible.
According to PlayoffStatus.Com, the Whitecaps highest possible position is fifth and they are most likely to finish eighth. (60%)
The Whitecaps do have a trump card and that is their game in hand. That will be October 13 game against LAFC which was originally supposed to be played in August but was postponed due to LAFC making the Leagues Cup final.
“We need to be aware that we’re not playing our best football,” said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini after Saturday’s loss to Minnesota. “We are not brilliant like we were a few weeks ago. But it’s not a concern, it’s more like being ready to go. The big thing that is positive (right now) is that we have a week to work. We have a week to work and prepare the team in the best way against LAFC.”
However, six Vancouver will miss that game against LAFC due to international duty. They are Ryan Gauld, (Scotland) Andres Cubas, (Paraguay) Fafa Picault, (Haiti) Pedro Vite (Ecuador) and Ali Ahmed and Sam Adekugbe. (Canada)
“We’ve put ourselves in a precarious position, but we just have to look forward and keep positive,” said Adekugbe after the Minnesota game. “Some bad habits have obviously crept up in these last games, stuff that doesn’t resemble our team or identity. We’ve slipped up a little bit. But football can’t be perfect. There are ups and downs … and every game now is so much more important. We have to have that much narrower of focus and much higher intensity.”
Things need to change…fast.
This was a season of a lot of promise. It was a chance to celebrate 50 years and win over the city.
However, the Whitecaps are blowing that chance. As mentioned, they still can salvage it.
After LAFC, there is Real Salt Lake in Utah on Decision Day. Vancouver has not beaten RSL since June 4, 2022, so that game will also be tough.
On the pitch, Sartini’s principles have always been about pressing and fast transitions. However, they have been non-existent in the last few matches. There haven’t been enough shots either and the midfield has been losing more duels.
As seen against Minnesota United, it was all cross into the box and hope. Then there was the use of the long ball by Brian White like he is Justin Jefferson.
Nothing is working right now with the Whitecaps. Sure fatigue played a big factor. There were games every three days for three weeks. But it can’t be an excuse, especially considering most of those games were at home.
Maybe a formation change will be seen in the final two games or new ideas tactically? However, Sartini is known for sticking to his principles.
Whatever happens, things need to be figured out fast. If they don’t, there will be an early playoff exit and a lot of unhappy fans.
Why do we fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves up. Hopefully, this means the Whitecaps can rise from the pit they dug themselves in over the next few weeks. But it is not going to be easy.
