Nothing Much To Be Thankful For: Whitecaps vs LAFC Match Analysis

Close, but no cigar. That could be the motto for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ season come the end of it, with Sunday’s 2-1 loss to LAFC another bitter disappointment given the magnitude and hopes going into it. A dagger at the start and end of the match sealed the deal for LAFC, leaving the ‘Caps languishing in the play-in spots going into Decision Day.

Sleepy Start Put ‘Caps In Trouble

Everyone knew what was on the line in this match. With over 30,000 fans in attendance, the significance of this match couldn’t have been any more stated. A win against a recently-forged bitter rival would have put the ‘Caps above the playoff line and looking good, but a loss puts a mountain of pressure on the players. It is therefore very surprising that the team managed to lose their focus inside just 33 seconds.

That is exactly how long it took for Mateusz Bogusz to get the ball into the back of the net after a line-breaking pass from David Martinez. Bogusz left both Bjorn Inge Utvik and Yohei Takaoka for dead, and immediately deflated what promised to be an electric atmosphere at BC Place. The groans of disappointment were evident.

Sure, the Whitecaps were missing crucial players in Ryan Gauld, Fafa Picault, Ali Ahmed, Sam Adekugbe, Pedro Vite, and Andres Cubas, but LAFC were missing their talisman in Denis Bouanga, who was on international duty with Gabon. The opportunity was there for the fringe players to step up and prove that the depth in the team is strong enough to make a play-off push.

The frustrating part was, after that shocking start, the team did well. The first half fizzled, but at least they did not allow LAFC to have too many chances and put the game to bed inside the first 45 minutes. At the break, Head Coach Vanni Sartini made some adjustments that benefited the team, and soon they had the momentum in the second half. Chances came and went, but it wasn’t until that free-kick that looked to have come off Tristan Blackmon’s head – since given as a Sergi Palencia own goal – that the ‘Caps looked like the team most likely to win it.

It’s all the more frustrating that even with everything going in their favour, the crowd, the momentum, the chances, etc., LAFC still managed to create one opportunity and punish the Whitecaps at the worst time – in added time. It feels like a cruel joke from the Soccer Gods, but it’s one that continues to be told with this team. Perhaps it’s a case of simply ‘not meant to be’ with LAFC. Perhaps there is more to read into it. But for now, it’s just a sour taste in the mouths of all fans and players alike.

The best the Whitecaps can finish now is 7th in West. 8th or 9th feels the more likely.

So it's either a play-in game then a series against an LA team or just a series against an LA team if 7th.

Either option is just horrendous. What a difference a month makes.#VWFC

— AFTN (@aftncanada) October 14, 2024

Missed Chances Come Back to Haunt

If there was one target for the Soccer Gods’ ire in this match, it was clearly Brian White. The Whitecaps MLS all-time goalscorer had a night to forget, after three brilliant chances fell to his feet (or more accurately, his head) but he could not bury one of them. Three times he was found in the box with few or no-one around him, and three times he missed the target. The first one, in the 74th minute, was off a fantastic cross from Levonte Johnson on the right. White narrowly missed it by mere millimeters, flashing it just wide of the far post. The second, eight minutes later, came from the left this time, and the American ballooned it over the crossbar.

The third and most painful of all, came right in the dying embers of the match. With LAFC having just scored what looked to be the game winner, Sebastian Berhalter, who was influential all night and especially in the second half, curled a cross right onto White’s head. White did what he could, flicking the ball towards goal but the ball, almost maliciously taunting, hit off the far post before being cleared. It was a near-surreal moment of just pure unfortunate, wretched luck on an undeserving guy.

White is one of the most hardworking strikers you’ll ever see in MLS. There is a reason why he is one of the most important players for the team and has been for a couple years now. His willingness and relentlessness to press and battle for the ball is one of the attributes that has led him to be the Whitecaps’ leading MLS scorer. The only issue is that, when thrust into those crucial and vital moments, he has a tendency to drop the ball. It is an elite quality that he is missing that is, unfortunately, saved for the elite. That big-game mentality mixed in with that killer instinct.

It’s a quality that is seemingly missing from the whole team whenever there is a lot on the line. Canadian Championships aside, it’s been a sorry fact that the Whitecaps struggle whenever there is a big crowd. Who knows if it’s the occasion or the atmosphere that plays into it, but last night was just another notch in the tally to disappointing results. It continues to be a habit that the ‘Caps need to buck if they want to cement themselves as one of the best teams in the West, and especially so if they want to make it far in the play-offs this season.

the one thing I'm going to cling to for the playoffs is that Everything Is Going In Brian White is due to replace Nothing Is Going In Brian White very soon #vwfc

— Mark Goodman (@markhgoodman10) October 14, 2024

Emotions Spill Over in the Wake of Disappointment

As someone who has covered the Whitecaps for going on two years, I have seen my fair share of Vanni Sartini press conferences. I have seen Sartini in happy jubilation, bitter disappointment, and quiet contemplation. But I have never seen Sartini as he was on Sunday after the game. The frustration and dismay that had hold of him was extremely evident even before the presser started. He was a man that simply wanted to go home and forget about the day. He knew he had a duty to speak to media after the game, but that was about the extent he was willing to do. He didn’t do the postgame radio, just the presser.

Now, I have a great respect for Sartini. He has been one of the most charismatic and entertaining coaches I’ve ever had the pleasure of interacting with in my short time as a journalist. That being said, I also recognize that he is a human being. People, when pushed to the brink, react in ways that are uncharacteristic of them. That is part of being human. So when Sartini snapped at me after my seemingly innocuous opening question, while shocked, I was not offended or incensed. I recognized that he was simply not in a good headspace. I also knew that he would address it later, although he went above and beyond what I expected after apologizing twice at the conference, sending me a text later. That only further demonstrates the character that he truly is.

In the last five – ten minutes it felt like it could have gone either way, @FelipeV_FC to #VWFC Vanni Sartini postgame.

“No, no, Felipe. When you say bullshit, you say bullshit. It couldn’t go either way. We dominated them. So please say that. If not, I don’t answer you.”#MLS

— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) October 14, 2024

Sartini is a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. There is no question about it. His blunt and unapologetic demeanor is what both endears and frustrates many fans, and why he is one of the most polarizing figures in the industry. Given this, it shouldn’t be a surprise his reaction last night, especially due to the circumstances. The pressure both he and the team is under is immense and, understandably, difficult to deal with. There will be a lot of questions asked of him and the players in the coming weeks, especially if their playoff ambitions are cut short.

There are certainly valid criticisms that can be raised on Sartini, on his commitment to his playstyle and perhaps lack of pragmatism in his tactics, to his in-game management in terms of substitutions and starting lineup. But no one can fault the man’s passion both for the team and its players, as well as the fans. That reaction from last night proved it, even if it was a touch too far from his usual dramatics. It’s that kind of energy that hopefully can inspire his players to rise to the occasion against RSL and put this and the last few difficult results behind them.

We know he won’t be the Whitecaps coach forever. But lets hope that before he goes, he leaves a lasting legacy to which this little scuffle is nothing more than a footnote in its story.