Shaqiri shines as Chicago Fire torch Vancouver Whitecaps 3-1
A split focus may have been the undoing of the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday.
Coming into a game against the Chicago Fire at B.C. Place, the 'Caps had an opportunity to inch closer to a playoff position in Major League Soccer's Western Conference.
At the same time, the club knew another big test looms - a matchup with Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship final on Tuesday.
While Toronto took a dominant 4-0 victory in league play on Saturday, the Whitecaps (7-10-5) dropped an ugly 3-1 decision to the surging Fire (7-10-5).
“Tonight was our worst performance of the season,” said Vanni Sartini, Vancouver's head coach. “And we take full ownership, I take full ownership of the not-good performance.
“I don't know. Maybe (it was) the final, maybe wrong choices by us as a staff for the lineup today, maybe five million things we'll analyze. But (Chicago) goes away with the three points and they deserve it.”
The Fire took control of the game early and dominated 60.9 per cent of the possession. The visitors outshot the 'Caps 16-8, and 4-3 in on-target shots.
The Whitecaps simply weren't ready when the game started, said defender Marcus Godinho.
“You're obviously looking forward to the (Voyageur) Cup game, but I think too many guys were just looking at that. I mean, this was a huge opportunity for us,” he said.
“The Cup, of course, you want to win the Cup. But getting into the playoffs is important as well. And we had the opportunity to really close that gap today and unfortunately too many guys weren't there, weren't at it today.”
Chicago's Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri led with a goal and an assist, lifting the Fire to their third straight win. Chris Mueller and Rafael Czichos also scored.
Lucas Cavallini had the lone goal for a Whitecaps side that sat four points below the playoff bar in the MLS Western Conference after league play concluded Saturday.
Twenty-year-old Canadian goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer made his second straight start for Vancouver and registered one save. Chicago's Gabriel Slonina stopped two of three on-target shots.
“We need to be better all around. And I think it starts with the focus,” said 'Caps midfielder Russell Teibert. “I think we need to be dialed in from minute one to minute 97. And I think we as a group, we need to learn from this as quickly as possible.”
Chicago sealed the deal at 3-1 in the 90th minute when Mueller placed a right-footed shot in the top-right corner of the Vancouver net. Shaqiri registered an assist on the play.
The Fire broke a 1-1 stalemate in the 76th minute when Mueller delivered a ball deep into the Vancouver box and Czichos rose about the Vancouver defenders to put a header in past Boehmer with his third goal of the season.
Gauld nearly gave the home side a lead a minute earlier, splitting the Chicago defence at the top of the box and sprinting in. Slonina came far out of the net to smother the ensuing shot.
Vancouver scored the equalizer in the 54th minute following a solid passing sequence.
Godinho collected a ball along the sideline and sent it into Gauld at the top of the box. The Scottish attacking midfielder got a quick touch off to Cavallini down low who jumped up and sent a left-footed shot past the Chicago 'keeper to make it 1-1.
The goal was Cavallini's seventh of the season, marking the most he's scored in his third MLS season.
The first half was an ugly one for the 'Caps, who struggled to hang on to the ball and saw their defence repeatedly dismantled by the visitors.
At halftime, Sartini told his team he didn't like the performance.
“We wanted to be a little bit more aggressive, and to be honest, we did the first 25 to 30 minutes of the second half. We were the best team, but it's the only moment,” he said. “For 60 minutes, (Chicago) were the best team.”
The home side came close in first half injury time when Pedro Vite sent a cross in to Cavallini directly in front of the Fire net as the Canadian striker directed it on goal, only to see Slonina leap on top of the ball in a diving stop.
Chicago nearly took a 2-0 advantage in the 38th minute following another defensive breakdown that allowed Brian Gutierrez a chance to get a good shot off. The ball ricocheted off the post and hit Vancouver's Godinho in the midsection before bouncing just wide of the net.
"“Honestly, as it kind of bounced off, I was just hoping that I kind of guided it as much as I could away. But I got lucky to be honest with you,” Godinho said. “It was a scary moment for me.”
The Fire opened scoring in the 13th minute after Navarro fed Shaqiri at the top of the box and the Swiss international sent a low shot rolling past Boehmer's outstretched fingers.
It was Shaqiri's team-leading fourth goal of the season. He also has eight assists on the year.
Vancouver came within inches of an early goal when Julian Gressel sent a ball soaring into Cristian Dajome inside the Chicago box. Dajome unleashed a blast but his shot rang off the post.
Gressel was making his debut for the 'Caps after being acquired from D.C. United last week. He played 45 minutes and was replaced by Gauld to start the second half.
Vancouver will return to MLS action next Saturday when they visit Nashville SC.
FOOTNOTES: Boehmer made his first start at B.C. Place. An announced crowd of 14,984 took in Vancouver's ninth annual Pride match. Saturday marked the Whitecaps' first loss in a Pride match. The club has a 7-1-1 record when hosting the occasion, going back to 2013.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University while clashes break out at UCLA
The pro-Palestinian demonstration that paralyzed Columbia University ended in dramatic fashion, with police carrying riot shields bursting into a building that protesters took over the previous night and making dozens of arrests. On the other side of the country, clashes broke out early Wednesday between duelling groups at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
WATCH Moose strolls through Fredericton
A Fredericton woman is awe-struck after seeing a moose stroll down a city street on Tuesday.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.