The Vancouver Whitecaps continued to battle their midseason slump, but they failed to gain any purchase in an unsatisfying 3-0 loss to MLS bottom-feeders LA Galaxy.
A brace from Joseph Paintsil and a commanding performance from Marco Reus contained the Whitecaps inside their defensive third for large parts of the game. The visitor did not even find their lone shot on target until midway through the second half of the match.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen said his team “came out flat physically, technically, mentally.”
“We were not able to keep up with [the] Galaxy,” he said. “We know it’s a team that consists of players who won the MLS Cup last season, and it’s a good team if they’re allowed to play.”
And allowing the Galaxy to play, the Whitecaps did.
While the momentum heading into this match may have been on the side of the Whitecaps, it was the Galaxy who hit first.
Yohei Takaoka saved the initial shot, but the Whitecaps’ goalkeeper spilled the rebound. The Brazilian striker jumped on the rebound, hitting it beyond the splayed out Takaoka for the early lead in the third minute.
The Galaxy continued to dominate the first half, pummelling Takaoka with shot after shot. But after the initial shakiness on the goal, the Japanese keeper found his form and looked better.
The centre-back pairing of Ranko Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon was also strong in limiting several more Galaxy opportunities.
The Whitecaps looked livelier to start the second half as Jayden Nelson entered the game. The Canadian winger injected a level of pace and grit which had been missing.
“We tried to switch a little bit on our approach and our formation and see if we could get the ball flowing a little faster and get a little push going. I think it looked better,” the head coach said.
It almost came off in the 55th minute as Nelson fought for space in the 18-yard box. The ball got through to Johnson, but there was little the fullback could do as Novak Micovic smothered it.
The Galaxy added a second in the 60th minute. Gabriel Pec’s long pass into Marco Reus was quickly turned out to Paintstil.
Paintstil had time to pick his spot, giving Takaoka no chance.
Paintstil added a third Galaxy goal in the 77th minute from the penalty spot after Veselinovic brought Maya Yoshida down in the 6-yard box.
Nelson added to the frustration with a second yellow card and a sending off in the 92nd minute. A soft foul boiled over for the winger, and he kicked the ball into the stands, guaranteeing his marching orders.
“Jayden’s red card was stupid. You have to keep cool,” Sørensen said.
By then, there was little the Whitecaps could do to affect the 3-0 scoreline. The Galaxy controlled the match until the final whistle.
“It was like we were not really in the game,” Sørensen said with his final thoughts. “We were not competing that hard today, and that’s obviously not a good thing.”
Whitecaps say goodbye to Kreilach
The match marked a goodbye for a leader on the Whitecaps as Damir Kreilach’s contract was mutually terminated, coming into
Sørensen called Kreilach “a great teammate and a great person.”
“He has had a presence and experience on the team who sets the right example of how to be a professional football player, how to all the time help your teammates. And no matter if you’re playing or not, keep up the standard in training sessions.”
Kreilach came on in stoppage time of the second half and had little time to make an impact.
But he is calling it a retirement. The immediate decision was to move back to Croatia with his family and to decide whether he would continue to play or look at off-field opportunities.
“From day one, I was surrounded by kind and amazing people at the club,” Kreilach said.
Up next
The Whitecaps head back to Vancouver for a midweek Canadian Championship match against Valour FC. It’s the second leg of the quarter final with a current aggregate score of 2-2.
The match is on Wednesday, July 9. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
