MLS Decision Day is chaotic, but the Vancouver Whitecaps don’t have too much to worry about.
Well, that is nothing to worry about in terms of playoff qualification, but there was a big bonus for Vancouver. A draw against FC Dallas would’ve been enough to clinch the Western Conference top spot for the first time in their MLS era. That would mean home-field advantage until at least the Western Conference final. However, the Whitecaps winning against FC Dallas would see them clinch second in the entire MLS. That would be the highest finish of their MLS era.
FC Dallas was a team fighting for their playoff lives. Heading into Decision Day, the team from Texas sat eighth in the Western Conference. All that was needed was a point to get into the postseason.
The Whitecaps and their fans were ready to cap off a historic regular season.
Chaos Reigns on Decision Day, and the Whitecaps looked to end the regular season with some fireworks of their own and shake the play-in race up.
It was definitely chaotic, and there were fireworks, but not the way Vancouver intended. Unfortunately, officiating took centre stage again.
First half: VAR, a Red Card, and Chaos
The ‘Caps controlled possession as usual to start the game. However, rookie FC Dallas striker Samuel Sarver then had a burst of speed to get past the Vancouver defenders. However, Mathias Laborda tracked back and made a hard tackle on Sarver. The Uruguayan initially got a yellow, but referee Allen Chapman was sent to the VAR monitor to check a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. (or DOGSO) As a result, Chapman sent Laborda off, and he will be suspended for Game 1 of the first round.
Well, that is less than ideal. As a result, Daniel Rios had to be taken off for Ralph Priso, who had to slot in as a CB once again.
A few minutes later, FC Dallas got on the board. Off the corner, Osaze Urhoghide headed the ball past Yohei Takaoka. VAR checked in for a possible foul, but VAR had no favours for Vancouver. It was early, but it felt like this evening was ruined. The fans inside BC Place were furious.
Vancouver tried their best to get back into the game. They tried to get back to basics.
Emmanuel Sabbi was in a foot race with FC Dallas left-back defender Lalas Abubakar. Sabbi beat him and was taken down by Abubakar in the box.
And of course, Thomas Müller converted the penalty, and we had a game, and with a lot to talk about already.
To their credit, the Whitecaps were not rattled by Laborda being sent off. They kept their shape and possession, and their passes were still clean. Plus, they were firing at Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi. Müller had a shot saved, and Sebastian Berhalter hit the crossbar.
Vancouver was doing their best trying to stop Dallas from going on the rush. Belal Halbouni and Tate Johnson made some crucial last-minute tackles.
Deep into stoppage time, Yohei Takaoka denied Bernard Kamungo on the breakaway. Folks, that is why he is an All-Star and is nominated for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
Losing Laborda early was tough, and it changed the game. But at least, the Whitecaps were still in it.
Second half: Whitecaps pushed, but it was not enough
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen decided to tinker at halftime. He took off Edier Ocampo for Jeevan Badwal. As a result, it looked like Vancouver was lined up for a 3-5-1 formation.
But unfortunately, it didn’t work right away. Dallas midfielder Kaick Ferreira managed to find some space in the box and score. Yeah, that wasn’t great and very sloppy from the defenders. The Whitecaps had to try and salvage something yet again.
The home side tried to beat Dallas on the transitions. Ali Ahmed was tenacious down the left, and so was Müller in the middle. But without Laborda’s aerial ability and a proper striker on the pitch, it was hard to create grade A-chances.
Chapman was making the game about himself and thought the whole thing was about him, just like Walter White did in Breaking Bad. Ahmed was clipped in the box around the 62nd minute, but Chapman thought everything was fine. The fans were giving it to Chapman since he sent off Laborda in the first half.
Vancouver once again controlled the possession, which was impressive considering they were down a man.
A big chance came from Badwal, but Collodi stretched out to make the save. It’s clear that the Whitecaps wanted the Western Conference crown. Elloumi had a glorious chance to tie the game in the 78th minute,as he pounced on the loose ball from Berhalter’s free kick. But the young Tunisian international shot it wide of the left post.
They were knocking on the door. You could feel the hinges come off. Ryan Gauld and Kenji Cabrera were brought on as last resorts. The ‘Caps were pushing and pushing.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, and the ‘Caps lost for the first time since August 9th in San Jose. Yes, the Tim Ford game. Vancouver did well in this game, but you would think they would’ve gotten a better result if some calls had gone their way.
Stat of the match
According to FotMob, the Whitecaps had 69% possession. (nice) FC Dallas had 31%. Not bad for a team that was down a man, and frankly, they did deserve to at least get a point.
What was said
Sørensen said he and the team will look into Laborda’s red card and see if they will appeal it to MLS.
“I think that it’s a foul,” said Sørensen. “But I think it’s also maybe a harsh call for a red card…we’ll see.”
The Whitecaps head coach was pleased with the way his team played down to 10 men, especially as the game went on.
“To begin with, I think we played too many long passes, and we shouldn’t do that,” said Sørensen. “We should just keep the ball and make sure that we play close to each other…After the first half, we settled down and took control of the game. I think we moved the ball well. I think we had a good structure still. We ended up with some good chances, good opportunities we could have taken, but we didn’t. But overall, 10 against 11, I think we did very well.”
This was Müller’s first loss as a member of the Whitecaps. While he was disappointed with the result, he was proud of his teammates.
“We still had a great game,” said the German legend. “We outplayed a team for almost 80 minutes, 10 vs 11. I know the result was not for us. I know that we made mistakes, as we do in every game. Maybe in this game, we got punished for it. We had big chances to equalize the game. I don’t like to talk a lot about the ref, but there were two or three situations, I think, if he watches it back, maybe he should decide differently. But it is what it is. In the end, I’m proud of this team.”
Müller also summed up his thoughts on the game perfectly.
“S**t happens, and we go on.”
Tweet of the match
Literally, anyone but them.
Wrap-up
Just like the game Tim Ford officiated in San Jose, the officiating from Chapman was terrible. There were a few calls he should’ve made, and several warranted a yellow or even a red. It is hard to take MLS seriously when the officiating is this bad. Chapman has officiated Whitecaps games several times in the past. In 2021, then-head coach Marc Dos Santos blasted Chapman and later got fined. Maybe on Saturday, Chapman had FC Dallas on his parlay or something, who knows?
But all jokes aside, it is never good when an official is the centre of attention. Frankly, they should not be and should be held accountable for poor games. The Whitecaps or any other team better hope they do not get this type of officiating in the playoffs. But sure, the two goals given up were poor, and they weren’t clinical enough; that is also true.
Speaking of the playoffs, Vancouver finishes as the second seed as San Diego FC steamrolled the Portland Timbers 4-0. Again, got to love Decision Day.
As a result, the Whitecaps will face…FC Dallas in round one.
The date and times for the best-of-three series are TBD, but Vancouver will host Game 1 and Game 3, if necessary. Tickets for round one are currently on sale.
That game felt like the film Natural Born Killers: wild and chaotic, but without the satisfying ending. For the Whitecaps, they have another crack at FC Dallas, and the stakes are much higher.
