Vancouver Whitecaps fall to Minnesota 3-1 after second-half surge
Just when it looked like clear sailing for the Vancouver Whitecaps, they had the wind knocked out of their sails.
The Whitecaps gave up three second-half goals in about 17 minutes as visiting Minnesota United battled back from a 1-0 deficit for a 3-1 win in Major League Soccer on Friday.
Whitecaps striker Lucas Cavallini, a second-half substitute, gave Vancouver the lead in the 63rd minute.
“I think we played well until we scored the goal,” Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini said.
“After we scored, we didn't press. We were dropping too much in our box and leaving them.
“We got punished.”
Minnesota defender Kemar Lawrence tied the match in the 71st minute when he took a looping pass from midfielder D. J. Taylor and drilled a shot past Whitecaps goalkeeper Cody Cropper.
It was the first goal the Whitecaps had allowed in 342 minutes of MLS play.
Striker Luis Amarilla gave Minnesota the lead in the 84th minute with a hard shot from outside the top of the box.
Midfielder Franco Fragapane sent the crowd of 14,207 at B.C. Place Stadium to the exits with Minnesota's third goal in the 88th minute.
Fragapane chipped a shot over Cropper after two Whitecaps collided in front of the net.
Vancouver has made a habit of late comebacks.
Since May 8, the Whitecaps have scored five goals in the 89th minute or later in home games.
Four resulted in wins while the fifth salvaged a tie.
There were no last last-minute heroics against Minnesota, however.
“Tonight, we were not a 90-minute team,” said Cropper. “I think the big takeaway from this is we have to continue to play our game for 90 minutes because what we do is every effective when we do it.
“Tonight, we were a 60-minute team. It's a learning opportunity for us as individuals and us as a collective team.”
The Whitecaps (7-9-3) saw their three-game unbeaten string (2-0-1) snapped. Minnesota United (8-8-3) won a third straight game.
“It was a big win for us,” said Minnesota coach Adrian Heath. “We know how well they have been playing. They are a difficult team to break down.
“Down a goal, we were thinking the worst, but our guys showed terrific character and didn't give in. I thought we deserved the win. Maybe not 3-1 but we deserved the win.”
The win moved Minnesota into fifth in the Western Conference with 27 points.
Vancouver remained ninth in the West with 24 points, three points behind Nashville which holds the seventh and final playoff spot.
Cavallini put Vancouver ahead when he headed a pass from Pedro Vite past Minnesota goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair.
It was the big striker's team-leading sixth goal of the season.
The goal came just a few minutes after midfielder Ryan Gauld blasted a shot that went off St. Clair's fingers and the post.
Whitecaps midfielder Andrew Cubas left the game with a sore groin at half time, when Leonard Owusu subbed in for him.
“When you don't have Cubas on the field, you miss his defensive ability,” said Cropper. “Him coming off the field changes the game.”
NOTES: The Whitecaps announced before the match that forward Deiber Caicedo underwent successful surgery Thursday for a meniscus tear in his right knee and has been placed on the season-ending injury list. Caicedo suffered the injury in the first half of Vancouver's 0-0 home draw against New England Revolution June 26 … The last time the Whitecaps recorded a first-half goal was June 18 when Cavallini scored in the second minute of a 2-0 win over FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium … After a four-game homestand, the Whitecaps go on the road for games in Cincinnati July 13 and Portland July 17 before returning home July 23 to host Chicago.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.