Archive for the ‘Vancouver’ Category

“We’d like to have more wins,” Ryan Gauld

Posted: May 2, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The Whitecaps are on the verge of setting a franchise record for most minutes played without conceding an MLS goal. Vancouver has not allowed an opposition MLS goal in the previous 410 minutes.

As Vancouver gets set to host Minnesota United FC on Saturday night at BC Place, the team is 17 minutes away from setting a new record. 

The Whitecaps head into the match with a 2-2-5 (11 points) record. Minnesota will travel west with a 3-3-3 (12 points) record. Both teams are coming off a nil-nil draw at home, but Vancouver will take to the pitch riding a seven match MLS unbeaten streak with a 2-0-5 record and four consecutive MLS clean sheets from goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. 

While setting a new club record would be a feather in the cap of Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini, that’s not the primary focus as he prepares his team for Minnesota and Adrian Heath’s squad. 

“It’s extra,” Sartini said. “It’s something extra but of course every little niche record that you can do that is a positive one. I think it’s something we can be proud of. We pay a lot of attention to our defensive solidity and our way of playing. It doesn’t have to be our objective, but if it happens it means that maybe we don’t concede a goal against Minnesota. Our chance to win the game is of course higher, let’s go for it.” 

The chances of the Whitecaps earning that win are at a higher probability if they can put the ball behind Minnesota United FC and Canadian goalkeeper, Dayne St. Clair. 

When it comes to finishing scoring chances, the Caps have had an up and down season. Since Vancouver put five goals past CF Montreal on April 1, the Caps have scored one MLS goal in the last 311 minutes of play. 

When it comes to scoring, Whitecaps vice-captain Ryan Gauld isn’t ready to hit the panic button.

“We’re creating chances,” Gauld told Har Journalist following training on Tuesday morning. “We just need to put them away, that’s about it. I’ve had a few chances, everyone. We just need to put them away. I don’t think there’s a worry about how many goals we’re going to score because we’re creating a lot of chances. We need to work on the training ground to get better at putting them away.”

After scoring one MLS goal in the first three months of last season, Gauld is off to a pedestrian start this season. While Gauld is fully fit and earning quality minutes he hasn’t hit his stride and opened his goal-scoring account this season. 

When can Caps fans expect to see a Gauld goal?

“Hopefully soon,” Gauld said. “There’s a lot more to the game than statistics. I think over here people look too much at the statistics of players. There’s ways you can impact the game. Obviously it’s nice to have goals and assists. You look at some of the influential players in the Premier League who control games without getting too much statistics. There’s a lot more to football than that, but hopefully I can start soon.”

The statistics show that in the 680 minutes that Gauld has been on the pitch this season, he has attempted 15 shots, with three of those shots hitting the opposition target. 

Whether it’s taking on defenders, finding open space, or simply shooting more, Gauld is hoping to put himself in a better situation where he can help contribute offensively. 

“I need to get into better positions to get shots,” Gauld said. “I think that’s the main part of it. Get in better positions and then work harder to put them away.”

At the opposite end of the pitch, Ryan Raposo is looking to earn his way back into the starting lineup. Raposo was a surprise omission from the Caps starting lineup vs Colorado. Luis Martins earned the start over Raposo and committed several ghastly turnovers. Raposo could find himself back in the starting lineup this weekend. 

“I think it’s part of the season,” Raposo told Har Journalist when asked about not starting vs Colorado. “Vanni’s obviously rotating a lot of guys in and out of the roster. Obviously it’s tough not getting the nod, but at the same time you have to look in the mirror and see what you need to do better at training to show the coaching staff that you deserve to start. I would say just giving consistent performances in training to show that you deserve to start.”

As the calendar turns to May, Vancouver continues to pile up points via draws.

The Caps are currently in 9th spot in the western conference. The stellar defensive shape from Vancouver has helped them earn five draws. While draws are a result, that’s not the result players and fans want to see.

“It’s no secret we need to win more games,” Gauld said. “It’s really disappointing that we’ve played ten (nine) games and we’ve only won two, it’s really disappointing. We need to take our chances, it comes mainly from me and the boys up top. We’re creating chances, we’re just going to have to put them away.”

The second longest tenured first team Whitecaps player, echoes some similar sentiments. 

“Yeah it’s very disappointing,” Raposo said. “That atmosphere within the locker room and within the team, it doesn’t feel like we only have two wins. This feels like a team that’s won multiple games. I feel like that sensation is there because we’ve dominated a majority of teams that we’ve played. I think we’re just kind of trusting in the process and understanding that’s just how football goes. At the end of the day it’s a performance based profession and we need to start getting three points, especially at home.”

The Whitecaps defence has adjusted and formed a bond with Takaoka, the clean sheets that Vancouver has earned show just how strong the back line and Takaoka have been.  It’s up to the offence to contribute with more timely goals to help turn those draws into wins.

“We’d like to have more wins,” Gauld said. “Two in ten (nine) is not a great statistic. To begin the season we had a good attacking record, but it’s kind of dried up lately, hopefully Saturday we get back to it.”

The Whitecaps will look to earn a third victory at home this season, but it won’t be easy.

All three of Minnesota’s wins have come on the road, that ties them for first in MLS road wins with St. Louis City SC.

The Loons came into BC Place last season and scored three unanswered goals to pick up a 3-1 win over Vancouver. 

The Whitecaps are unbeaten in seven

Posted: April 29, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The Whitecaps stretched their MLS unbeaten streak to seven after playing the Colorado Rapids to a nil-nil draw on Saturday night at BC Place. A crowd of 14,103 was on hand to watch a defensive battle between both teams.

Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka played hero on the night as he stopped Rapids striker Diego Rubio from the spot in the 79th minute after Javain Brown had pushed Jonathan Lewis to the ground inside the Vancouver box.

“That penalty save, I watched the player to see which side he kicks,” Takaoka said postgame. “I checked on the wrist, Youssef (Dahha) he gave me information, which is why I can make the save.”

Takaoka made a pair of saves to earn his fourth MLS clean sheet.

The Whitecaps have now earned four consecutive team sheets.

Rapids goalkeeper Will Yarbrough made five saves to earn his fourth clean sheet this season. 

Vancouver stretches their overall streak of not allowing a goal in MLS play to 410 minutes. The Caps have also not allowed a goal at home in MLS play in the last 355 minutes. 

The Whitecaps improve to 2-2-5 (11 points) on the season and Colorado moves to 1-3-6 (9 points) this season. 

“I would say there’s a lot of thoughts,” Coach Vanni Sartini said postgame. “I think you’re totally right. I think we were the best team, the team that attacked more. We had a lot of chances. At the end they had a very big chance with the penalty. I told the guys to not put their head down, every point counts and if we keep playing like this we will win a lot of games. We need to be better in the final third, not even in the final third because we’ve been good in the final third. We need to be better at capitalizing the chances, it’s been a little bit of the music this season. It’s better this music than the music of not even having the chances. We need to focus maybe on the last chord of the music. Performance wise I think I’m satisfied.”

After a two week break in action, the Whitecaps looked rusty to start the game. Passes weren’t clicking, shots on target went wayward, and Colorado was able to break out in transition. A block from Tristan Blackmon prevented the Rapids from scoring early. 

Although the Whitecaps maintained a heavy possession advantage of 59% – 41%  in the opening forty-five, they did little to test Rapids goalkeeper, Yarbrough. 

Caps striker Brian White had the most dangerous scoring opportunity for Vancouver as he ripped a shot on target that was denied by Yarbrough before it struck the crossbar. 

Both teams went into the interval looking to break the deadlock. 

Colorado looked to have opened the scoring in the 57th minute off a set piece play. Lala Abubakar collided with Takaoka, taking him out of the play. With the Caps keeper out of the pitcher, the Rapids deposited the ball into the Vancouver net. 

The goal was quickly waved off because of the foul committed on Takaoka. 

Rapids defender Steven Beitashour returned to take on his former team as a member of the Rapids, but was forced to exit the match in the 56th minute with a hamstring knock. 

“I think Vancouver did a good job today of possessing and overloading the sides,” Beitashour told Har Journalist postgame. “There were moments where we had to bend a little bit and sustain some of that possession for the Whitecaps, but I think we did a great job of not breaking. It’s a little different from years past where it was maybe more direct from the Whitecaps here. Today, I think the Whitecaps did a great job of keeping the ball. To counter that I think we did a great job of bending but not breaking.”

Whitecaps left-back Luis Martins had an adventurous match and was disposed of the ball on multiple occasions. Colorado was unable to take advantage of his generosity. 

Offensively, Martins had an unbelievable chance to put Vancouver ahead in the 66th minute when he sent a rocket on target that Yarbrough leaped up to tip over the bar. 

The Rapids had an opportunity to steal all three points on the road as Rubio stepped up to take a second half Colorado penalty. Rubio sent a low shot to the left of a Takaoka who guessed correctly diving to his left to deny the Rapids striker. 

Defence was on display as both Vancouver and Colorado did enough to leave the match with a valuable point. While both teams created scoring chances it wasn’t enough to earn an outright victory.

The Whitecaps will return to the pitch on Saturday, May 6 when they host Minnesota United FC at BC Place.

The Caps looks to navigate the Rapids

Posted: April 28, 2023 in Colorado Rapids, Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The long wait is over and the Whitecaps are back in action this weekend as they host the Colorado Rapids at BC Place on Saturday night. 

The Caps head into the matchup with Colorado riding a six match MLS unbeaten streak with a 2-0-4 run of form. 

After a pair of losses to open the campaign, Vancouver has shifted into a new gear as they look to continue the momentum they built at BC Place following a two week break in MLS play.

The Caps are 2-2-4 (10 points) this season and 2-1-1 at BC Place. 

Vancouver enters the match vs Colorado having not allowed an MLS goal in the last 320 minutes of play. The Caps have also not allowed a home MLS goal in the last 265 minutes of play. 

What’s been the key to the Caps lock down defence?

“We finally got in a groove after seven or eight games,” Tristan Blackmon told Har Journalist following training on Friday morning. “The guys are feeling good. It’s a pretty good constant group together in the back line. We feel really good right now. We hope to push that to four hundred minutes after this game.”

While the Whitecaps have struggled to earn points away from home, BC Place has been where Vancouver has played their best football in recent years. 

Since the start of the 2021 season, including home matches played in Sandy, Utah. The Whitecaps are 22-9-7 as the designated home team in MLS matches. 

The Whitecaps have made BC Place a tough place for opposing teams to play in.

“I think it’s a fortress,” Blackmon said. “We showed that last year especially towards the end. We look to push that now for the rest of the season, be strong at home, and get some points on the road as well.”

Coach Vanni Sartini’s squad is coming off back to back MLS home matches where they did not allow a shot on target from the opposition. The Caps will look to continue that trend against a Rapids team that is 1-3-5 (8 points) on the season, with a total of six goals scored. 

“Obviously when they (opposing team) aren’t getting good chances as a defender it feels good,” Blackmon said. “Closing chances for them and not letting them capitalize on situations makes us feel really good and we look forward to keeping doing that.”

The Whitecaps offence has shown that they can score timely goals.

Whether it’s at the death in Minnesota or in Southern California against the LA Galaxy, key goals have helped Vancouver earn valuable points early on this season.

That would not have been possible if the Caps defence faltered in front of first year MLS goalkeeper, Yohei Takaoka. Now that the back line has formed chemistry with Takaoka, you’re starting to see the Whitecaps defence shine. 

As he looks to continue his goal-scoring accolades vs Colorado, Simon Becher knows just how important the Caps defensive performance has been during Vancouver’s MLS unbeaten streak.

“I think the back line has gelled a lot,” Becher told Har Journalist following training on Friday morning. “Getting Yohei in with some games under his belt, he’s starting to thrive and I think they’re getting rewarded for all of their hard work, which is awesome. If we keep the ball out of the back of the net and keep scoring, we’ll be winning games.”

The 23-year-old Becher isn’t worried about who scores, when they score, or how the ball finds the back of the net. Becher is already showing that he has the savvy qualities of a ten year MLS veteran.

Becher sees the bigger picture at play. Any goals that are scored along the way are a bonus. 

“There’s some bonuses in there,” Becher said, when asked about his contract. “I think the biggest thing is winning games. We want to perform well and lift trophies. Bonuses are nice, everyone has them, but we’re just focusing on winning games and winning trophies. If you do that, other things come.”

After spending part of the Whitecaps bye week in California, Blackmon (Disneyland) and Becher (Palm Springs), Caps players are ready to navigate the treacherous Rapids.

“We’re feeling really good,” Becher said. “I think that being back at BC Place is something we always get excited about. Having two weeks to lead into it as the primary focus is good to have a little bit of time to prepare. We’re all excited and pushing for three points.”

As the weather finally shifts to a warmer variety, the Whitecaps have a spring in their step. The Caps are confident, determined, and champing at the bit to continue building further success this season. 

Caps create flexibility with Dajome’s departure

Posted: April 25, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The Whitecaps are moving on from Cristian Dajome, Vancouver dealt the Colombian winger to DC United just before the MLS primary transfer window closed on Monday evening. The departure of Dajome will create key roster flexibility for the Whitecaps who will receive General Allocation Money from DC United. 

Vancouver will be getting $350,000 in GAM for the 2024 season and they will also acquire an additional $200,000 in GAM from DC United because Dajome will occupy a roster spot. 

DC United was not the only MLS club that inquired about Dajome. 

Multiple teams showed interest in Dajome, including an additional team in each MLS conference. For the second consecutive season, both DC United and Vancouver were able to work out a trade that benefits both teams.

“First of all there have been three clubs in MLS that have approached us,” Whitecaps CEO and Sporting Director Axel Schuster revealed to Har Journalist. “It’s good for us and it’s good for him that our players generate interest. We have changed our style of play and our formation and we aren’t playing with classical wingers. It was hard for him to get consistent minutes. His biggest strengths are playing on the wing and we don’t have that position anymore. He was fighting with a big group of talented players for a few spots.”

The Whitecaps will be paying a significant amount of Dajome’s contract for this season.

The 29-year-old Dajome earned a salary of $815,625 last season.

How much of Dajome’s salary will Vancouver be paying in 2023?

“I can say that we roughly pick up 50 percent,” Schuster told Har Journalist. “For that we get the GAM that remains in our club that we can use in the summer or even next season if we need somebody or we see an option. We’ve also freed up an international spot that is worth a lot for a Canadian club. In total we get a value that is flexible, because we have a roster spot, an international spot, and we have the GAM.”

With Vancouver taking on half of Dajome’s contract for the remainder of this season and acquiring a total of $550,000 in GAM across the next two seasons, does this trade really make financial sense for the Whitecaps?

“This is probably something that is so complicated that I’m even struggling to find the right words to explain it exactly,” Schuster said. “The thing is that cap space and GAM are two total different things. The cap that a club has is annualized and decreased by everyday in the season and becomes less. You can’t move forward cap and you can’t save cap for the future, while GAM is a fixed amount that you can use for things that you want to do in the future.”

The long and short of the trade is that the Whitecaps decided to make the most from a decreasing asset that they weren’t going to fully use this season, while also finding an avenue to pickup some GAM that they can use at a later date.

As he prepares to join DC United, Dajome will have an opportunity to play in his natural position as a winger in DC United’s preferred 4-4-2 formation. The Whitecaps shift to a 4-2-3-1 position left him fighting for playing time this season.

Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini is sad to see Dajome go, but he knows that there will be a new opportunity for Dajome that just wasn’t available in Vancouver. 

“Yesterday Axel called me with this important offer from DC,” Sartini said. “The only question he asked me was if I was comfortable with the guys that we have here if Cristian was going to go away. We have a lot of options up front. I think that this is a good move for his career. He goes to a place where the team plays in a way that is more suited towards his characteristics. He can probably have more minutes. I’m also happy that he’s not going to go to a western conference rival. We didn’t give a good player to our competitors.”

In 91 MLS appearances with Vancouver, Dajome scored 15 goals and added 13 assists.

In his fourth season with the Caps, Dajome made seven appearances and earned four starts. 

2021 was Dajomes breakout season with the Whitecaps where he scored 10 MLS goals. 

The Whitecaps have not decided how they will use the vacant international roster spot they have freed up. Vancouver could decide to wait until the secondary transfer market opens on July 5, 2023.

Vancouver could also sign a WFC 2 player to a first team contract.

“One of the reasons why it was easier to sell Dajo is because we have a bunch of players in WFC 2 that are almost ready to make the jump to the first team,” Sartini said. “Levonte (Johnson) is one of them, then we have Gloire (Amanda) and we have Antoine Copeland. We have a lot of offensive players. What I like about Levonte, I think he has the profile to play in this league. He’s powerful, he can beat a player one v one. He’s been with us for the entire preseason. He’s also eager to learn. He’s very raw tactically, but he’s willing to learn.”

Cristian Dajome will return to Vancouver when DC United visits BC Place on Saturday, September 30.

The Whitecaps will return from their bye week to take on the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, April 29 at BC Place.

Vancouver is unbeaten in their last six MLS matches. 

The Caps look to kick into high gear in Austin

Posted: April 13, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The Whitecaps are heading south this weekend, Deep in the heart of Texas as they look to bounce back after being eliminated from the 2023 Concacaf Champions League tournament by LAFC earlier this week. 

The Caps will take on Austin FC on Saturday night at Q2 Stadium. 

Vancouver will be looking to secure their first MLS road victory of the season and first MLS road win since they won at FC Dallas on June 18, 2022. 

The Caps are 0-6-7 in MLS on the road since they earned a 2-0 victory in Frisco, Texas. 

Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini has an idea as to why it’s difficult not only for Vancouver to win on the road, but why most teams struggle to earn results away from their friendly comforts. 

“One, it’s very hard to win generally in MLS on the road,” Sartini said. “The second thing is because we were suffering because we weren’t finalizing the chances we had. I think both the game in Minnesota and the (LA) Galaxy, we should have won. The second half of both games we had a ton of chances to score and we scored only once (in both games). I hope we have the same number of chances against Austin, because lately we’ve been much much better in the final third.”

Sooner or later the chances Vancouver has created offensively should find the back of the net. The Caps haven’t had trouble moving the ball and getting into dangerous scoring places. The execution in the final third is where those chances have gone astray. 

The Whitecaps onslaught of goals vs CF Montreal showed exactly what can happen when those scoring opportunities are taken with precise finishing. 

The Whitecaps aren’t the only team coming off a 3-0 defeat to LAFC. Austin FC also fell 3-0 to LAFC when both teams met at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on April 8. 

While Austin will have had a week to prepare for Vancouver, the Caps will have a shorter time frame to turn the page from their defeat to LAFC on Tuesday night. Vancouver will travel to The Lone Star State on Friday afternoon.

“We don’t have to turn the page,” Sartini said. “We just have to continue doing the things we are doing. We knew that against LA, it would take something very special to do. We tried and it didn’t go well. Now we’re back to business to do the thing that is probably our main objective of the season, doing well in the league. We are on a streak of five (MLS) games in a row without losing, so let’s keep going.”

As Julian Gressel gets set to join the U.S. men’s national team in Phoenix, Arizona following the Caps match in Austin, Gressel is hoping to experience his first road victory with the Whitecaps since he was traded by DC United to Vancouver last July. 

“Hopefully it’s happening very soon,” Gressel said. “Hopefully this weekend. It’s going to be a tough game, a great atmosphere there. A very tough environment to fly a long way and get a result. They’re a team that’s struggling a bit for the kind of standards they have and the standards they set for themselves last year so it’s dangerous, a dangerous team. They have a lot of quality, they can score in a lot of different ways. They have a very good coach who sets them up very good. Yeah, it’s going to be a tough matchup. We’ve got to be at our best to win on the road and hopefully we can do that on Saturday.”

Austin FC are 2-3-1 this season and 1-1-1 at home.

The Verde have struggled to score goals this season with only one tally coming in their last three MLS games. Austin FC defender Jon Gallagher has scored three of his team’s six MLS goals this season. 

The Whitecaps are coming off a pair of MLS wins where they dispatched CF Montreal 5-0 and Portland 1-0. 

Vancouver comes into the match with a 2-2-3 record and has not allowed a goal or a shot on target from the opposition in the last 230 minutes of MLS action. 

Whitecaps playmaker Ryan Gauld is aware that Austin FC will present a different challenge compared to what Vancouver has faced recently at BC Place this month. 

“It’s not going to be easy,” Gauld told reporters following training on Thursday. “I think Austin have got a much stronger attack than the last two (MLS) teams we’ve faced. We’re going to have to be close to our best if we’re going to stop them from scoring.”

The 27-year-old Gauld admits that he hasn’t got off to a flying start this season. While he is fully healthy, Gauld was dealing with a slight hamstring knock earlier this season. Gauld is still looking to hit his stride this season and that could come as early as Saturday. 

As Gauld looks to get going, he’s careful to try and not do too much as he looks to break out offensively just as he did in the second half of last season. 

“I try and keep the same mind frame whether I’m playing well or not,” Gauld explained. “I’m never going to try and do too much. I do as much as I can to try and help the team and that’s the same in every game.”

The Whitecaps will be looking to bring that same intensity and energy on the road that they have shown at BC Place this season. While they can’t replicate the noise from the fans at BC Place, Vancouver will do their best to block out the home crowd at Q2 Stadium.

After spending six years in the eastern conference this will be Gressel’s first road match against Austin FC. Gauld on the other hand knows what awaits at Q2 Stadium. 

“When we play Austin, it’s in my eyes the best crowd in the league,” Gauld said. “We’re going to have to not be put off by that and try to play our game, be aggressive and play on the front foot.”

Vancouver will head into a bye week following the match in Texas. Not only will the Caps have an opportunity to earn an elusive road victory, but they could earn some extra rest before they play Colorado on April 29 at BC Place. 

The Whitecaps chop down the Timbers

Posted: April 8, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – On a wet and dreary spring evening, the Whitecaps chopped down the Portland Timbers and earned a 1-0 victory over their Cascadian rivals. The Whitecaps have now recorded back to back MLS victories for the first time this season.

Brian White came off the bench and scored his second goal of the season which would stand up as the match winner. A crowd of 17,029 was on hand at BC Place. 

“I kind of had a feeling Jules was going to play the ball as hard as he could across the box and try and get it through all the bodies,” White said as he described his goal postgame. “I was just trying to be on my toes and get everything I could behind it so it went in.”

In his 200th MLS appearance, Julian Gressel’s relentless determination helped set up White.

Gressel picked up his fourth assist of the season tying him for third in the league.

“I tried to hit a cross,” Gressel told reporters postgame. “The defender blocks it. The second one is me just trying to shoot it as hard as I can across goal and hoping that either a deflection from the defender happens or Brian stands right there and he just needs to put his belly out and dink it in. Yeah, it worked out exactly how I wanted it to. Good things happen when you shoot the ball across.”

The Whitecaps defence was outstanding as they limited the opposition to zero shots on target for the second consecutive MLS match. Vancouver has not allowed a shot on target or a goal in 230 minutes of MLS action.

What was the key to the Whitecaps strong showing against Portland? 

“The key is that we have a very good team,” Vanni Sartini said. “We had the ball much more than them, we had a lot of chances. I was a little bit angry at the end of the first half, because I thought that in the first half we were a little bit cocky with the ball, trying to do something beautiful in space and similar stuff getting inefficient. I think that the result is a liar, there’s more goals between us and them. I’m happy that we won. Again, if you don’t score the goal that you need to score, at the end they had a big chance they could have tied, 1-1, it’s a reminder for us that it’s good to play well, but when we go at them we need to go.” 

Whitecaps goalkeeper, Yohei Takaoka wasn’t overly tested as he picked back to back clean sheets for the first time in his MLS career. 

Vancouver improves to 2-2-3 on the season. The Caps will turn their attention to LAFC as they prepare for the second leg of the quarterfinal Concacaf Champions League on Tuesday night at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

LAFC lead the leg by a score of 3-0. 

The Whitecaps midfield energizer bunny, Andres Cubas, was forced to exit the match in the 28th minute due to a right shoulder contusion. Sebastian Berhalter came on for Cubas. 

Vancouver looked to have opened the scoring in the first half when Gressel fired a shot on target and Ranko Veselinovic smashed home a rebound past Timbers goalie, Aljaz Ivacic.

The Whitecaps defender was in an offside position and the flag was up to nullify the goal. 

Both teams went into the interval looking to break through with the opening goal of the match. Vancouver carried the play with a 65% – 35% possession advantage. The Caps had seven shot attempts, four of which hit the target.

Portland had nothing but donuts. 

Once again Vancouver looked to have broken through with a goal, but it was not to be.

Veselinovic was able to get his head on the ball in the Portland box to convert a header. 

VAR had other ideas and once the verdict came down, the goal was disallowed due to a foul committed by Veselinovc that freed up space that allowed him the chance to score. 

The Whitecaps persistence paid off in the 74th minute thanks to some terrific hustle from Gressel. The Caps midfielder broke down the Portland wing and fired on Ivacic, the shot was blocked, but Gressel was able to regain control of the ball as he raced over to the end line before sending the ball into the Portland box where White was able to score.

There was a momentum of uncertainty as VAR was called on once again to determine if the ball entered the Timers net via a handball from White. 

“Obviously when it goes to VAR it’s a little nervousing,” White said. “You don’t want the goal to come back again. They called back two goals already. It was a nervy time and fortunately they counted it.”

VAR ruled that the goal was scored without an infraction and White and Whitecaps fans roared in celebration. 

Vancouver was by far the better team on this occasion. Portland’s beleaguered lineup was unable to muster anything offensively and did little to stop the Whitecaps from pressing forward and creating scoring chances.

The Caps head out on the road for a pair of matches after taking all three points from their Pacific Northwest rivals. 

LAFC’s Denis The Menace crushes the Caps

Posted: April 5, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, B.C – The Whitecaps momentum came to a crashing halt as LAFC came north in the first leg of the 2023 Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal and earned a convincing 3-0 victory over Vancouver. 

A crowd of 11,662 was on hand at BC Place as LAFC get set to head into the second leg of the series with a three goal advantage and three key away goals.

Denis Bouanga was the man of the second half as he scored a brace ten minutes apart, sandwiched by a tally from LAFC forward, Opoku. Bouanga scored a rocket from distance in the 55th minute and danced around Whitecaps defenders in the 65th before scoring again.

LAFC goalkeeper, John McCarthy made two saves to earn the clean sheet. 

The Whitecaps offence that looked so promising during a 5-0 win over CF Montreal was out of sorts against the MLS champions. Sophomore prospects, Simon Becher and Ali Ahmed both started the match on the bench and entered after LAFC was up two-nil.  

“It’s hard to give an assessment to the total performance,” Vanni Sartini told reporters following the match. The idea was to be very well organized and don’t concede anything and try to be attacking them in the counter and then try to put more offensive weapons in the second half when the game becomes a little bit wider and maybe have a chance to score.”

“In the first half they had more of the ball,” Vanni said. “But we were defending very well. We had a shot on goal, they had a big chance but we had a couple of good chances in transition too. Second half we started very well but Bouanga scored a banger. Unfortunately we did a disaster on our second goal… If we don’t concede that goal, I think that we were having more chances to go forward in the second half, and maybe score to even the tie.”

It was quite a tentative opening forty-five as both teams settled into the match not wanting to give the opposition a prime scoring opportunity. The Whitecaps earned a pair of corners in the first half. Vancouver had the lone shot on target for both sides.

LAFC had the best scoring opportunity in the opening half as Caros Vela caught the Whitecaps zonal marking defence with a terrific ball into the Vancouver box. 

Bouanga was able to stay onside and slip past his defender. The LAFC striker got a touch on the ball and sent his effort just wide off the net in the 32nd minute. 

The 28-year-old Bouanga broke the deadlock in the second half with a booming shot from distance that snuck under the crossbar and past the leaping hand of Yohei Takaoka. 

Before the Whitecaps could recuperate following the opening goal, Bouanga was causing havoc again in the 61st minute when he raced into the box and outmuscled Andres Cubas off the ball.

The ball was picked up by Opoku who out-waited Takaoka before scoring. 

Bouanga continued his strong performance when he added his second tally of the half four minutes after Opoku scored.

Bouanga turned Javain Brown inside out before smashing the ball top shelf past Takaoka. 

LAFC defender Giorgio Chiellini was a big hit among the fans in attendance, the Italian Euro Cup winner did not see any action against Vancouver, but he spoke highly of the stadium following the match.

“I think the stadium is very nice,” Chiellini told reporters in the mix zone. “The atmosphere could be better. The field has to be normal grass and not artificial because the stadium is really amazing. I could imagine the stadium more crowded with normal grass, not artificial. It would be much better.”

The Whitecaps defensive structure in the first half fell apart early and often in the second frame. LAFC took full advantage of several Whitecaps errors and walked away with a great result. Vancouver will have their work cut out for them if they are going to advance. 

The second leg of the quarterfinal matchup between Vancouver and LAFC will take place on Tuesday, March 11 at BMO Stadium in Southern California. 

No April Fooling, Whitecaps thrash CF Montreal

Posted: April 1, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The Whitecaps goal scoring woes were put to bed for at least one night as they silenced their critics with a convincing 5-0 smashing of Canadian rival, CF Montreal. Vancouver did all their damage after CF Montreal went down to 10 men in the 23rd minute. The visitors from La Belle Province were outmatched and second best.  

Vancouver scored three first half goals and never looked in danger as they picked up their first MLS victory of the season in front of 16,046 fans at BC Place.

“To be honest, the difference between today and the other games is scoring goals,” Vanni Sartini told reporters postgame. “I’m going to anticipate your question… nobody say we won because there were 10 men, because it’s not true. We won because we played much better than them, stop. Even if there was 12, we would have won. That’s the thing and I’m very happy.”

Simon Becher and Ali Ahmed led the way as they both earned their first career MLS start. 

Becher picked up a brace to move into first place on the team with three MLS goals. 

“I think a big part of it is instinct,” Becher explained to reporters postgame. “Being a forward for so long doing so many finishing drills, finishing drills in the box. I basically live in the box. It’s something I pride myself in. Every chance I want to put away. As much as it is an instinct, it’s something you work on your whole life and you can always get better. The first one if I had put that away, it would have been a hat trick. Things to improve on, yeah.”

The 22 year-old Ahmed scored his first MLS goal and earned an assist.

Brian White scored his first MLS goal of the season and also earned an assist. Julian Gressel scored a first half goal for the Caps, and Yohei Takaoka earned his second MLS clean sheet this season. 

The Whitecaps move to 1-2-3 on the season and get set to host LAFC in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions League on Wednesday night at BC Place.

The 23 year-old Becher has become the fastest player in MLS history to score his first four MLS goals. Becher has accomplished this feat in just 87 minutes of action. 

Becher has scored five goals across all Whitecaps competitions this season.

It’s certainly a small sample size, but if Becher keeps it up he could have a strong offensive campaign. 

“It’s very small (sample size),” Sartini said. “But if he keeps scoring, yes. What Simon has, he has a magnet that strikers have in the box and the ball arrives to them. He has this sixth sense to attack the goal and to be there in front of the goal. He needs to improve some other aspects of the game, but if he keeps working like this he can be for sure an important player in this league.” 

CF Montreal continue to struggle away from home dropping to 0-4-0. Hernan Losada’s side have yet to score a goal on the road this season.

Overall CF Montreal drops to 1-4-0. 

The Whitecaps had a terrific chance to open the scoring in the 19th minute after Ahmed earned a free kick for Vancouver. Ahmed was brought down by an aggressive shirt pull courtesy of Joel Waterman. While the fans whistled for a red card, Waterman saw yellow.

With Ryan Gauld starting the match on the bench due hamstring tightness, Gressel stepped up to take the free kick. Gressel beat the keeper but hit the outside far post.

Vancouver had another glorious opportunity to open the scoring in the 28th minute. Already sitting on a yellow card, CF Montreal defender Rudy Camacho brought down Ahemd just outside the area. Referee Tim Ford issued a straight red and pointed to the spot for a Caps penalty. 

VAR overturned the decision to award Vancouver a penalty. Luis Martins and Gressel stepped up to take the free kick just outside the CF Montreal box. Martins fired into the CF Montreal wall and on the ensuing ricochet Gressel fired well wide of the net.

The Whitecaps persisted and eventually broke through with a goal in the 38th minute. Javain Brown found a streaking Becher and he played in Brian White in front of goal. 

Down to ten men, White was left wide open with all sorts of time and space. White smashed the ball past Sirois for his first third goal scored in all competitions. 

Five minutes later, Becher scored off a great ball from Ahmed who was played into the area by Martins.

The Whitecaps continued the offensive outburst with another tally just before the interval, White broke into the box and fired on target. Sirois made a terrific save, but in doing so let a generous rebound into the path of Gressel who deposited the ball into the net.

CF Montreal had no answer for the Whitecaps quick transition game and that would continue. 

Ali Ahmed scored his first career MLS goal in the 48th minute after taking control of a blocked shot from White that found its way to him.  

It was a fitting night for five as Whitecaps FC 59th minute when Becher got a flick onto the ball from Brown and redirected the ball past Sirois for his first career MLS brace. 

The Whitecaps 20 shots attempted in the first half tied a record for the most shots attempted in one half of a Whitecaps MLS match. The 29 shots attempted in an entire match are the second most Vancouver has finished within an MLS match. 

Vancouver needed an offensive onslaught and they took full advantage after Camacho was sent off in the first half. The Caps will look to continue this momentum as they get set to host LAFC and Portland in two separate competitions next week. 

What’s next for Big Game Becher?

Posted: March 30, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, BC – The Whitecaps are set to take on CF Montreal in a battle of two teams that have yet to hit their stride this season. Vancouver sits 0-2-3 on the season looking to earn their first win of the season and CF Montreal has yet to earn a point on the road.

CF Montreal heads west with an 0-3-0 record on the road where they have yet to score a goal.

The lone Montreal win came in a 3-2 result at home vs Philadelphia on March 18.

Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka knows that despite CF Montreal’s struggles this season, Vancouver can’t take them lightly, especially with the quality of players they have. 

“They’re at the bottom right now,” Takaoka told Har Journalist following training earlier this week in Vancouver. “They have a good player in Victor Wanyama. It’s going to be a tough game. We have to prepare to play at home and we have to take three points.”

The Caps are coming off a 1-1 draw in Minnesota where they earned a point at the death thanks to a 98th minute goal from Simon Becher. The lone Whitecaps striker to score a goal in MLS play has been the toast of training this week.

“Obviously it feels good,” Becher said. “It’s a first so it’s exciting, but I think for me it’s obviously just trying to stay focused because we picked up a good point and we want to build on that. I’m excited to go forward. I think we’ve all got our eyes on Montreal, a little Canadian derby. We want to pick up our first three points.”

After coming off the bench and scoring two MLS goals in his first two MLS appearances, in less than 30 minutes of action.

What’s next for Big Game Becher?

It’s not as simple as just throwing Becher into the starting lineup and letting him loose. The Whitecaps have found a role where Becher can come in and deliver in the crunch.

If Becher is going to earn his first MLS start, he’s going to have to show that he’s ready for additional minutes.

“If you score every time that you come in.. sooner or later you’re going to have a chance to play as a starter,” Vanni Sartini said. “I think that we need to be mindful to put everyone in the right context and where they can succeed. I think that Simon did very well in the last twenty minutes because we were switching and playing with two strikers. Him and Brian combined very well. He was helped a lot by the fact that he had a guy next to him. If he had to play as a solo number nine, there’s still some kind of question if he can do it or not.”

Vancouver enters the match vs CF Montreal without Alessandro Schopf and Sergio Cordova who are both dealing with hamstring injuries. Ryan Gauld also has a hamstring knock, but he’s probable to play.

White and Becher are both attacking options in Vanni Sartini’s Christmas tree formation. 

Fans that are hoping to see Becher start over White might have to wait.

Sartini is toying with playing White and Becher at the same time. 

“It’s a possibility,” Sartini said. “The feeling during the week is going to tell us what we can do. Brian is a player that can play as a number nine or as one of the two tens. It’s not like it would be a crazy thing.”

The 23 year-old Becher isn’t going to be distracted by when he plays, who he plays with, or how long he is on the pitch for. He’s ready to play whenever his number is called.

“Yeah that’s not really my concern,” Becher told Har Journalist following training this week in Vancouver. “That’s not really my job. If it’s ten minutes, twenty minutes, forty-five, whatever it is, it’s continuing to help the team. The only reason I get in those spots is because I’m staying focused, staying in the moment and not really worrying about anything I can’t control. Everything kind of takes care of itself. I’m just staying focused and trying to continue to get better.”

Would Becher ultimately like to start? 

“Everyone would want to start,” Becher said. “But there’s only eleven spots. I can’t really control that. I can just control what I do on the pitch and what I do at training so I’m just focused on that.”

It’s early days, but the Caps top shot-stopper has been impressed by what he has seen from Becher.

If both Becher and Takaoka can continue to shine, Vancouver could build some momentum as they head into a busy stretch of the season with the quarterfinals of Concacaf Champions League approaching next week. 

“Yeah he’s a good talent and he’s still young,” Takoka said. “He’s played well in training, that’s why he scored in the last game. He’s a good guy, absolutely.” 

Montreal sits last in the eastern conference, and on paper this is a match where Vancouver should take all three points.

The Whitecaps look to dish out revenge in Minnesota

Posted: March 24, 2023 in Major League Soccer, Vancouver, Vancouver Whitecaps, Whitecaps FC
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VANCOUVER, B.C – Revenge is a dish that’s best served cold and there’s no colder place in Major League Soccer than St. Paul, Minnesota on a cool and crispy evening in March. 

On Saturday night Vancouver will return to Allianz Field for the first time since Minnesota United FC beat the Caps 2-0 on MLS Decision Day and crushed their dreams of earning a playoff spot.

While it’s a new season, with new faces in different places, Whitecaps FC players have not forgotten about the midwest misery they experienced on October 9, 2022. 

How much are Caps players thinking about revenge? 

“Oh yeah for sure,” Ranko Veselinovic told Har Journalist following training on Friday morning in Vancouver. “Last season that was the deciding game so we think about that game. It was a big chance missed for us, but now it’s a new season and everything starts from zero. I think this game will be different from that game in the playoffs.”

The Whitecaps are 0-2-2 this season and they take on a Minnesota squad that has yet to suffer defeat this campaign.

The Loons are 2-0-1 in 2023 and 0-0-1 at home. 

Vancouver hasn’t recorded a road win in Major League Soccer since they defeated FC Dallas on June 18, 2022.

In that time period the Caps are 0-6-6 in MLS road matches. 

Caps midfielder Julian Gressel has never experienced an MLS road victory since joining Whitecaps FC following a trade to the west coast from DC United on July 15, 2022. 

“Every environment you step in is very very different from what you’re used to,” Gressel explained. “Here in Vancouver we have especially quite far to travel every time. That is a little bit of an extra burden coming from the east coast. In DC we had some flights that were an hour, an hour fifteen. It’s quite quick. Here it’s nothing really under two and a half, other than Seattle and Portland. It’s certainly different in that sense. You have to have a certain mentality, a certain way of grinding out results. We did in LA, a tie is not a bad result there on the road. Ultimately if we continue that mindset it will come eventually.” 

The Whitecaps have never won an MLS match in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. 

The Caps have an 0-3-2 record playing at Minnesota. 

The combination of the support from the home crowd, the unpredictable weather and the defensive structure from The Loons makes Allianz Field a tough place for any visiting team. 

“It’s not an easy place to play,” Vanni Sartini told reporters following training on Friday morning. “Minnesota they’re a good team. They always make the playoffs, it’s hard to win in that stadium. The atmosphere in the stadium is electric to be honest and they exploit this atmosphere, so tomorrow hopefully it’s not going to be Wonderwall at the end, just silence.”

Adrian Heath’s Minnesota squad will be missing seven players due to international duty. Whitecaps FC will be without the services of Russell Teibert and Sergio Cordova who are unavailable due to injury. Andres Cubas and Javain Brown are away on international duty.

Minnesota will be missing Canadian goalkeeper, Dayne St. Clair, Michael Boxall, Kemar Lawrence, Robin Lod, Kervin Arriaga, Joseph Rosales, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane due to international duty. 

“Yeah, it’s a very important opportunity for the team to play good,” Cristian Dajome said. “Now Minnesota won’t have seven guys playing, that’s good for my team.”

Despite missing several key regulars, Veselinovic won’t be taking Minnesota lightly. 

“Yeah it’s good for us that they’re missing so many good players who have played almost every game for them,” Veselinovic said. “They still have a big roster with very good quality players. I think they’re going to have a strong lineup. We’re also missing a few players who are really important players. I think it’s going to be a tough game.”

In the absence of Brown, Vancouver will start Mathias Laborda at right back. 

This will also be the first match of the season where Sartini will start all three centre backs in the Whitecaps back line.

Although fans have been hoping for Laborda to start at centre back, Sartini prefers the duo of Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon in the middle of the line. What can fans expect to see from three natural centre backs?

“I expect everything that they do all the time,” Sartini said. “Mathias is very good one v one defensively and he’s also good technically, he can play crosses. Ranko and Tristan are solid, they know how to play in their sleep. I expect Ranko and Tristan to do the same performance that they did in LA with basically no mistakes defensively.”

If the Whitecaps are going to earn their first MLS victory in Gopher State they’re going to need to score at least one goal. Through four MLS matches, Caps players have scored three goals in the opposition net.

Gressel has earned an assist on each Caps tally.

Vancouver strikers have yet to score an MLS goal this season and as a team the Caps have yet to score a goal in the second half of all four MLS matches. Despite having goal scoring challenges, Sartini is not too worried about the Caps struggling offence. 

“I think we are focused too much on the fact that we need to score more goals,” Sartini explained. “Maybe we also need to concede less.”

In a late Friday afternoon news dump, Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced the departure of the Whitecaps director of recruitment, Nikos Overheul, citing a mutual parting of ways. 

Overheul first joined the Caps as a consultant in October, 2020 and has overseen the department since February 2021.

Overheul was instrumental in the Whitecaps pursuit and acquisition of several key first team players. 

“I’m very thankful for my two years at the club,” Overheul said in a statement released by the club. “Winning the Canadian Championship last season was one of the highlights of my career and I’m very glad we shared that moment at BC Place. I wish Axel, Vanni, and the rest of the staff all the best for the future. 

The Whitecaps will be looking to Overheul The Loons and return home with their first victory of the MLS campaign. The opportunity for Vancouver is there, but it remains to be seen if they can grab all three points. 

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