Report and Reaction: Whitecaps get some attacking swagger back in comfortable win over KC

Vancouver Whitecaps head into a much-needed two week break on the back of a fairly comfortable 3-0 win against Sporting Kansas City at BC Place on Saturday evening.

On the final night of the annual Celebration of Light festivities, there were some first half fireworks on the pitch as Emmanuel Sabbi and J.C. Ngando gave the ‘Caps a two-goal lead at the break after a dominant display. Vancouver had their chances in the second half but had to wait until three minutes from time for Mathias Laborda to add a third and secure the three points.

KC threatened little, but Yohei Takaoka did have to come up with one big save in the second half on his way to an 11th clean sheet of the season, but this was a fairly comfortable, untroubling, and assured performance from the ‘Caps.

Finally back at home after a five-game road spell in league play, Jesper Sorensen made two changes to the starting line-up that drew in San Diego last week. Ranko Veselinovic’s season-ending injury brought Tristan Blackmon back in to the backline to partner Bjorn Inge Utvik, while Ngando started in the midfield for Jeevan Badwal.

The ‘Caps started on the front foot, as you’d expect at home against a team lower down the standings, but their best chance in the early going fell to Ngando in the 8th minute, but he shot wide after a cutback from Jayden Nelson. KC’s best early chance fell to Nemanja Radoja’s, whose goalbound header from a corner was cleared by Brian White.

White hit a Blackmon header high and over in the 16th minute, as they pushed for the breakthrough, before Laborda pulled a great opportunity wide left five minutes later, although White was called for a foul in the build up.

Vancouver’s patient play finally reaped its reward in the 36th minute.

The ball came to Ngando off a deflection. His neat touch outside to Nelson saw the Canadian play in the perfect ball for Sabbi to slide in and direct the ball home for the opener.

It felt the ‘Caps just needed the breakthrough and a few more goals would be on their way and both Nelson and Sabbi had looks on goal, but fired over, in the following minutes.

Sabbi came within inches of grabbing his second in the 41st minute, firing a fierce shot just past the far post.

Vancouver got their second two minutes before the break.

Sebastian Berhalter’s header was blocked but the rebound fell to Ngando, who composed himself before firing low past John Pulskamp.

Vancouver were outshooting KC 12 to 3 at the half, with the visitors yet to register an attempt on goal.

Pulskamp superbly turned away a Nelson shot four minutes after the restart, as the ‘Caps looked to add to their lead.

White thought he’d put the ‘Caps 3-0 up in the 68th minute when he tucked away an Edier Ocampo cross in from the right, but he had just strayed offside.

Takaoka had his first save to make moments later, superbly turning away an Endenbe shot onto the bar.

The goalscoring opportunities started to die down as the minutes ticked away, but Nelson got onto a Laborda chest down and drilled one narrowly over in the 86th minute.

The third did come though moments later.

Berhalter played a corner short to Badwal, got the return pass, and floated a lovely cross in for Laborda to rise above everyone and head home.

It was almost four soon after, buts Pulskamp turned over a Daniel Rios shot, but the ‘Caps had to settle for three.

It’s was a workmanlike performance from Vancouver. Not perfect, and after Cubas went off at the half it felt they were more playing backwards at times instead of pressing to get up the pitch. It could, and should, have been more than three, but you’ll take a 3-0 victory any day and the ‘Caps are sitting pretty in second in the West with a game in hand.

Now they have two weeks off to rest, recover, and get ready for the final 10 games of the regular season.

FINAL SCORE: Vancouver Whitecaps 3 – 0 Sporting Kansas City

ATT: 20,719

VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo (28.Tate Johnson 74’), 33.Tristan Blackmon (12.Belal Halbouni 88’), 15.Bjørn Inge Utvik, 2.Mathías Laborda; 16.Sebastian Berhalter, 20.Andrés Cubas (13.Ralph Priso HT), 26.J.C. Ngando (59.Jeevan Badwal 81’); 11.Emmanuel Sabbi (14.Daniel Ríos 74’), 24.Brian White, 7.Jayden Nelson [Substitutes not used: 30.Adrían Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina, 42.Nelson Pierre]

KANSAS CITY: 1.John Pulskamp; 3.Andrew Brody, 15.Jansen Miller, 24.Joaquín Fernández, 14.Tim Leibold (18.Logan Ndenbe 60’); 16.Jacob Bartlett (17.Jacob Davis 60’), 22.Zorhan Bassong (8.Memo Rodriguez 85’), 6.Nemanja Radoja; 93.Shapi Suleymanov (13.Mason Toye 85’), 9.Dejan Joveljić, 10.Daniel Sallói (7.Santiago Muñóz 60’) [Substitutes not used: 36.Ryan Schewe, 2.Ian James, 4.Robert Voloder, 30.Stephen Afrifa]

SCORING SUMMARY:

35’ – VAN – Emmanuel Sabbi (Jayden Nelson, J.C. Ngando)
43’ – VAN – J.C. Ngando
87’ – VAN – Mathías Laborda (Sebastian Berhalter, Jeevan Badwal)

STATS:
Possession: VAN 54.4% – SKC 45.6%
Shots: VAN 21 – SKC 11
Shots on Goal: VAN 5 – SKC 3
Saves: VAN 3 – SKC 2
Fouls: VAN 17 – SKC 12
Offsides: VAN 5 – SKC 0
Corners: VAN 9 – SKC 4

CARDS:
3’ – VAN – Emmanuel Sabbi
27’ – SKC – Dejan Joveljić
52’ – SKC – Tim Leibold

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

JESPER SORENSEN

On tonight’s performance:

“Of course, the result was great. I think the last 30 minutes of the first half was some of the best we’ve played for a long time. I think that we had the flow, we had the quality and the timing in the play. I think that we came around them and behind them as we talked about. And I think we played very well. And the second half they started to go up and press a little higher and then we played very centrally and backwards, where the pitch opened up, and we could have played maybe a little more on the outside. We were too spread on the pitch, which opened the space up for them, it was what it was. Yohei [Takaoka] had a good save that could have been 2-1, and that could have opened up the game and also made us a little bit more nervous, but apart from that, I think we also all the time were able to create opportunities and with a little luck, a little [more] fortune, we could have killed the game off a little earlier. We got a little bit nervous, [the game] got a little bit out of hand but after the 3-0 goal it was better.”

On where his team is at going into the last 10 games of the season:

“Right now, we can obviously see that we have impact players coming back, and [that] has been impactful. But also right now, it’s a tricky part of the season because we are in a good spot, but we also used a lot of energy so far. We’ve played 35 games and players need also a break, now they will get a week off because they need a break. And also mentally, there’s been so much travel, some of them played at the Gold Cup, some of them played in Austin this week [at the All-Star event], so they need some time off. So I think this game has all the time been a game where we looked to get the last bit of power out of the players. And then I hope that we can come back and finish the season strong because I think the players have been good throughout the season and they’ve been doing over what you could normally expect. So I think that now it’s a good time just to get a little bit of rest and then come back fresh, and then we’re ready to really attack the last bit of the season, we have 10 games left and we don’t play in Leagues Cup, so we have a little bit of time also now to train. Maybe the secret has been that we’ve not been training, so we have to figure that out when we get into the last part of the season.”

MIDFIELDER J.C. NGANDO

On his confidence to play like he did tonight:

“[It’s about] believing in myself. I feel like that’s something that was lacking, I had a hard time understanding that I belong. I just have to understand that I’ve been here for a long time and I’m a good player and I just have to be myself.”

GOALKEEPER YOHEI TAKAOKA

On his performance and getting his league-leading 11th clean sheet of the season:

“I think this is the eleventh [clean sheet] of the season [in MLS play], but it’s a group performance. You know, I’m in the goal but the rest of the players are working very hard, not only just the players but the staff who are working at the club, every working for the club, so I think [it’s down to] everyone’s effort.”

SPORTING KANSAS CITY

INTERIM HEAD COACH KERRY ZAVAGNIN

On Sporting KC’s 3-0 loss to Vancouver Whitecaps:

“They’re a good team and a balanced team. They make it very difficult defensively, and that sets them up for the rest of the game. I thought they won a lot of second balls within the game. Part of that was our doing in playing direct, which we wanted to try and get in behind them, but it wasn’t just that. It was off set pieces and goal kicks. They established themselves in the game in a better way, and for large portions of it they were threatening in and around the goal mouth, especially in the first half. We were on the backfoot and we wanted to be on the front foot, although we started the second half of the game in a decent way. We just couldn’t command control of it. This is a difficult place to play and a tough team to play against, so you’ll have to withstand some of that pressure they had in the first half. Unfortunately we gave up two goals — two goals that were preventable — and we go into halftime down 2-0. We have to make some tactical changes, and it shifted the game in a decent way for us in the second half. I thought we were going to a get a goal midway through that half. I thought we got good pressure on them and got really good looks at the goal. Once again, it’s a story of the first half and not being able to gain control of that, which did us in against a good team tonight.”

On the reason for Sporting’s improvement in the second half:

“Maybe part of it is psychological, but Vancouver is a good team. They would gladly take possession in the second half and build up just as they did in the first half, but we were better in our duels, we were closer to players, we were winning balls, we were creating opportunities. We put them under pressure and I don’t think it was just the state of the game at that point. I thought we were good in the second half, and I thought the guys who came on—Santiago Munoz, Logan Ndenbe, Jake Davis—I think they contributed to the game in a positive way and almost turned it in our favor. Ndenbe had two great looks on goal and I thought we were there at one point. Part of it is game state, but I wouldn’t attribute all of it to that.”