The Vancouver Whitecaps were playing a Sunday matinee game.
They had already locked up first place in the Western Conference thanks to FC Dallas drawing with Sporting Kansas City. The ‘Caps could also thank SKC goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland for denying FC Dallas striker Peter Musa from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, securing the Western crown.
The West was won, but there was still plenty to play for. They wanted to finish as high in the overall standings as possible. Entering the game, they were tied for second in the league with the New England Revolution. The Revs play Inter Miami on Sunday afternoon.
The Seattle Sounders were in town, and they were fighting for their playoff lives. Seattle has had an underwhelming season and, heading into the game, was tied with the Colorado Rapids for eighth in the Western Conference with 43 points. Games between Vancouver and Seattle are always good ones. The Whitecaps have already won the Cascadia Cup with a win in Seattle in August.
Vancouver head coach Jesper Sørensen decided to go back to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation. There was just one change from the win on Wednesday over San Diego. Bruno Caicedo got the start in place of the suspended Rayan Elloumi.
It was a spanking of Seattle by Vancouver.
First half: Whitecaps fly out of the gates
The Whitecaps scored less than a minute into the game.
Oliver Larraz managed to prevent a Seattle counterattack with a tackle and made a nice pass to Ryan Gauld. The Scotsman found Bruno Caicedo, who used his pace to cut into the box. And guess who was standing in the box for the header? The MLS centurion Brian White.
The ‘Caps all-time leading scorer did what he does best: Rose up like a Salmon and buried the header. Maybe the Sounders were still adjusting to the fact that Washington State turned back the clocks and BC didn’t or something, because they just were frozen on White’s goal.
The game was less than 10 minutes old when the Whitecaps got their second. Edier Ocampo just outmuscled Seattle defender Nouhou and found Gauld in the box, and he buried it past Andrew Thomas. The referee had to be called to the VAR monitor to check what seemed like foul play from Ocampo on Nouhou. But it turns out there was nothing conclusive, and the goal stood.
The blue and white continued to heavily press Seattle and dominate possession. Caicedo was a threat on the left while Ocampo was a thorn on Seattle’s right side. However, there were some poor passes from the likes of Aleksa Cvetkovic. Luckily, Seattle wasn’t taking advantage.
The Sounders were growing into the game, but Cvetkovic, Oliver Larraz, Mathias Laborda and Tristan Blackmon were watching them like hawks. Once again, they were doing a good job of closing down Seattle to prevent them from getting dangerous scoring chances. Dejan Jovelicn was not getting any service, and he was clearly frustrated.
The Sounders’ defence backline continued to be as frozen as the fish at Pike Place Market. Actually, the Pike Place Market fish throwers give more of an effort than the entire Sounders team in the first half. Laborda was pretty much left alone at the far post, and he easily headed in Gauld’s cross.
Other than some poor passes, there was a lot to like from the Whitecaps in the first half.
Second half: More dominance
The Whitecaps were looking for more. Caicedo was off to the races, but he just missed by the left post.
Just a few minutes later, the young Ecuadorian did get himself a goal contribution. He displayed his speed and placed a perfect cutback pass to White, who got his second goal of the game and his 100th as a Whitecap. That was also his 20th goal of the MLS season, and he is the first Whitecap to hit that mark since Camilo scored 22 and won the MLS Golden Boot in 2013. White really is one of MLS’s best strikers.
Seattle did get one back when Jordan Morris got past Blackmon. But that was too little, too late.
That didn’t faze the Whitecaps at all. They kept moving the ball well and kept attacking the Sounders ‘ 18-yard box. Substitutes Chiekh Sabaly and Kwasi Poku (Who was making his Whitecaps debut) were threatening as they entered the box. Sabaly got his second assist of the season as he took fellow sub Ranko Veselinovic’s pass and charged into the box. Cvetkovic managed to bully way past the Sounders defence and poke the ball past Thomas for his second goal in as many games. Maybe that assist gives Sabaly some confidence, and his form will improve.
As for Cvetkovic, despite his first-half turnovers, he has had a good game. That man can really cover a lot of turf. As the game went on, he improved.
All the fans at BC Place got their money’s worth, as it was a five-star performance from the Whitecaps. They showed why they are top of the West, and the Sounders showed how poor of a season it has been for them. This is a great win heading into Decision Day and into the playoffs.
Stat of the match
There is a lot to choose from, but the Whitecaps have got 124 points in MLS since Sørensen’s first two seasons as Whitecaps head coach. That ties the record for most points in a head coach’s first two seasons in MLS with Tata Martino’s first two seasons with Atlanta United. It is worth noting that in Martino’s (and Atlanta United’s as a club) second year, Atlanta won the MLS Cup. Cue the Mister Bean smirk meme.
Tweet of the match
Well done.
What was said
Sørensen was rightfully very pleased as he spoke to the media after the game.
“We were very efficient in the beginning,” he said. “We scored, I think the first two times where we really had a chance, and that was nice…It calmed us down a little bit. “We were actually not quite good on the ball as Seattle…I think we kept pushing on their players, kept working hard in there, and then after about 30 minutes, I think we really got the upper hand in the game. Not only on the scoreboard, but also in the game. I think from then on, the rest of the first half we will be dominant, and we came into half-time with a convincing lead, and that’s always nice to have.”
Sørensen also spoke about keeping the confidence the team has heading into playoffs.
“It’s definitely about making sure that we have the right feeling going into the playoffs, and also that we have the right training sessions, and making sure that the players are really sharp,” he said.
“We have a great, competitive situation. We have also players who are not in the game today, and they will also be really impressed, so I think we have a great competitive situation, and players know that they have to perform well to be on the pitch and stay on the pitch. I think that’s great, and we all know that we have the same aim; we want to be able to come as close as last year, and now we have the chance again. It’s gonna be extremely difficult and hard, because of the format. You cannot allow yourself any mistakes, but having played games like we’ve done this week, I think definitely gives you confidence heading into the playoffs.”
Gauld also spoke to the media.
“It’s obviously great to get a start like that,” said Gauld on the team’s fast start. “We always try and make a point of coming out strong in games and starting well. We can’t do it much better than what we’ve done today, so it put us in a good position. I think Seattle settled into the game a bit better and controlled the ball a little bit better than us. There’s still plenty to work on, but the fast start definitely set us up.”
He also spoke about the crowd of 32,111 that came to BC Place to watch him and the ‘Caps demolish Seattle.
“We can definitely feel the energy that that brings,” said Gauld. “Like I’ve said loads of times before, we all enjoy playing in front of big crowds, but at the end of the day it’s down to us to put in performances to make the crowds come.”
Wrap-up
The Whitecaps travel out East on Decision Day to face CF Montreal at Stade Saputo. Kickoff for that game is at 2 pm PCT. Vancouver will be looking to end their storied season on a high note.
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