Vancouver jumps to fifth with two games remaining in the regular season, managing outside pressure for a crucial home win.
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Climbing up the Western Conference standings has been like riding the Vancouver Whitecaps elevator. They move forward, but the ground moves beneath them.
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The Caps started the week in a playoff spot, but by the start of Wednesday night, they were down two notches to ninth in the standings, thanks to the victory of other teams.
But Vancouver continued its fast-paced run on the table, dispatching Minnesota United FC 2-1 at BC Place to jump over four teams to fifth in the Western Conference.
The Whitecaps (12-11-9, 47 points) had an own goal, forced by forward Brian White, and then a legitimate goal by the Whites to defeat the Loons, who had been one point ahead of Vancouver.
Minnesota (12-9-11, 45 points) missed an opportunity to leave some light between them and Vancouver, and fell to eighth behind Real Salt Lake. After Minny hit his second post of the night, Fanendo Adi spoiled Max Crepeau’s shutout in the 91st minute by adding his own wood rebound.
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This is what we learned …
FOOTBALL LUNCH-BUCKET
With all the teams around him winning, the pressure mounted on the Whitecaps to keep up in the West. You have not resolved them yet.
Vanni Sartini preaches focus on process rather than outcome, and so far, they haven’t deviated from that formula.
“The most important thing for me is to focus on the process rather than what is happening on the field. The result is not always predictable. But the exit? Yes. The way we work; so we have to focus on that, ”he said Tuesday.
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The perfect embodiment of that is White, who is the fittest striker in the league right now. The first goal came from hard work; A Russell Teibert ball over the top found the chest of a striped target, who was stopped by Tyler Miller in the 45th minute but bounced off the Loons goalie, on the foot of center back Michael Boxall and on the back of the net.
White didn’t get credit for that, but he did so on the Caps’ second of the night.
With Gauld freeing himself down the left, White made his cross run slip away from his defender, creating enough room to fire a clean left-footed shot. He sneaked inside the post for his 10th goal in his last 14 games, and he now has 12 on the season.
SCORE OUT OF CITY
On Tuesday, LAFC topped the Caps with a surprising 3-0 dominance over then-West leaders Seattle Sounders, leaving Vancouver below the playoff line. That line strayed further Wednesday when Albert Rusnák scored in the 90th minute for Real Salt Lake to clinch a 2-1 road win in Frisco against Dallas, taking them from ninth to sixth in the West.
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Sporting Kansas City received a double from Johnny Russell, who extended his team record by scoring in his eighth consecutive game, to defeat the LA Galaxy 2-0, preventing the SoCal team from extending its two-point lead over Vancouver.
If the Timbers hadn’t beaten San Jose 2-0 later Wednesday, eliminating the Earthquakes from playoff contention, the Caps could have moved up to pace four and earned a playoff spot at home.
DOMINATION OF THE DOME
Since returning to BC Place from exile in Utah in August, the Whitecaps say they have turned their home stadium into a “fortress.” It is not an empty boast.
The Caps are 7-1 inside the Dome this season, outscoring their opponents 16-5 in the process. The only loss was a 1-0 loss to Portland, with an own goal by Ranko Veselinovic the only thing that separated the two teams on the scoreboard.
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The Whitecaps are just two points behind Portland for fourth place in the conference, and with it, a playoff spot at home. The last time the Caps hosted a playoff game, it was their 5-0 win over San Jose in 2017, their only postseason victory in seven attempts.
After Vancouver visits LAFC on Tuesday night, they return home for their regular season finale on Decision Day, Sunday, November 7, against the Seattle Sounders. A win by four or more goals, by the way, would secure them the Cascadia Cup as well.
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NEXT GAME
Tuesday
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. LAFC
7:30 pm, Banc of California Stadium. TSN1. Radio: AM730
Reference-theprovince.com