Report and Reaction: Whitecaps get back to winning ways in three goal victory at RSL

(Photo Courtesy: @VWFC_PR/X.com)

Another week, another pair of mixed results for Vancouver Whitecaps. The ‘Caps needed a response after weakly crashing out of the Canadian Championship in a loss to Montreal midweek and they got it in a comfortable 3-0 win in Utah against Real Salt Lake on Saturday night.

Recent signing Yadaly Diaby was the star of the show, with a goal and an assist in an excellent all-round performance that brings a lot of excitement as to what might be to come from the Guinean international. Diaby added the third for Vancouver in the second half after goals from Brian White and Thomas Müller had the Whitecaps two up and in complete control by half time.

After a month of up and down performances, this was just what the Whitecaps faithful were needing to see from their side. With results elsewhere once again going the Whitecaps way, the victory saw Vancouver extend their lead at the top of the MLS Western Conference, but they still have to find the consistency needed to make another run to the MLS Cup final.

Jesper Sorensen made six changes to the team that went down to that loss in Montreal on Wednesday night, with many who should have started that game getting the start in this one. Real Salt Lake head coach Pablo Mastroeni made three changes to his side, a team that are on a horrendous run of form in the league, freefalling from being a top four side and after this loss now 12 MLS matches without a win.

The home side had the best of the early chances when Sergi Solans was played in in the 8th minute, but was denied by Yohei Takaoka, although the flag subsequently went up for offside anyway.

An early warning for the Whitecaps, but one they heeded as they went up the pitch and opened the scoring a minute later when White showed great awareness to nip in and tuck away an Oliver Larraz diagonal ball from six yards out.

After that, it was all Vancouver.

DeAndre Yedlin blocked a Diaby shot in the 21st minute, before Müller saw a curler tipped around the post by RSL keeper Rafael Cabral.

Emmanuel Sabbi saw a fierce shot saved by Cabral in the 26th minute, but the ‘Caps finally got their second three minutes later in a great team goal that saw a brilliant dummy from White and superb awareness from Diaby to play the ball to his left for a wide open Müller to blast home his eighth goal of the season.

RSL were still very much in the match and Takaoka did well to tip a Morgan Guilavogui shot over the bar in the 32nd minute, with Cabral parrying away a Diaby shot two minutes later.

That was pretty much it for the first half and the ‘Caps headed into the break comfortably a couple of goals up.

The home side showed more attacking intent to start the second half, with Solans seeing a shot deflected off the right post in the 54th minute.

Any hopes of a comeback were extinguished though in the 63rd minute when Sam Junqua’s loose pass went straight to Diaby, who ran in on goal and blasted home into the postage stamp corner from the edge of the box.

Game over, but the ‘Caps came close to adding to their tally late on when Ryan Gauld crashed one off the bar in the 85th minute and Müller was denied against by Cabral, who was excellent in goal for the home side, three minutes later.

A big three points that will hopefully steady the ship for Vancouver heading into an international break that will see them depleted but having to play two matches.

They now have a five point lead at the top of the Western Conference, with a game in hand and nine matches remaining. They’ve got to find and keep this consistency though. When the team plays like this, they will be hard to stop, but we’ve seen some horrible performances the last few weeks and that will certainly give the rest of the West hope heading into the playoffs.

FINAL SCORE: Real Salt 0 – 3 Lake Vancouver Whitecaps

ATT: 20,574

SALT LAKE: 1.Rafael Cabral; 2.DeAndre Yedlin, 3.Kobi Henry (29.Sam Junqua 58’), 26.Philip Quinton; 12.Saba Lobjanidze (11.Dominik Marczuk 58’), 25.Colin Guske (14.Emeka Eneli 65’), 92.Noel Caliskan, 8.Juan Manuel Sanabria; 39.Aiden Hezarkhani (18.Taylor Booth 65’), 9.Morgan Guilavogui; 22.Sergi Solans (13.Jason Shokalook 73’) [Substitutes not used: 31.Mason Stajduhar, 6.Stijn Spierings, 70.Lineker, 98.Alexandros Katranis]

VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 6.Ralph Priso (2.Mathías Laborda HT), 28.Tate Johnson (3.Sam Adekugbe 80’); 59.Jeevan Badwal, 8.Oliver Larraz; 11.Emmanuel Sabbi (25.Ryan Gauld 62’), 13.Thomas Müller, 77.Yadaly Diaby (14.Bruno Caicedo 87’); 24.Brian White (19.Rayan Elloumi 80’) [Substitutes not used: 32.Isaac Boehmer, 7.Cheikh Sabaly, 23.Aleksa Cvetković, 70.Rui Modesto]

SCORING SUMMARY:
9’ – VAN – Brian White
29’ – VAN – Thomas Müller (Yadaly Diaby, Édier Ocampo)
63’ – VAN – Yadaly Diaby

STATS:
Possession: RSL 49.4% – VAN 50.6%
Shots: RSL 13 – VAN 20
Shots on Goal: RSL 3 – VAN 6
Saves: RSL 3 – VAN 3
Fouls: RSL 13 – VAN 14
Offsides: RSL 3 – VAN 0
Corners: RSL 6 – VAN 7

CAUTIONS:
49’ – VAN – Tate Johnson
52’ – VAN – Jeevan Badwal
59’ – RSL – Noel Caliskan
66’ – VAN – Tristan Blackmon
72’ – RSL – Morgan Guilavogui
81’ – VAN – Yadaly Diaby
90+1’ – VAN – Édier Ocampo

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

HEAD COACH JESPER SØRENSEN

On the match:

“We started a little insecure on the ball and we didn’t really have the good flow in the beginning of the game. But then we had a good attack the first time we actually came up there and scored, and that gave us a little bit more calmness. We were a little bit open in the first half in our pressure and they played through us a couple of times where they ran at us. I think the defensive line was good, we kept a good offside line. But I think that we had some good attacks and good spells, but it was a very open game. We were more efficient today than we’ve been in the last couple of games, but I think in general, the second half I was quite happy with. Apart from the first maybe 10 minutes where there was a little bit of disturbance and commotion, it was – we had Tristan [Blackmon] out at one point, that was a little bit tricky situation – but apart from that, I think we played the second half well.”

On Yadaly Diaby’s first goal and assist for Whitecaps FC:

“He’s new here. He’s very talented. You can see that he has some good understanding of his teammates already and the first assist, or the assist he made, was excellent. It was a blind pass – he’d already figured out that Thomas [Müller] was behind him and it was an amazing assist, and the goal was obviously spectacular. I think we could not ask for more in a game like this, this early, and I’m really happy for his performance. And we’re positive about him. I think that he’s blending in well and he’s getting better day by day. Now he’s got his second start and I think that he did very well, and we couldn’t ask for more. Of course, it was a special game from him. He’ll probably also remember it for his first goal – yeah, it was a great game from him.”