Report and Reaction: Homecoming hero Brian White writes himself into Whitecaps history as Vancouver get good point at New York

The script couldn’t have been written any better. New Jersey boy Brian White returns home, returns to the club he came through the ranks of, and scores a record-setting goal for his new club. And for a while, it looked like White’s 15th minute opener was going to be good enough to give Vancouver Whitecaps all three points against New York Red Bulls, but in the end it earned a point after Lewis Morgan’s 56th minute leveler set up an exciting finish to the match.

Neither side could find the winner, with New York pushing hard for the go ahead goal before Noah Eile’s 74th minute sending off and Vancouver after it, and a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw felt like a fair result in the end, keeping Vancouver’s unbeaten away record intact in their first big road trip of the season.

With the talismanic Andres Cubas suspended for yellow card accumulation, Vanni Sartini made three changes to the side that started last week’s win in Seattle. Two of those came in the midfield with Sebastian Berhalter and Ryan Raposo coming in, with Matias Laborda coming back into the back three.

As we’ve seen in many of the Whitecaps matches this season, it was their opponents who started on the front foot and Yohei Takaoka was forced into a double save two minutes in to deny Red Bulls’ leading scorer Morgan.

New York were having the better of the play but Vancouver started to get a foothold in the game and opened the scoring in the 15th minute.

Ryan Gauld played the ball inside to Pedro Vite on the edge of the box. The Ecuadorian in turn played it out to Raposo who cut it back to White in the six yard box and the ‘Caps striker took it beautifully with a neat backfoot finish to not only give Vancouver the lead, but take the striker to the all-time goalscoring record for the Whitecaps in the MLS era, moving him onto 44 goals across all competitions.

✨ This one's special ✨

Brian White scores his 44th goal back in his hometown, New Jersey, and against his former club.

📺 https://t.co/gsor3Ab0tA#VWFC | #RBNYvVAN pic.twitter.com/9Julfn3sSa

— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 27, 2024

New York huffed and puffed but Vancouver were handling their lead fairly comfortably. They should have added to it on the half hour mark when Gauld brilliantly played in White but the striker took too long and the home keeper Carlos Coronel smothered the danger.

The Red Bulls wanted a penalty minutes later when the ball seemed to come off Ranko Veselinovic’s elbow after a bounce up, but nothing was forthcoming.

The last chance of the first half fell to the Whitecaps, who won a free kick on the edge of the box when Gauld was barged over, but it was wasted by Sebastian Berhalters blasting it into the wall and the danger was cleared.

As with the first half, it was the home side to had the early pressure after the restart and they got their reward in the 56th minute.

Emil Forsberg sent in a dangerous corner from the left which Takaoka could only parry away. The ball fell perfectly to Morgan, who dove to superbly head home and we were all tied up.

LEWIS USES HIS HEAD. #RedRunsDeep | @Audi pic.twitter.com/dDk7tnzQNN

— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) April 28, 2024

White looked set to fire the ‘Caps back into the lead on the hour mark as he was played in, but as he was poised to shoot, Daniel Edelman slid in with a fantastic to knock the ball behind.

New York then took over and looked the more likely team to add to the scoreboard forcing Takaoka into a string of saves.

The first came in the 68th minute when he held onto an Eile header off a Forsberg free kick. A minute later he turned away a fierce Morgan strike, before the ‘Caps keeper saved an Elias Manoel shot from the edge of the box in the 74th minute.

Then the game changed.

The ‘Caps sent a ball forward for White to chase down. New York defender Eile inexplicably turned the ball away with his hand to deny the ‘Caps striker at the edge of the box, getting a straight red card and sending the home side down to ten men for the last quarter of an hour.

Berhalter once again sent the subsequent free kick into the wall, but the Whitecaps started to turn up the heat.

Ali Ahmed forced a save from Coronel in the 81st minute, with the New York keeper just getting to the rebound before the Canadian midfielder.

Tristan Blackmon header off a corner in the 88th minute, which Coronel easily held, but that was to be it for either side, who both pushed hard in the closing moments but couldn’t find the decisive breakthrough.

A very good away point for the Whitecaps in their first long road trip of the season, keeping their undefeated record away from home intact and showing well in various stages of the match against very tough opposition. They’ll certainly be pleased with the result and how they played, but there will likely be a disappointment in not being able to get more than four shots on target, especially against ten men for the latter part of the match.

There’s a return home now against a resurgent Austin FC side next weekend and with BC Place proving very much up and down for the ‘Caps this season in terms of results, this will be another good test of their playoff credentials.

FINAL SCORE: New York Red Bulls 1 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps

ATT:

SCORING SUMMARY:
15’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Raposo, Pedro Vite)
56’ – RBNY – Lewis Morgan (Emil Forsberg)

STATS:
Possession: RBNY 59.3 – VAN 40.7
Shots: RBNY 16 – VAN 12
Shots on Goal: RBNY 9 – VAN 4
Saves: RBNY 3 – VAN 8
Fouls: RBNY 10 – VAN 9
Offsides: RBNY 0 – VAN 1
Corners: RBNY 6 – VAN 5

BOOKINGS:
22’ – VAN – Sam Adekugbe
34’ – RBNY – Dante Vanzeir
43’ – RBNY – Wilkeman Carmona
45’+3 – VAN – Ryan Raposo
58’ – RBNY – Daniel Edelman
71’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda
90’+1 – RBNY – Dylan Nealis

SENDING OFF:
74’ – RBNY – Noah Elie

NEW YORK: Carlos Coronel; Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis, Noah Elie, John Tolkin (Kyle Duncan 79’); Dennis Gjengaar (Cameron Harper 66’), Daniel Edelman, Wilkeman Carmona (Frankie Amaya 66’), Emil Forsberg (Cory Burke 90’); Dante Vanzeir (Elias Manoel 66’), Lewis Morgan
[Substitutes not used: Ryan Meara, Julian Hall, Aiden O’Connor, Bento Estrela]

VANCOUVER: Yohei Takaoka; Mathías Laborda (Fafà Picault 79’), Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon; Ryan Raposo (Ralph Priso 61’), Pedro Vite, Sebastian Berhalter (Damir Kreilach 87’), Ali Ahmed; Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Sam Adekugbe (Javain Brown 61’) [Substitutes not used:
Isaac Boehmer, Belal Halbouni, Luís Martins, Bjørn Inge Utvik, Levonte Johnson]

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

VANNI SARTINI

Good point to come away with on your first long road trip of the year against a very good side. Are you content with a point or do you feel you could maybe have pushed on and grabbed all three in the end?

“I think at the end, a point is kind of fair. Maybe a little more for us because we had two big chances with Brian (White) and the one when they got the red card. I consider it a big chance because if not Ryan (Gauld) is in front of the goal. But we don’t have to forget that the first 15 minutes they pushed a lot and they were kind of overwhelming us and Yohei (Takaoka) was amazing with double save. Then, at the same time, we scored the goal probably in their best moment. I think that at the end, the tie is not a bad result, coming here and leaving with a tie. Also, I think it’s kind of fair, to be honest because you know, both teams, when you play against them is always like this, like they’re so intense with a lot of numbers. They try to overwhelm you with winning the second ball and they put you under pressure, but at the same time every time that you break the first pressure you can score a goal. It could have finished three, three but finished one, one. We were very tired at the end, then they went with 10 men in front of their goal, so it was really hard to score but it’s okay.”

A lot of positives to take out of it, especially on the defensive side. And as you mentioned there, Yohei coming up with a few big saves, is it a bit of disappointment you couldn’t really manage to get more than four shots on target?

“Yeah, but again, more than the shots on targets, we had two big chances. One with Brian where the shot was deflected out, but it was in front goal and one with Mathías (Laborda) on a corner that the shot has been blocked. At the end, we had the big, big, big chances. So it’s not that you need 10 shots on goal to score but we had at least three chances in front of the goal, where we could have done maybe a little better. But again, it’s really hard to play here guys. When we were 11 v 11, it’s like every moment looks like the last minute of the game. Boom, boom, boom and we need to be very concentrated, they’re a very intense team with a very distinct style of play. Kudos to them too.

BRIAN WHITE

Congrats on the goal. Are you glad we don’t have to talk about it anymore after tonight?
 
“No, it’s great to get that goa. Obviously, to come away with a point is huge on the road, at a tough team like Red Bulls. You know, it’s just nice to contribute to a good team performance.”

You said you were going to celebrate with a with a group hug, you guys did a group hug. But it didn’t even have a smile on your face. What was that about?

“Just coming back, seeing a lot of old faces. They showed me a lot of love, especially with the video before the game. I still have a lot of love for this club, this state, this city, the people that are still here. It just felt like the right thing to do and especially with all the love that they’ve shown me. I wish the club’s and the people here nothing but the best going forward.”

NEW YORK RED BULLS

HEAD COACH SANDRO SCHWARZ

Thoughts on the performance:

“Today, after 20 minutes was not good in the first half, and this is what we have to analyze and we have to improve very quick. In some moments to have this consequence to play forward, to play forward very quick, and some moments to have more deep runs to create more situations in the box, in the opponent’s box.”

EMIL FORSBERG

Thoughts on the performance:

“I think we were the better team overall. We kept the ball and we kept creating chances. We came out, playing a fantastic second half, scored a goal and then we get a red card. Of course it changed the game. I mean, it’s hard. We wanted to win today and I think we were on a good path but sometimes mistakes happen. We have to keep looking forward. Keep evolving. It’s irritating because I think we could have won today and we didn’t.”