Good clubs sometimes falter. Great clubs find a way back.
That was exactly what Vancouver Whitecaps did, defeating Real Salt Lake with a 90th-minute goal to seal the 3-2 win.
Despite going down by two goals only five minutes in, the visitors showed their composure and resilience to get the win, one that could end up being a pivotal moment in their season.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen was happy with the points but said he was not happy with the start.
“It should not be a bad habit to come out a little sloppy,” he said. “But we kept cool, and we knew there was a long match ahead of us.”
Sørensen opted for a strong line-up with his best available attack and midfield. That meant Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson on the wings beside Brian White.
Ralph Priso came in for the suspended Andrés Cubas in the no. 6 role. Bjørn Inge Utvik also started at centre-back, giving Ranko Veselinović a rest on the bench.
Barely off the opening whistle, the home side got to work. Zavier Gozo opened his MLS account, cutting in from the left and getting a shot off towards the near post.
Utvik got in the way of Yohei Takaoka, hurting the Japanese keeper’s chances.
And only three minutes later, they did it again. This time, Takaoka wore the blame.
The Whitecaps’ keeper spilled the ball from a shot from distance. The rebound fell to Diego Luna, and the RSL talisman tapped it past the prone Takaoka for the big lead only four minutes into the match.
“The most important thing in this situation is not to panic,” Sørensen said of the early match struggles. “Nothing has actually happened. We’ve only played five minutes of the game. You’re behind 2-0, but it’s not that you have to change the game plan or anything because the game’s not even started.”
White took the team on his shoulders as he got the Whitecaps back in the game in the 20th minute. A corner delivery from Sebastian Berhalter landed on the head of the American striker to cut RSL’s lead in half.
Four minutes later, the Whitecaps got a penalty after a pitch-side review. White stepped up for the rare penalty and doubled his tally on the night.
It was White’s first penalty in MLS.
“It looked as if he was very composed in that situation,” Sørensen said. “So, it looked very natural for him to take that penalty. Brian is always dangerous. He’s always a threat in the box.”
And just like that, the Whitecaps were tied after 25 minutes.
Berhalter has a chance to put the visitors in the lead. Ahmed’s cutback in the 38th minute found the midfield as the late man in the 18-yard box, but RSL’s goalkeeper, Rafael Cabral, came up big with the save.
White had a couple of big chances in the second half to get the go-ahead goal, but Cabral again came up big in his defence of the home net.
It looked as though the Whitecaps would have to settle for yet another draw, but Pedro Vite came up with some last-minute heroics.
Emmanuel Sabbi crept in from the right and looked to play a 1-2 with Vite. However, the Ecuadorian midfielder had other ideas and opted for the shot from just outside the 18-yard box.
Switching the ball onto his left foot, he beat Cabral at the far post. It was a rare lapse of judgment from the keeper, who had played a phenomenal second half.
The Whitecaps held on for stoppage time to secure the road win. They remain the only team in MLS that has not lost away from home.
Eye on the games ahead
As important as this match was, the Whitecaps have their sights on next weekend when they head to Mexico City to take on Cruz Azul in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
But Sørensen said tonight’s match served as preparation for the final.
“It’s great that we have this opportunity to play in a little bit of altitude because we know that we have to face it going down to Mexico next week. So, everything we can get as a little bit of preparation is valuable.”
For reference, Salt Lake City sits at an altitude of 1,300 m. Cruz Azul play in Mexico City, which is at 2,240 m. Vancouver is at a paltry 2 m.
The win tonight was also important because it gives Sorensen and his coaching staff flexibility in deciding how to line up for Wednesday’s midweek match at BC Place against Minnesota United.
Immediately after the Cruz Azul match, the Whitecaps will also have to play a Cascadia derby during an international window.
“We have a very difficult period coming up here because we also have nine call-ups for the national window when we play Seattle, which is, to me, a little bit ridiculous,” the head coach said.
Up next
As mentioned, the Whitecaps face Minnesota United on Wednesday, May 28. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
