Whitecaps look to become road warriors after loss at LAFC

Article content

Four days after their first road loss of the year, the Vancouver Whitecaps have a chance to redeem themselves.

Article content

The Whitecaps (5-3-3) will face the Colorado Rapids (5-4-3) on Wednesday in the second of three Major League Soccer road games. In MLS on Sunday, they won the Canadian Championship’s Cavaliers on the road in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship, but lost 3-0 to Los Angeles FC.

Article content

“Things are going well,” Whitecaps captain Ryan Gold said after the loss. “However, much still needs to be done to ensure that we reach our goals by the end of the year.”

Coach Vanni Sartini was frank in his assessment of his team’s efforts against LAFC.

“To be honest, this was the first game under our standards this season,” he said. “We didn’t play very well.”

The Whitecaps took a day off from the field, held a team dinner on Sunday, then had two days of training at the LAFC Performance Center before flying to Denver on Tuesday.

Article content

Article content

“Losing one game is not a crisis,” defender Bjorn Inge Utvik said. “We know we are a good team and I think we will be if we continue on the same path.”

Last season, the Whitecaps tied with the Rapids twice. After a scoreless tie at BC Place in April 2023, Matias Laborda and Brian White connected in a 2-on-2 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in September.

Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Whitecaps and Rapids are tied in the Western Conference standings. Vancouver still has a game left, but both teams are above the playoff cutline with 18 points each.

The Rapids are 2-2-1 on home pitches this season and 1-2-0 in their last three games. Their last game was a 3-2 loss at home to the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday. Omir Fernandes scored his first goal for the Rapids from a corner kick, and defender Michael Edwards made his MLS debut.

Article content

“Colorado is a very high quality team,” Sartini said.

The Rapids’ biggest strength is on the offensive side of the ball. They are averaging 1.67 goals per game, led by six goals from Rafael Navarro and four goals from Cole Bassett.

After suffering shutout losses in back-to-back MLS games (Vancouver drew 0-0 with Austin on May 4 before the trip), the Whitecaps currently average 1.64 goals per game, leading the way. Brian White scored five goals.

“They (Colorado State) play a very dynamic brand of soccer,” Sartini said. “We need to press even better than we did on Saturday, so we can win the ball back as high as possible and expose the ball on the counter-attack.”

Playing in the Mile High City presents a unique challenge for visiting defenders.

Article content

“The ball travels fast, so every set piece is a chance, every long ball is a chance,” Sartini said.

The manager believes there is an advantage to having such a busy schedule in the middle of May, when eight games will be played.

“The pressure is always increasing,” Sartini said. “Even if you don’t train too much, the quality of your training will always improve. There is also the possibility of more players joining.

“It’s always nice to be part of the team when there are so many games.”

The Whitecaps will return to Vancouver after Wednesday’s game and conclude their trip Saturday against the Seattle Sounders for the second time this year. The Whitecaps currently lead the Cascadia Cup standings with a 2-0-0 record after winning 2-0 in front of more than 30,000 fans at Lumen Field last month.

Article content

Vancouver Whitecaps FC (5-3-3) vs. Colorado Rapids (5-4-3)

Wednesday10:30pm ET, Dick’s Sports Goods Park

coach collaboration — Monday’s announcement that Jesse Marsh will be the new manager of Canada’s men’s national team comes with an acknowledgment that the Whitecaps, CF Montreal and Toronto FC have made “significant philanthropic efforts” to support the recruitment. was included.

colorado celebration — Wednesday night will feature Soccer for All Night in Colorado, a celebration of diversity and inclusion in the Rapids that includes a postgame drone show.

return match — The Whitecaps and Rapids will meet again on June 1 at BC Place for the second and final time of the year.

Please support our journalism by bookmarking our website: Don’t miss the news you need to know — Add VancouverSun.com Add and TheProvince.com to your bookmarks and Sign up for our newsletter here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Get unlimited access to the Vancouver Sun, Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites for just $14 a month. Please support us by subscribing now: vancouver sun | prefecture.

Article content