The Vancouver Whitecaps came into this game wanting to avoid a third straight loss.
Things have been unravelling since they lost the Champions Cup final to Cruz Azul. To make things worse, Pedro Vite is close to joining Pumas. Will reinforcements come in? That seems to be happening behind the scenes.
But on the pitch, the Whitecaps had a tough task against the Houston Dynamo. Shell Energy Stadium has been a tough place for them in recent years. They have not won there since March of 2018 when Kei Kamara and Brek Shea scored in a 2-1 win. Since then, Vancouver has gone 0-4-2 in Houston.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen made a change to the formation to get the team out of their recent funk. Instead of a 4-3-3, it was a 5-2-3.
Well, it worked. The Whitecaps put on a solid performance in the Houston heat and cooked the Dynamo like they were Texas chicken.
First half: The Whitecaps best half in weeks
The Whitecaps dominated the Dynamo early with their possession and press. The 5-2-3 formation worked with Edier Ocampo and Tate Johnson out wide. As a result, Mathias Laborda played as a centre-back, but he moved up the pitch in transition.
Laborda’s rush to the box was pivotal for the opening goal. Ocampo’s cross found Laborda, but Dynamo goalkeeper Jonathan Bond made the save and Emmanuel Sabbi scored the rebound. It felt like forever since the Whitecaps scored a goal. Their last goal was against LAFC on June 28…and that goal was scored by Sabbi.
Vancouver’s start was excellent. They looked more like the Whitecaps of earlier in the season.
With the number of players in the midfield for the Whitecaps, they moved fast on the goal kicks from Yohei Takaoka. Rios, White and Sabbi were running in behind the defenders when Takaoka launched the ball in the air. As a result, they were causing problems for Houston.
However, Bond kept the Dynamo in the game. He stopped Rios on a breakaway shortly after Sabbi’s goal. However, it wasn’t the best shot by Rios anyway and he gave Bond a Scott Sterling moment.
Defensively, the Whitecaps looked in good shape. Through the first 27 minutes, the Dynamo only managed one shot. That was a missed header by Ezequiel Ponce. Vancouver looked very compact and organized with the new formation and it looked like they were playing mid to low block when Houston were in their half.
The Dynamo started to wake up as the half went on. However, Utvik and Sebastian Berhalter were vital in defensive clearances and blocks.
The Whitecaps took notice and decided to continue cooking. Laborda’s ball found White, but neither he nor Rios could get a shot off. But the two strikers moved to create space for Berhalter’s blast. This goal was exquisite, like Hans Zimmer’s score for the F1 movie.
Honestly, that was the best half of soccer the Whitecaps have played in weeks.
Second half: Whitecaps stay disciplined and defensive
Vancouver maintained their defensive shape in the early moments of the second half.
Sabbi continued to be a thorn in the side of the Dynamo. He danced around the defenders and Felipe Andrade took him down in the box. White’s penalty was denied by Bond, but he made no mistake on the rebound. That was White’s first goal since May, as he was away with the US for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. It was good to see him score again. That was also White’s 99th career goal.
Houston wanted to get some consolation, especially after they brought on Griffin Dorsey. The full-back has been a ‘Caps killer in recent years.
Fortunately, Vancouver managed to stay calm and composed defensively. It was a physical game with crunching tackles and Ocampo channelled his inner Atletico Madrid player with the dark arts.
But despite all the rough tackles and yellows, the Whitecaps stayed disciplined. It was also quite surprising that nobody got sent off in this game.
But the Whitecaps managed to stay defensively sound and they looked poised for another goal. Jayden Nelson decided to show off his pace and nutmegs once he came off the bench.
Three goals were enough. It was Takaoka’s league-leading clean sheet and as it stands, the Whitecaps sit second in the Western Conference. After two rough losses, they needed this win. It was also their first win in Houston since March of 2018.
Stat of the match
Ocampo was fouled seven times, the most out of any player in the match according to Fotmob. He also won 12 duels, the most out of any player on the pitch.
What was said
“I think we were more compact today, we didn’t press up that high except for some moments,” said Sørensen. “I think that the team really responded well. We knew that we were not happy with what we performed the last couple of games in LA and in Colorado, but today we really turned the corner. I think also with the effort and energy and the discipline and structure we played with was very good.”
“It’s not about falling, it’s about how you get up,” he also said. ” I think that the most important thing is that over the course of the season, we will fall and stumble at times. But we have to get back up.”
Laborda was the only player to speak to the media after the game.
“It was a great win, we deserved it,” said the Uruguayan defender. “We deserve it, we worked a lot this week. There wasn’t too much time, but we did what we were supposed to do today and that’s what the coach said. It’s a great win for the team.”
“We work a lot on the defensive part,” said Laborda when asked about the team’s defensive play this season. “We push more on those things. At the beginning, everything was new for me. Now I know more about the league. I know more about the other teams and how they play.”
Tweet of the match
Zero points to Griffindor…See!
Wrap-up
The Whitecaps head to San Diego for the first time to face San Diego FC on Saturday. They have a chance to get revenge after San Diego beat them 5-3 at BC Place on June 25.
At the time of this writing, San Diego is down 1-0 to Toronto FC. If that result holds and Vancouver beats them on Saturday, they reclaim first place in the Western Conference. Kickoff for that game is at 7:30 pm Pacific.
