Report and Reaction: Whitecaps can’t find the breakthrough in scoreless St Louis stalemate

(Photo: @WhitecapsFC/X.com)

Not a classic, is perhaps a good way to describe this one. Vancouver Whitecaps extended their unbeaten run in MLS play to four matches with a battling, if not scintillating, 0-0 draw at St Louis City on Saturday evening.

Neither team were creative enough and clinical finishes were lacking from anything that was produced, as the ‘Caps kept another clean sheet on the road, thanks in part to a video review chopping off a first half goal from the home side.

Considering their exertions already this year, it’s not all that surprising that there was a little bit of energy lacking from Vancouver, but an away point is always welcome and they can now turn their full attention to making history against Miami on Thursday in CONCACAF Champions Cup action. A match where more energy and creativity will very much be needed.

Jesper Sorensen went with a strong starting XI, with two changes from the side that dismantled Austin seven days ago. Sebastian Berhalter came back into the midfield, with Ali Ahmed on the wing, after both players got a little of rest last week.

The ‘Caps came out the stronger, as is their M.O. this season, with Pedro Vite seeing a shot deflected wide four minutes in and Emmanuel Sabbi blasting over in the 16th minute.

But that was as good as it got for Vancouver in the first half, who were looking a little disjointed and perhaps lacking some of the intensity and energy levels we’ve seen so far this season.

That allowed St Louis to not just come into the game, but have the better of it, with their counter press causing some issues for the ‘Caps.

The home side thought they’d taken the lead in the 25th minute when Marcel Hartel was left wide open in the box and he buried a perfect cross in from Conrad Wallem, but Wallem was offside in the first phase of the build-up and after a lengthy video review, the goal was called off.

The best chances for the remainder of the half fell to St Louis, with Cedric Teuchert firing over after a neat counter-attack five minutes before the break, followed by Joao Klauss’ header being denied by Yohei Takaoka, who recovered the ball as it seems to just hover in midair!

The teams headed into the break scoreless, with Vancouver needing to find some kind of spark for the second half as they felt a little flat and desperately needed to get Brian White into the game.

The second half mostly belonged to the ‘Caps but they just couldn’t find the finishing they showed in abundance last week. Vancouver controlled much of the play but telling crosses into the box and killer final balls were lacking.

Sub Daniel Rios had a shot blocked from a White cutback in the 75th minute, before White was played in on goal nine minutes later, but ended up being forced wide when the pass inside to Rios was the way to go.

Wallem had a low shot easily saved by Takaoka with three minutes remaining, but that was all she wrote and the spoils were shared.

A second straight goalless draw on the road for the ‘Caps, but also a second straight clean sheet away from BC Place and a fifth clean sheet overall in league play this year.

A point on the road is always welcome and it keeps the Whitecaps top of the Western Conference, with many other results today going their way. They also came out of the match unscathed with injuries ahead of Thursday’s huge Champions Cup showdown with Inter Miami.

If they were going to be blanked in any game this week, I’d rather it was this one than Thursday. Now they need to find their shooting boots at home once again when the circus comes to town.

FINAL SCORE: St Louis City 0 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps

ATT: 17,097

ST LOUIS: 39.Ben Lundt; 15.Joshua Yaro, 32.Timo Baumgartl, 22.Kyle Hiebert; 20.Akil Watts, 27.Alfredo Morales, 17.Marcel Hartel, 6.Conrad Wallem; 12.Célio Pompeu (59.Mykhi Joyner 73’), 9.João Klauss, 36.Cedric Teuchert (11.Simon Becher 72’) [Substitutes not used: 31.Christian Olivares, 3.Jake Girdwood-Reich, 7.Tomas Ostrak, 13.Michael Wentzel, 14.Tomas Totland, 38.Jannes Horn, 71.Joseph Zalinsky]

VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 4.Ranko Veselinović ©, 28.Tate Johnson; 16.Sebastian Berhalter, 20.Andrés Cubas (13.Ralph Priso 74’), 45.Pedro Vite (26.J.C. Ngando 74’); 11.Emmanuel Sabbi (14.Daniel Ríos 63’), 24.Brian White, 22.Ali Ahmed [Substitutes not used: 32.Isaac Boehmer, 12.Belal Halbouni, 15.Bjørn Inge Utvik, 19.Damir Kreilach, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina, 59.Jeevan Badwal]

SCORING SUMMARY:
No-one!

STATS:
Possession: STL 50.2% – VAN 49.8%
Shots: STL 9 – VAN 16
Shots on Goal: STL 3 – VAN 2
Saves: STL 2 – VAN 2
Fouls: STL 9 – VAN 18
Offsides: STL 2 – VAN 0
Corners: STL 5 – VAN 6

CARDS (ALL YELLOW):
36’ – STL – João Klauss
42’ – VAN – Emmanuel Sabbi
56’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
62’ – STL – Conrad Wallem
66’ – VAN – Pedro Vite
90’+2 – VAN – Ali Ahmed

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

JESPER SORENSEN

On the team’s performance tonight:

“It was a very, very difficult match, I think especially the first half, we had some difficulties with St. Louis, who played a good game. But I think in the second half, we did better, got more control over the game, did not concede much in the second half. They had a shot from distance and a couple of set-pieces that could have been difficult for us to handle. But I think we had the better chances in the second half. We couldn’t convert them, and that’s how it is but I will also say that going to St. Louis and take a draw, take a clean sheet once again, I think is good. There’s nothing bad with that. We always hope to play well and play spectacular, but it’s not always possible because the opponents won’t allow it so today was a game where we didn’t really hit the high point from our side, and it was a difficult game, but we got a point and I think that’s what you have to be satisfied with coming off a game like this.”

On the physicality of the match:

“For me, [the physicality] was due to two things. They got a very open game with a lot of transitions back and forth, so there was a lot of space for players to run into, and some tackles from behind and stuff like that, that gives yellow cards. That was one thing, and the other thing was the pitch. It’s been raining a lot today and it was very fast and the players were slipping on the surface, because it was soft and underneath it was very hard so the players were slipping and sometimes it looked a little bit worse tackling than it actually was. We didn’t see any players go out with injuries or anything so I think it was also due to the circumstances, that things looked a little bit harder than they actually were.”

DEFENDER RANKO VESELINOVIĆ

On yet another clean sheet away from home and a continued road undefeated streak:

“It’s been a whole team effort. We’ve pressed good all season long, we’re staying compact, even when we are beaten in the first pressure, we all run and then sit behind the ball. Then considering the backline, we all have confidence right now, we train a lot together and we know what to expect from each other and that helps us a lot.”