VANCOUVER — A BC Place Major League Soccer record attendance of 27,863 spectators saw the Vancouver Whitecaps’ playoff hopes slip away as the Caps lost 2-1 to their Cascadia Cup rivals, the Seattle Sounders.
It was a must-win game against the sixth-placed Sounders, and Vancouver coach Carl Robinson threw his traditional tactics overboard to start the match.
Usually, the Whitecaps like to sit deep — even at home in front of their own fans — always hoping to hit their opponents on the counter. But in Saturday’s must-win game, Robinson surprised his opponent Brian Schmetzer by having his team play a high press.
The press resulted in the first chance of the match in the 11th minute. A long ball from Aly Ghazal found Kei Kamara at the edge the box, and his header found Cristian Techera with acres of space inside the box. Techera’s curled effort, however, was somewhat off the target.
That chance, however, woke Seattle up. The Sounders started to press back, slowly but surely gaining the majority of possession and encircling Vancouver in its box trying to find an opening in the Caps’ defense.
After a fantastic combination on the right side in the 21st minute, Seattle finally found a way through. Cristian Roldan spotted Kelvin Leerdam with plenty of space at the byline. The right back then played a hard pass to the center, where Stefan Marinović missed the interception and allowed Raul Ruidíaz to pump the ball across the line for the opening goal.
In the 41st minute, Ruidíaz scored as a lousy backpass played by Brett Levis found the striker on a breakaway. The Peruvian showed all his class, rounding Marinović to score his second of the game.
But the goal was preceded by some controversy. Just minutes earlier, referee Robert Sibiga reviewed a foul by Osvaldo Alonso on Alphonso Davies. Alonso’s cleats were clearly showing and many thought a red card would be awarded after review.
Sibiga awarded a yellow card and a free kick instead. Vancouver’s Kei Kamara hammered the ball into the wall and it ended up with Levis, who then played back the fateful pass that led to Ruidíaz’s second goal of the game.
It slowly turned into a night to forget for the Whitecaps. But just before halftime, there was a glimmer of hope when Kamara halved Seattle’s lead with a thundering header after a Techera corner kick.
Vancouver, back in the game, started the second half off with some fantastic soccer. Davies, in particular, showed off trickery and set up Kamara in the box with a lopped pass in the 53rd minute. The wide-open striker, however, ended up hitting the post.
The Caps had further chances: Nicolás Mezquida (62′) tested keeper Stefan Frei with a short-range shot from a tight angle and Kamara failed to direct a header from close-range on the net (66′). During that stretch, it appeared only a matter of time until Vancouver would score.
But with every opportunity squandered, the Whitecaps seemed to lose confidence and the Sounders gained back control. Seattle knew three points on the road against a rival would be massive in the push for the playoffs, and as such tried to shut down the game.
They could not prevent everything, however. With just minutes to go, Erik Hurtado had one final chance for the Whitecaps. But his close-range effort lacked the power and direction. With it, a valuable point, and perhaps even the playoffs, slipped away as players and fans watched in anguish.
Lineups
Vancouver Whitecaps (4-2-2-2)
Marinovic – Levis (Shea, 53′), Henry, Waston, Nerwinski – Teibert, Ghazal (Mutch, 70′) – Davies, Techera – Mezquida (Hurtado, 82′), Kamara
Seattle Sounders (4-2-3-1)
Frei – Smith, Marshall, Kee-hee, Leerdam (Bruin, 79′) – Alonso, Svensson – Shipp (Rodríguez, 69′), Lodeiro, Roldan – Ruidíaz (Delem, 90′)