Vancouver Whitecaps eliminated from playoffs with 1-0 loss to LAFC
Vanni Sartini knows he may have upset some powerful forces in recent weeks.
The Vancouver Whitecaps' head coach may have been repaid Friday with what he called an "unlucky" goal — one that spelled the end of his team's season.
“Maybe God was angry at me because I said I’m an atheist a lot of times and that’s the reason we lost," Sartini said after Los Angeles FC blanked the 'Caps 1-0. "But he can’t be angry because he doesn’t exist.”
Vancouver was never favoured to win its best-of-three matchup against LAFC in the first round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
The Whitecaps limped into the post-season, sliding down the Western Conference standings to eighth place after losing their last four games of the regular season.
The club then trounced their regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game and earned the right to face top-seeded Los Angeles.
LAFC opened the series with a narrow 2-1 victory in California and Vancouver replied with a decisive 3-0 win at home to set up a do-or-die matchup on Friday.
“It’s always bad to finish the season like this," said 'Caps defender Ranko Veselinovic. "There’s a lot of emotions right now. We really felt before the game and during the game that we had the game under control. But they really showed today … why they’re the top of the MLS.”
The two sides were locked in a defensive stalemate for much of the first half.
Vancouver's back line proved to be an aggressive force, picking balls off the feet of LAFC's stars and limiting shots.
Los Angeles sniper Denis Bouagna had an opportunity in the seventh minute, but sent his shot wide of the post.
Brian White tested LAFC 'keeper Hugo Lloris in the 27th minute with a left-footed blast from the top of the penalty area. The French netminder dived and punched the ball away.
White came tantalizingly close to putting the visitors on the board in the 43rd minute after collecting a ball in behind L.A.'s back line. The American striker chipped a shot over a diving Lloris, but the ball sailed just wide of the post.
Vancouver controlled 59.4 per cent of possession across the first half and outshot the home side 8-4, including the lone on-target shot.
Los Angeles is a dangerous team, but a beatable one, Sartini said.
"The thing is that in the playoffs, the star-studded team, the big players count and the big players score goals," the coach said. "At the end, we need to accept that.”
Los Angeles came into the second half with renewed aggression, pressing hard for a goal.
Olivier Giroud sliced a pass to Bouagna inside the penalty area in the 54th minute and Bouagna fired a shot off, skimming the ball over the crossbar.
LAFC finally capitalized in the 62nd minute when 'Caps defender Andres Cubas didn't get enough on a midfield header.
The ball fell to the feet of Mateusz Bougsz and the Polish midfielder took off, going one-on-one with Vancouver 'keeper Yohei Takaoka. His left-footed shot sailed past Takaoka's outstretched hands to give L.A. a 1-0 lead.
Bougsz ran to the corner and saluted the crowd before being mobbed by his teammates.
Vancouver briefly appeared to level the score in the 74th minute off a free kick. Tristan Blackmon ticked the ball in past Lloris, but the offside flag quickly went up, waving off the goal.
LAFC will host the Seattle Sounders in the Western Conference semifinals on Nov. 23 or 24.
Los Angeles has played in the last two MLS Cup finals. Vancouver has not made the Western Conference semifinals since 2017, when the 'Caps were eliminated by the Sounders.
Friday's loss wraps a campaign that saw the Whitecaps finish with a 13-13-8 regular-season record and win a third straight Canadian Championship title.
The late-season skid proved costly, Sartini said.
“The only regret that we have is the last two games of the regular season because we wouldn't have been eighth, we wouldn’t have had to do the play in and we wouldn’t have played (LAFC). We probably would have played them in the next round," he said.
Los Angeles has now eliminated the Whitecaps from the first round of the playoffs two years in a row.
That doesn't make Friday's loss any easier to take, Veselinovic said.
“I think this year hurts even more. Last year, they were more dominant, I think, in two games. This year, I think it was a different story," he said.
“We’re going to feel this one for awhile now.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former B.C. premier John Horgan dies at 65
Former B.C. premier John Horgan, who helped the provincial NDP return to power after 16 years on the sidelines, has died.
Body found in Montreal park identified as cryptocurrency influencer
The body of a man that was found in a park in the Ahunstic-Cartierville borough last month has been identified as cryptocurrency influencer Kevin Mirshahi.
Here's why thieves may be stealing butter in Canada
The case of the missing butter remains a mystery, but some have ideas on what's behind the unusual crimes.
B.C. teen with Canada's first human case of avian flu in critical condition, Dr. Bonnie Henry says
The teenager who is sick with the first-ever human case of avian influenza acquired in Canada is in hospital in critical condition, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Tuesday.
History in Halifax is slowly being wiped off the map: study
Saint Mary's University archeologist Jonathan Fowler is sounding an alarm with a new study. According to Fowler, the centuries-old architecture that adds to Halifax’s heritage and historic vibe is slowly being wiped away as the city grows.
Ottawa high school principal apologizes for song played during Remembrance Day assembly
The principal of an Ottawa high school is apologizing to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board is conducting a "thorough investigation" to ensure it "is addressed appropriately and meaningfully."
KFC sues Church's Chicken over 'Original Recipe'
KFC accused Church's Texas Chicken of violating its trademark rights when its fried chicken competitor began using the words 'Original Recipe' in its advertising and promotions.
Union says it will challenge Ottawa's intervention in B.C. port work stoppages
The union representing locked-out port workers in British Columbia says it plans to challenge the federal government's intervention in the ongoing labour dispute.
What consumers need to know if Canada Post workers strike ahead of a busy holiday season
Canada's postal workers could walk off the job or the company could lock them out as soon as 12:01 a.m. ET Friday if the union and the company don't reach an agreement. Here are tips for shoppers and businesses.