The Vancouver Whitecaps had a big game coming on Sunday, but the focus was Minnesota United visiting BC Place.
The ‘Caps were no stranger to midweek games. In fact, it seems they played better with a midweek match in their schedule. With some rotation, the Whitecaps looked to gain some ground in the Supporters Shield race.
They did gain some ground, but not in the way they would’ve liked.
First Half: Everything right but the final third
It was clear the Whitecaps wanted to get off to a good start, especially after their poor one last game against Real Salt Lake. On the left side, Jayden Nelson and Tate Johnson were good early on with the interplay from the left side.
The Whitecaps were dominating possession, but they couldn’t test Dayne St. Clair until JC Ngando’s low shot went right into St.Clair’s hands in the 32nd minute. They looked solid defensively too as Minnesota did not have their first attempt until about 25 minutes in. Vancouver was great at winning the ball back too, especially Andres Cubas. But, that’s what he always does.
That was one of the best halves the Whitecaps played all season. But they had nothing to show for it. The final third needed to be better, especially when entering the box. Ngando’s shot was the only one St. Clair saved. It was good, but the Whitecaps could have it all, but how much did they want it?
They were doing a great job of moving the ball, but Minnesota’s low block made life difficult for Vancouver.
Second Half: Minnesota was tough to crack
The Whitecaps started the second half pretty similar to the first. They wanted to score early and Nelson nearly did after receiving Ngando’s pass. But the speedy Canadian ran out of room.
Minnesota United’s low block was once again tough to crack. The Whitecaps attack was like someone trying to find diamonds in Minecraft. You keep digging, it’s tough, but you know what you are searching for is there. Vancouver looked poised to score but they weren’t creating enough chances that tested St. Clair. Michael Boxall and Nicolas Romero looked formidable at the back for Minnesota.
The Whitecaps passing in the build-up was great. But in Minnesota’s 18-yard box, the passes seem to slip away or a player has a bad touch. It was also not helping that no one was getting in on the crosses, despite how many players were in the box.
Nelson had the best chance of the night for either side. Mathias Laborda’s ball got past Brian White. Then, Nelson had a perfect shooting range but his fellow countryman St.Clair denied him. More passes into the box needed to be like that and more shots needed to be taken as quickly as that.
In the later stages of the game, it felt as intense as the climax of a Mission Impossible movie, minus Tom Cruise and his insane stunts. Except the mission wasn’t impossible for the Whitecaps.
They did not complete their mission or find diamonds. (The Whitecaps hit bedrock instead) But they got a consolation: A point. Still, it feels like it should have been three points instead of three. The Whitecaps did not create enough high-danger chances and in the end, it cost them.
But a point is fine. A bigger game is on the horizon.
Stat of the match
The Whitecaps had eight corners but failed to capitalize on any of them. Minnesota United had a grand total of zero corners. Their attack was…barely even attacking.
What was said
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sรธrensen felt like his team could’ve gotten more out of this game, but was pleased with the midfield and defence.
โWe couldnโt break the deadlock, but then you have to be pleased as a coach that they didnโt create anything,” he said to the media. “We know they could have set pieces and we got them to zero corners. I think that was very disciplined and well done.”
Sรธrensen also spoke about the upcoming CONCACAF Champions Cup final and the build-up to it over the past few weeks.
“I’m happy that we’re at the stage we are at right now,” he said. “Of course, there’s been some heavy rotation in the last two weeks where we played four games in a short period. I think that’s also been an issue for us to manage how to get here. Now we can focus on the game in Mexico on Sunday. We have not been talking much about that game. We can do that now, but everybody knows that it’s been there.”
โWe want to win,” said defender Tristan Blackmon. “Even right now after the game, obviously we wish we would have won this game, but the message is we have a big game this weekend.โ
Tweet of the match
It was really interesting that Minnesota United head coach Eric Ramsay had them park the bus the entire game. Even after bringing on Tani Oluwaseyi and Julian Gressel for the second half, it really did seem Minnesota played for a draw from the beginning. It was prime Jose Mourinho ball, but without the long pass and goal on the counter-attack. Instead, it was a great cure for insomnia.
Wrap-up
The biggest game in Whitecaps history is up next. The CONCACAF Champions Cup final in Mexico City between the Whitecaps. It is on Sunday and kickoff is at 6:00 pm Pacific. The Whitecaps have a chance to make history.
