The Vancouver Whitecaps punctuated their roller-coaster regular season with a dramatic finish on Sunday, battling the visiting Seattle Sounders to a 1-1 draw and clinching a playoff spot in the process.
ItB次元官网网址檚 a result that makes sense for a team thatB次元官网网址檚 fought numerous obstacles over the past two seasons, said goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
Pandemic-related border restrictions forced the B次元官网网址楥aps (12-9-13) to play much of last year in Orlando and Portland, and start this season based out of Salt Lake City. The team sat in last place in Major League SoccerB次元官网网址檚 Western Conference on Aug. 8. Head coach Marc Dos Santos was dismissed at the end of August.
Still, SundayB次元官网网址檚 tie saw Vancouver finish sixth in the West and earn a spot in the post-season for the first time since 2017.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e come from far. We canB次元官网网址檛 forget that we were Orlando, Portland, Salt Lake, then home? We canB次元官网网址檛 forget about that. WeB次元官网网址檝e come from far,B次元官网网址� Crepeau said. B次元官网网址淎nd ever since weB次元官网网址檝e come home and played at B.C. Place, the team really pulled together. This team never gave up.B次元官网网址�
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The closeness of the locker room has helped achieve results on the field, said attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld.
B次元官网网址淓veryoneB次元官网网址檚 willing to fight for each other. ItB次元官网网址檚 a great changing room to be a part of. And that definitely helps you out on the pitch,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚n those times when someoneB次元官网网址檚 beaten, another boyB次元官网网址檚 there to help you out. I think itB次元官网网址檚 been a huge factor in us putting together huge results and managing to get into the playoffs.B次元官网网址�
VancouverB次元官网网址檚 post-season spot nearly slipped away in the dying seconds of SundayB次元官网网址檚 game. With the score knotted at 1-1, Seattle (17-8-9) made a final push, with Fredy Montero crashing the net and Crepeau was forced to make a goal-line stop, his third save of the night.
While there were some tense moments, interim Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said his group executed the moment as planned.
B次元官网网址�(Seattle) brought like 15 players in. Basically they were all the team there so it was really hard to defend,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淏ut we actually did what we were supposed to do.B次元官网网址�
Pushing and shoving ensued after a boot came dangerously close to CrepeauB次元官网网址檚 face and another B次元官网网址楥aps player was kicked in the Achilles tendon.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a clean play, it bobbles a little bit, ballB次元官网网址檚 loose, someone got at the end of it and I have to throw my body in the way and then from there (B次元官网网址楥aps defender Florian Jungwirth) gets kicked and obviously it escalated. Tensions are high, especially at that part of the game,B次元官网网址� the B次元官网网址榢eeper said of the gameB次元官网网址檚 final moments.
A Whitecaps loss would have eliminated the team from contention.
Vancouver controlled 51.3 per cent of the possession Sunday but Seattle outshot the home side 10-5 and 4-2 in shots on target.
The Sounders took an early lead after Cristian Dajome was called for hand ball in the penalty area.
Montero took the ensuing penalty kick, firing a low shot into the bottom-right corner of the net to put Seattle up 1-0 in the eighth minute.
B次元官网网址淚t was a bit of a kick in the teeth to go one down,B次元官网网址� Gauld said. B次元官网网址淏ut B次元官网网址� we know how much qualityB次元官网网址檚 in this group and weB次元官网网址檙e going to create chances against anybody. So we just had to make sure we didnB次元官网网址檛 get too anxious or nervous about being one behind.B次元官网网址�
The fact that the goal came from the Colombian striker was particularly painful for Vancouver fans B次元官网网址� Montero played three seasons for Vancouver (2017, B次元官网网址�19 and B次元官网网址�20) but opted to return to Seattle as a free agent in March.
The B次元官网网址楥aps refused to be deterred by the early strike and continued to press.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been better than them. I wasnB次元官网网址檛 nervous at all because I knew we were going to score,B次元官网网址� Sartini said. B次元官网网址淎nd we deserved to win, actually.B次元官网网址�
VancouverB次元官网网址檚 aggressive play finally paid off in the 20th minute.
Defender Ranko Veselinovic settled a ball at the top of the penalty area, then sent it in to Brian White, who bumped it over to Gauld and the Scottish attacking midfielder headed it in past Seattle B次元官网网址榢eeper Stefan Frei for the equalizer.
B次元官网网址淚 took a little bit of a gamble,B次元官网网址� Gauld said. B次元官网网址�(Veselinovic) put a good ball into the box and I sneaked in hoping the second ball would drop there and thankfully it did. There wasnB次元官网网址檛 too much thought behind it.B次元官网网址�
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White was knocked in the face on the play and lay on the field being looked at by trainers as his teammates celebrated. He eventually walked off the field, then got a fresh jersey and some medical attention on the sidelines before returning to the game as fans cheered.
The American striker has 12 goals and six assists since being dealt to Vancouver by the New York Red Bulls in June.
The B次元官网网址楥aps will be the lone Canadian team in the MLS playoffs this year. Toronto FC finished its campaign second-last in the Eastern Conference with a 6-18-10 record. CF Montreal (12-12-10) was eliminated from the playoff race Sunday with a 2-0 loss to Orlando SC.
Vancouver will face No. 3 Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the playoffs, which begin on Nov. 20.
Seattle comes second in the conference and will take on No. 7 Real Salt Lake.
NOTES: SeattleB次元官网网址檚 leading scorer Raul Ruidiaz (hamstring) did not make the trip to Vancouver. The Sounders were also without midfielders Joao Paulo (hamstring) and Nicolas Loderio (knee inflammation). B次元官网网址� Attendance was announced at 25,117, marking the largest crowd at a sporting event in Vancouver in more than two years. B次元官网网址� Crepeau was announced as the Whitecaps player of the year. The 27-year-old Canadian B次元官网网址榢eeper had a career-high six clean sheets in 27 regular-season starts.
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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