Report and Reaction: Whitecaps punished for defensive lapses as they blow chance to extend lead at top of MLS West with Austin loss

Vancouver Whitecaps wasted another opportunity to pull further ahead at the top the MLS Western Conference, falling to a 2-1 defeat at home to Austin FC at BC Place on Sunday afternoon.

Horrible defending and woeful finishing combined to deny the Whitecaps three points that were very much there for the taking. Sprinkle in some excellent counter-attack play from the visitors and some abysmal refereeing from Victor Rivas and it was an almost perfect storm for the ‘Caps.

A Christian Ramírez double did the damage for Austin, both goals coming very much against the run of play for a visiting side that were outshot 19 to 4. But it’s what you do with your chances that matters. Ramirez managed the only two shots on target for the Texans during the entire match and they both ended up in the back of the net.

Brian White had temporarily levelled proceedings for Vancouver early in the second half, but two Ryan Gauld efforts that crashed off the bar, one from the spot in the first half, were really the epitome of how the ‘Caps afternoon went in front of goal.

Jesper Sorensen made three changes to his starting line-up from Wednesday’s win over LA Galaxy. With Thomas Müller out with a quad injury and Emmanuel Sabbi rested, Gauld slotted into the number 10 role, with Cheikh Sabaly getting the start out wide. Sorensen handed Rui Modesto his Whitecaps debut, in a fairly strong line-up.

Austin lined up with five at the back, and from the very first kick you knew this was going to be another game where Vancouver had to find the key to unlock a deep lying backline. It’s something they’ve struggled with all season long and today was to be no different.

While they showed good movement in the opening minutes, they were struggling with the killer execution and final ball.

Austin were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure, while not offering anything much going forward in return, but they got the breakthrough very much against the run of play in the 28th minute with a lovely counter-attacking goal, when Facundo Torres whipped in a ball from the left to a wide open Ramirez, who made no mistake.

The goal had ripped Vancouver’s defence wide open, and Sorensen was left fuming at how a corner turned into such a defensive disasterclass, particularly as Austin were outnumbered two to one on the breakaway.

The Whitecaps were handed a lifeline in the 39th minute when Besard Sabovic clumsily bundled Gauld over in the box. The ‘Caps captain picked himself up, but blasted his penalty off the bar and Austin’s lead remained intact.

The ‘Caps had a couple of looks on goal to finish the half, but they headed into the break trailing and needing a big second half performance.

Edier Ocampo came on for Modesto, who had been struggling to find chemistry with Sabaly on the right side, and there was an immediate spark from the ‘Caps, with Austin on the back foot.

The equaliser came in the 49th minute, with Gauld threading a perfectly weighted through ball for White, who outpaced the last defender and tucked it away with precision past Brad Stuver into the bottom corner.

Just the response that Sorensen wanted to see from his team, and they almost took the lead seconds later, but Gauld’s effort crashed off the bar for the second time in the match.

It felt inevitable that Vancouver would go on and take all three points now, but to their immense credit, Austin had other ideas.

Gauld saw a good effort saved by Stuver before Austin retook the lead on the hour mark, this time from another quick transition as Joseph Rosales played in Ramirez once again and the veteran lashed it home with aplomb.

A great response from Austin, clinical when they needed to be and once again showing the susceptibility at the back for Vancouver when they’re pushing for goals.

The ‘Caps responded well themselves with Oliver Larraz seeing an effort tipped around for a corner and Mathias Laborda heading another corner wide.

But while they once again huffed and puffed, shots and chances were flying wide or into the side netting and Austin’s defence held firm under intense pressure.

Guilherme Biro was sent off in the 90th minute for a second yellow after blocking a quickly taken free kick, soft but correct and the ‘Caps threw everything they could at the ten-man visitors in the six minutes of stoppage time.

Substitute Yadaly Diaby saw a 96th minute effort tipped over by Stuver, with Laborda heading the subsequent corner just over and that was to be that for the ‘Caps on another disappointing outing at home in the last few weeks.

September has seen the Whitecaps take just three of a possible nine league points, while also drawing the first leg against Montreal in the Canadian Championship. That doesn’t scream champions or MLS Cup winners. But they are still top of the Western Conference, with a three point lead and a game in hand over the chasing pack. Hopefully it’s just a wobble, but the consistency has to be found again quickly as it feels like we’re in win one, lose one territory right now and that’s not where you want to find yourselves at this stage of the season.

FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 1 – 2 Austin

ATT: 23,855

VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 70.Rui Modesto (18.Édier Ocampo HT), 2.Mathías Laborda, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 28.Tate Johnson; 8.Oliver Larraz (59.Jeevan Badwal 64’), 20.Andrés Cubas (19.Rayan Elloumi 84’); 7.Cheikh Sabaly (77.Yadaly Diaby 71’), 25.Ryan Gauld ©, 14.Bruno Caicedo (11.Emmanuel Sabbi 64’); 24.Brian White [Substitutes not used: 32.Isaac Boehmer, 3.Sam Adekugbe, 23.Aleksa Cvetković, 29.Mihail Gherasimencov]

AUSTIN: 1.Brad Stuver; 3.Mikkel Desler (4.Brendan Hines-Ike 85’), 15.Jon Bell (5.Oleksandr Svatok 58’), 29.Guilherme Biro; 11.Facundo Torres, 38.Ervin Torres, 14.Besard Šabović, 24.Jorge Alastuey (9.Brandon Vázquez 65’); 30.Joseph Rosales (23.Žan Kolmanič 65’), 21.Christian Ramírez (77.Przemysław Płacheta 85’), 17.Jon Gallagher [Substitutes not used: 12.Damian Las, 6.Ilie Sánchez, 32.Micah Burton, 35.Mateja Djordjević]

SCORING SUMMARY:
28’ – ATX – Christian Ramírez (Facundo Torres, Jon Gallagher)
49’ – VAN – Brian White (Ryan Gauld, Andrés Cubas)
60’ – ATX – Christian Ramírez (Joseph Rosales, Ervin Torres)

STATS:
Possession: VAN 58.8% – ATX 41.2%
Shots: VAN 19 – ATX 4
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 – ATX 2
Saves: VAN 0 – ATX 5
Fouls: VAN 16 – ATX 14
Offsides: VAN 2 – ATX 1
Corners: VAN 6 – ATX 0

CAUTIONS:
35’ – ATX – Jon Bell
37’ – ATX – Joseph Rosales
45+3’ – VAN – Oliver Larraz
47’ – ATX – Guilherme Biro
80’ – VAN – Emmanuel Sabbi
90’ – ATX – Guilherme Biro
90+3’ – ATX – Besard Šabović

RED CARD:
90’ – ATX – Guilherme Biro

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

HEAD COACH JESPER SØRENSEN

On the match:

“I think we played a little bit too slow, not with the right quality in the beginning. We had a couple of moments with better quality, we could have done more and created bigger opportunities for ourselves. I think that the first goal we concede – I’m so unhappy with that first goal. It just puts us in a horrible position, and there’s nothing. There’s nothing there. We can just run back after a corner kick and they are three and we are seven, and they score out of that. But that was over. Then of course we had the opportunity from the spot and couldn’t convert. That’s obviously what can happen also.

And then, in the second half, I had the feeling that when we scored the goal, that we were on top of things, and that we were playing with a little bit more urgency, we were playing a little bit faster forward, we were having more optimistic runs also, and then they got another. A goal out of not much, it was well taken. It was very close I would say, but that’s how it is. And then, of course, they’re very good at not having the ball in play. And that’s what can happen, and we couldn’t really force things, we tried, and we had some big opportunities. In the end, of course, we should have scored a goal. In the end, we didn’t. And then we’re ending up here on the losing side, and that’s, of course, frustrating.”

On recent inconsistency:

“I think, performance-wise, we’re okay in many situations. But, of course, today was frustrating. We had the feeling that we could do better, but we missed the opportunity here to do so. And I think that we didn’t really force the pace of the game the way we’re used to. We were not hitting the top level today and if it was easy – just push a button, then we would do it – but it’s not. We have to climb back into a way where we are consistent. Today we made it more for ourselves, I would say.”

On right back Rui Modesto’s MLS and Whitecaps FC debut:

“I think it was good. It was his first time and he came [in], and it’s a long time since he’s played, and now he got some minutes. And it’s been difficult now for us to play him in through training sessions. But he has looked good in training, and he played from the start, getting his first minutes, and should be also progressing with the game today. I think that, in general, he blended in well with the rest of the team. It was not perfect, but I did not expect perfection when it’s [his] first time, right? So, I think it was good.”