Frustration lingers for Vancouver Whitecaps following playoff elimination

Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White, back left, scores on Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris as Eddie Segura, back lower right, looks on during second half first-round MLS Cup playoffs soccer action, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

A bitter taste lingers for the Vancouver Whitecaps as another Major League Soccer season comes to an end.

The 'Caps were ousted from the playoffs Friday by Los Angeles FC when Vancouver dropped the decisive game of the best-of-three first-round playoff series 1-0 in California.

It was the second year in a row Los Angeles eliminated Vancouver in the first round.

“Definitely a bit of frustration," striker Brian White said of the season's end. "You think back on opportunities missed, think about what could have been if you had done better this game, that game.

"It's always going to be that way if you don't win the ultimate prize of the trophy."

The campaign was full of highs and lows for the Whitecaps.

The club started the 5-2-3 in MLS play and worked its way to a third straight Canadian Championship title at the end of September. But a compacted schedule and international call-ups took their toll, and the 'Caps lost their last four games ahead of playoffs.

Vancouver finished eighth in the Western Conference with a 13-13-8 record and faced off against regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, in a wild-card matchup. The 'Caps stunned many with an emphatic 5-0 victory that earned the squad a first-round playoff berth against top-seeded LAFC.

While Los Angeles took a 2-1 victory in the opening game, the Whitecaps won the second match 3-0 before dropping the finale.

Post-season play wasn't a problem this year, but there were stretches during the regular season where the team missed opportunities to climb the table, said head coach Vanni Sartini.

“There's no shame or no problem losing against LAFC 1-0 in their stadium in a playoff game," he said. "The regret is that game should have been at least the conference semifinal, not the first round.”

Analytics show there were areas of growth for the team between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Sartini added, with a higher expected goals rate, fewer goals conceded and improved results from set pieces.

“When you can't shoot for the moon, you have to at least try to do the basics and go for the sky instead of falling down," the coach said. "So that's, I think, a good learning lesson for next year.”

Vancouver was eighth in goal differential (+3) in the Western Conference over the regular season, despite captain Ryan Gauld contributing 10 goals and 15 assists in 30 appearances.

There are a lot of things to improve on as the players turn their attention to next year, said goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.

"For example, the defensive side, we need to reduce the conceded goal. We played really well when the season started. But gradually it went down," he said. "It can’t happen next year. We need to be in good shape the whole year.”

There's work to be done offensively, too, said White, who led the 'Caps with 15 goals.

“I think as a team, we could be more aggressive, putting the game on our terms," he said. "I think going into next season, I think we put the onus on us to kind of dictate more the way the game is going early."

For Sartini, the 49-game stretch across all competitions was particularly demanding.

He started the MLS season suspended for comments he made following the final playoff game of last season — an experience that held some very personal lessons.

Getting back onto the bench required Sartini to go to therapy, something he now says he's grateful for and has continued. He also learned that coaching is a team profession.

“I learned that it's beautiful to realize that you're not indispensable," he said. "That's very important, because sometimes you think you're so important, because you think that everything here goes because you are the leader of everything. And it's not like this.”

Now the club is looking at how to get the most out of the team next season, a process that Sartini — who's under contract for 2025 — said will include evaluating his role as head coach.

The front office will make that decision, Sartini said, but he remains convinced that the Whitecaps have more to give.

“I think that this group is going to be ready to fight for top position next year," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.