A first-half lapse almost did the Vancouver Whitecaps in, but their last resurgence in the dying minutes lifted them over Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers in a 3-2 win at BC Place.
Édier Ocampo opened the scoring, and Sebastian Berhalter finished the game off with a last-gasp effort.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen joked that it was exactly the game plan they drew up before the match.
“You can hope for something and prepare for something, you know?” he said. “This game is so unpredictable, and I think for a neutral, it was very entertaining. For our fans, I think they left the building very happy.”
The Whitecaps got off to an early start, dominating possession and looking every bit the team in form. Portland was quickly put back on its heels, mirroring the earlier match these two played on March 7.
Vancouver took clear advantage of their pressure with the opening goal in the sixth minute. Ocampo got on the end of Yohei Takaoka’s long overhead ball, tapping it past Timbers’ keeper James Pantemis. The Whitecaps’ wingback continued his run, chasing down his forward ball and easily passing it into the back of the net.
It was Ocampo’s second goal in a Whitecaps shirt.
The Whitecaps continued their pressure, sending wave after wave into Portland’s 18-yard box. However, rather than taking the decent shot, Vancouver kept looking for one more pass, serving to play themselves out of possession.
Those missed chances ended up coming back to haunt the Whitecaps before the end of the first half when Juan Mosquera tied the proceedings in the 36th minute.
And they especially hurt when the visitors captured the lead in first-half stoppage time as David Da Costa lifted the ball over Takaoka from a difficult angle near the byline.
Unfortunately, the Whitecaps had no one to blame but themselves as they walked off at the half down by one.
“Sitting at halftime, down 1-2, that’s what can happen in this game,” Sørensen said. “The first goal they scored was an unbelievable strike, and the second goal they scored, I think we were making a few mistakes in our organizational way of doing it. And they did very well.”
The second half began hesitantly for both sides. Portland chose to sit back to hold their lead, while Whitecaps took time to regroup and probe the visitors’ shape and structure for weakness.
The Whitecaps looked the more progressive of the two, but it was not until Bruno Caicedo came on for his debut that they looked dangerous.
The Whitecaps left it late. A fortuitous penalty awarded late was converted by Thomas Müller in the 91st minute, securing a draw.
But that was not enough for this team. In the 95th minute, Berhalter jumped on the end of a large rebound for Emmanuel Sabbi’s initial effort. His one-timed shot was hit past the extended fingers of Pantemis, marking the three points with the final play of the match.
A Whitecaps debut for Caicedo
The wait to see Caicedo has felt long. Visa issues prolonged everything, but Whitecaps fans were finally able to see their new man in action.
And action puts it mildly.
In 19 minutes of game time, Caicedo had an xG + xA of 0.37, five touches in the opposition’s box and one big chance. He was explosive in 1v1, winning all four of his ground duels.
“Caicedo’s debut was amazing. He hadn’t been here for long, but we could see what he could do. He really was hungry to make an impact, and he did. And if this is what we can expect from him at the start of his career with [the] Whitecaps, then I think we have exciting things to look forward to,” Sørensen said.
Up next
The Whitecaps remain at BC Place for the near future. Next weekend, they face New York City FC on April 11 at 4:30 p.m.
