The Vancouver Whitecaps are back in MLS action, for real this time.
After last week’s match in Chicago against the Fire was postponed due to the bad air quality from wildfire smoke (ironic that the ‘Caps were supposed to play a team called the Fire), Whitecaps fans had to wait a few more days before they were back in MLS action. The Whitecaps travelled to Ohio to take on FC Cincinnati. Led by Evander and Kevin Denkey, FC Cincinnati came into the day as the second-highest scoring team in MLS with 36 goals. Vancouver was close behind as they scored 34 goals in MLS this season.
This had the makings of a game with fireworks. It was pretty much that. For the Whitecaps, this wasn’t really a game to be happy about.
First half: Lots of goals!
It was clear that both teams were rusty from the World Cup break. Both sides were giving the ball away as if it was a hot potato.
Bruno Caicedo had a glorious chance to open the scoring less than five minutes in. The young Ecuadorian used his speed to get by the Cincy defenders, but his shot was wide to the right post. That was a gift, but Caicedo didn’t take it.
Then there was trouble. The Whitecaps defence disappeared as FC Cincinnati went on the transition. Pavel Bucha was left wide open on the right side, and he easily beat Yohei Takaoka. Really poor start from the Whitecaps.
However, the Whitecaps responded in the best way possible. Caicedo made a good run and found Jeevan Badwal, who slipped in behind Cincy defenders Matt Miazga and Sami Gidi. The Surrey native blasted his one-time shot past Roman Celentano. Game on.
It seems like both teams were relying on the counter-attack. Each side was also giving the other a ton of space. Vancouver nearly took the lead on the counter-attack as Ryan Gauld (in his first MLS start since his knee injury suffered in March of 2025) couldn’t make good contact with Edier Ocampo’s pass. The Whitecaps captain was stretched out to take the shot, but it went wide left. It was a difficult shot to pull off anyway.
As the game went on, the Whitecaps started to look more like themselves as they controlled possession. Gauld found Brian White, who tried to take on the defenders. His shot was blocked, but it found Badwal and then Oliver Larraz took the pass and teed up a long shot. This was a ping-pong type of goal. It apparently went off Gauld, the post and into the net. This was Gauld’s first goal in MLS in over a year. You love to see it.
But the Whitecaps couldn’t count out FC Cincinnati. A deflection went the way of Vancouver and a few minutes later, went against them. Ender Echenique danced around the Whitecaps defender and found Denkey in the box as his pass deflected off a Whitecaps defender. Tate Johnson then deflected Denkey’s header into his own net. Yup, these two teams haven’t played a league game since May and were two of the highest scoring teams in MLS. The defending from both sides was woeful, and both were sloppy with the ball.
The Whitecaps, in particular, were letting FC Cincinnati go on the counterattack so easily. Larraz and Andres Cubas weren’t having the best time in the midfield as they were getting picked apart. 37 minutes into the game, it was on the counterattack again that FC Cincinnati scored. Evander is one of the MLS’s elite players, especially when it came to shooting from distance. The Brazilian unleashed a thunderous strike past Takaoka to give his team the lead. The Whitecaps defence looked like they were still on vacation.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen did not want to waste time going to his bench. In the 41st minute, Caicedo was taken off for Cheikh Sabaly. Cincy looked like they were settling into their defensive shape as they kept clearing and blocking Whitecaps crosses and shots.
Well, that was a chaotic half. If you like goals, that was great. If you prefer defence, that was painful to watch. The Whitecaps looked very rusty, especially their backline. (Same thing could be said for FC Cincinnati) They were like Metallica’s St. Anger album: All chaos and a big mess. At least no snare drum sounded like a trash can.
Second half: Whitecaps can’t tie it
The Whitecaps maintained possession in the Cincinnati half. However, the final pass was being broken up by the defenders. White nearly got Celentano to make a mistake as he pressed the Cincy goalkeeper. But the ball deflected off White and away from the net.
Vancouver was looking to feed White with the crosses, but he couldn’t make contact.
Despite all that possession, the Whitecaps defending let them down again. They couldn’t clear chances from Evander and Denkey. Once again, Bucha was left all alone on the right side. Bucha then took the ball and beat Takaoka through the five hole, and Cincinnati doubled their lead.
Gauld is a player that can change games. It is easy to forget how good the Scotsman can be, since he has been out for a long time. He took Badwal’s pass and blasted the ball into the net. The Whitecaps still had hope.
Ocampo and substitute JC Ngando were doing well with the way they moved the ball and were creating chances. Ngando, in particular, was driving into the box and making good progressive passes. He and Larraz were denied long-range goals by Celentano.
The substitutions of Ngando and Nikola Djordevic were interesting by Sørensen. Remember, he had Thomas Müller on the bench.
Cincinnati were locking down defensively, and Vancouver were throwing everything forward. They also were letting the home side go on the transitions easily, but thankfully they didn’t result in anything.
And that was that. The Whitecaps returned to MLS with a loss. It was nice to see Gauld score two, but the defending was terrible, and the substitutions were questionable.
It’s fair to say this game was on drugs.
Stat of the match
It was Gauld’s first start in 502 days. A brace is a good way to make most of it, but of course, it would’ve been better with the win.
Tweet of the match
Maybe this is why Müller wasn’t subbed on.
Wrap-up
Let’s hope this is just a blip and not the start of a trend for the Whitecaps. This team is too talented to give up four goals a game and has shown they can bounce back. It is frustrating to lose a game like this, but you have to move on.
One thing that showed was the Whitecaps lacked depth, especially on the wings with Emmanuel Sabbi (foot) and Kenji Cabrera (groin) out with injuries. Both can’t come back soon enough. Ralph Priso is also still dealing with a hamstring injury, and the ‘Caps could’ve used him for the backline.
The most notable absence was Sebastian Berhalter, as he was not injured but not in the squad in Cincinnati. The American World Cup participant has been the subject of transfer rumours for quite some time. It seems like he has played his last game for the Whitecaps, and a move to a European club seems inevitable. Of course, no concrete details have circulated at the time of this writing, and this is a story to watch in the coming days and weeks.
For the Whitecaps, they travel to Minnesota to face Minnesota United. That game is on Saturday, and kickoff is at 5:30 pm Pacific. The blue and white will look to brush off the loss in Cincinnati and get back to winning ways.
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