VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC made a grand return to BC Place on Saturday evening, winning 2-1 over Los Angeles Football Club, matching the club MLS unbeaten record of eight consecutive matches.
Ryan Gauld and Brian White keyed the second-half comeback in the ‘Caps first match in front of their home supporters in 539 days, as the ‘Caps vault to just three points behind the playoff line with their second straight win.
The two teams battled in the first half with LAFC having several chances to open the scoring. Maxime Crépeau was a brick wall for his team and kept the scoresheet clear.
It was not until Brian RodrÃguez drew a foul from Javain Brown that the scoring opened. Diego Rossi took the penalty shot for his team and with a right-footed shot to the bottom right corner, LAFC took a 1-0 lead.
The ‘Caps had a few breakaway opportunities in the first 45, along with a saved attempt from Déiber Caicedo at the 12th-minute mark, but were unable to produce a goal leading up to halftime.
Gauld’s addition to the field at halftime was immediately felt after the midfielder’s moves allowed Cristian Dájome to get a shot attempt in, just missing LAFC’s goal.
Minutes later, White scored his second goal in two matches, as his close range shot crossed the centre of the goal off a setup from Dájome.
With the ‘Caps tying up the game 1-1, there was a clear resurgence in energy across the squad. Although LAFC had several more scoring chances, the ‘Caps kept their opponents at bay with Crépeau continuing to hold down his goal.
Gauld’s strong efforts continued on the pitch and he ended up netting his first MLS goal. A header from the team’s recent Scottish acquisition in the 89th minute of play put the ‘Caps ahead 2-1, thanks to some fine passing from Brown and Ryan Raposo.
Despite a chaotic last few minutes, the game concluded with the score remaining 2-1.
Up next is a trip to Vancouver Island as Whitecaps FC begin their Canadian Championship campaign with a visit to Canadian Premier League side Pacific FC at Starlight Stadium. Kickoff on Thursday is at 7 p.m. PT, live on OneSoccer.
MATCH DETAILS
GE Appliances VWFC Player of Quality: Ryan Gauld*
Referee:* Alex Chilowicz
Scoring Summary45’+2’ – LAFC – Diego Rossi (penalty kick)
60’ – VAN – Brian White (Cristian Dajome)
89’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (Ryan Raposo, Javain Brown)
Statistics
Possession: VAN 52.9% – LAFC 47.1%
Shots: VAN 10 – LAFC 24
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 – LAFC 7
Saves: VAN 4 – LAFC 5
Fouls: VAN 8 – LAFC 15
Offsides: VAN 2 – LAFC 1
Corners: VAN 11 – LAFC 4
Caution90’+4’ – LAFC – Cristian Arango
Vancouver Whitecaps FC16.Maxime Crépeau; 23.Javain Brown, 4.Ranko Veselinović, 15.Andy Rose, 28.Jake Nerwinski; 17.Leonard Owusu (25.Ryan Gauld HT), 19.Janio Bikel, 31.Russell Teibert © (55.Michael Baldisimo HT); 11.Cristian Dájome, 24.Brian White (87.Tosaint Ricketts 73’), 7.Déiber Caicedo (27.Ryan Raposo 81’)
Substitutes not used
1.Thomas Hasal, 12.Evan Newton, 6.Bruno Gaspar, 26.Florian Jungwirth, 32.Patrick Metcalfe
Los Angeles Football Club30.Tomas Romero; 33.Kim Moon-hwan, 94.Jesús David Murillo, 5.Mamadou Fall, 32.Marco Farfan (44.Raheem Edwards 67’); 7.Latif Blessing (26.Cal Jennings 90’+1’), 20.Eduard Atuesta, 11.José Cifuentes; 17.Brian RodrÃguez, 10.Carlos Vela (29.Cristian Arango 16’), 9.Diego Rossi
Substitutes not used
23.Pablo Sisniega, 2.Jordan Harvey, 8.Francisco Ginella, 15.Daniel Crisostomo, 25.Sebastien Ibeagha, 27.Tristan Blackmon
