Austin’s winless streak in Vancouver continued after the Whitecaps take their finest shot, then give them one in every of their very own, courtesy of Sergio Cordova
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Pedro Vite, pardon my French, likes to do issues … vite.
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Sergio Cordova prefers to take his time.
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However each have been victors Wednesday night time because the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Austin FC 2-1 at B.C. Place, halting a two-game shedding streak.
Vite scored 29 seconds into the sport — changing into simply the second participant in MLS historical past to do this twice in a season — whereas Cordova lastly scored his first purpose as a Whitecap. It took eight begins and 694 minutes, however the Designated Participant striker acquired off the schneid two minutes after coming into the sport as an alternative, scoring within the 72nd minute.
Ryan Gauld fed him a line-stretching ball which La Pantera ran on to, made one transfer, then one other that had all the 14,995 screaming at him to shoot, earlier than calming placing it above a diving Brad Stuver for the 2-1 lead.
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“I believe immediately, he was for the primary time, most likely free mentally,” head coach Vanni Sartini mentioned of his striker.
“He was very calm, composed and picked up within the field, and scored an excellent purpose.
“And,” he added with a smile, “he scored like 25 seconds (after approaching). Perhaps the primary ball. So it made me look superb additionally — a substitution genius. So I’m comfortable about that.”
The win saved the Whitecaps (7-7-7) in ninth within the Western Convention, whereas Austin (8-9-5) dropped a spot to sixth. Rodney Redes had the lone purpose for Los Verdes, the primary in his three-year MLS profession, two minutes into the second half.
Right here’s what we discovered …
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BY THE NUMBERS
26: Gauld’s help to Cordova was his twenty sixth all-time for Vancouver, tying him for first all-time in membership historical past with Pedro Morales. He trails Morales by one within the MLS-only assists.
Gauld additionally has six objectives and 5 assists in his final eight video games total, with 5 of these objectives and two assists coming at B.C. Place.
2: Gamers in MLS historical past who’ve scored twice inside 30 seconds in a season. Vite is one, having scored 16 seconds in towards Houston final month, whereas former Whitecap Yordy Reyna did it final yr with Charlotte.
1.44: Brian White’s official MLS xG within the recreation. He had a half-dozen scoring probabilities, together with an unmarked header off a Ryan Raposo cross that he hit off the crossbar from six yards out.
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He did help on Vite’s purpose, and earned one of many highest participant rankings from the sport.
“We may have scored like three or 4 objectives extra,” mentioned Sartini. “The one (probability) of Brian I believe is a 0.95 xG. However Brian did fantastically. He was tremendous. I’m very unhappy that he didn’t rating however I’m very comfortable along with his efficiency.”
14: Pictures by Vancouver to Austin’s eight. (4-2 heading in the right direction), and a group xG of two.4. This was regardless of having 46.1 per cent possession.
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NO MELLOW LEADS TO YELLOW
It isn’t, as they are saying, over ’til it’s over.
Sartini can have loads of time to consider it this weekend, when he’ll watch the Whitecaps-LA Galaxy recreation from the group field at B.C. Place.
He was proven a yellow card by referee Nima Saghafi after intruding into the Austin FC technical space in the course of the last moments of the sport. Yellow card accumulation means he’ll be suspended for Saturday’s recreation.
9 minutes of additional time had elapsed — after which some — and after the Caps nervily defended the ultimate free kick, he by means of his water bottle within the air and headed in the direction of Austin’s bench.
“I acquired excited. I made a mistake. I actually with all the great religion on this planet, I believed that the sport was over,” he mentioned. “I used to be going to the to the bench to shake arms. Sadly the sport wasn’t over; there was nonetheless a second and that’s cause why subsequent recreation I’m gonna be a greater view from upstairs.
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“I apologize. I didn’t need to do to create any disruption I need. I need to simply to have a good time as a result of I believed the sport was over, and that was I used to be telling the referee on the finish. I believe he misunderstood that I needed to lose time or one thing. However once more, you may’t blame another person that he doesn’t perceive whenever you make a mistake.”
Austin coach Josh Wolff wasn’t too impressed post-game.
“I don’t know, I wasn’t paying consideration when he pulls that stunt. That’s him being him,” he informed Har Johal.
“If he desires to make a present of it, he can. I acquired respect for coaches within the recreation, and I definitely wouldn’t carry myself or deal with myself in that method.
“In fact (I’ve respect for him). He was my teacher doing my professional licence as a younger coach. In fact I’ve respect for him, however I believe antics like which might be nonsense.”
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LET’S GET IN FORMATION
The three-5-2 the Whitecaps began in wasn’t the shock. However rolling out box-to-box midfielder Sebastian Berhalter as a wingback definitely wasn’t on the bingo card.
However the second-year Whitecap — who spent 2021 with Austin on mortgage from Columbus — confirmed off the dynamic passing and ball management Sartini was in search of to counter the possession recreation of Los Verdes.
Solely Gauld had extra key passes, and Berhalter completed the sport fourth in participant rankings. When the group switched to a 4-4-2 halfway by means of the second half, he lined up beside Andres Cubas within the midfield.
“Sebastian is a soccer nerd,” mentioned Sartini. “I inform him ‘you’re gonna play wingback this week;’ I believe he went like by means of each wingback that we play within the final three years. It’s the nightmare of our analysts as a result of he calls them each time.
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“I knew that he may play there. He misses the facility and the pace of Levonte (Johnson) for instance, however whereas he has that superb ball in behind that a few instances it was nearly a purpose.”
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JOHNSON AND JOHNSON
There was the great Levante Johnson on Wednesday, and the unhealthy. However principally the previous.
The newly minted first-team participant made his second straight begin for the Caps after being known as up completely from the MLS Subsequent Professional facet. He was a beast making deep runs down the flank, placing strain on Austin defender Nick Lima consistently, although he did get caught eschewing a shot to make additional dribbles the place he misplaced possession.
And on Austin’s lone purpose, he was in the appropriate place, however acquired caught off-guard when the rebound squirted into his space and let Redes get to it earlier than him. However he was nonetheless the most effective Whitecaps on the sector earlier than ceding option to Ryan Raposo within the 58th minute.
“Levante has by no means performed back-to-back video games of this degree at this depth. And it is a little bit extra intense than MLS Subsequent Professional,” mentioned Martini. “So we knew that he didn’t have 90 minutes immediately. We knew that we may, I’d say squeezes juice for 60, and he did it completely.”
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“The tempo of the sport … it’s a bit totally different from MLS Subsequent Professional, however I’m getting used to it,” Johnson added. “Personally, I don’t assume I did too nicely. However I’m engaged on it. I really feel like my determination making may have been higher as nicely. … It wasn’t pretty much as good as it will probably normally be.
“It was a superb win … a tough fought win. We needed to grind it out and get that win.”
UP NEXT
Vancouver hosts the LA Galaxy (5-9-7, thirteenth West) on Saturday earlier than taking a month break from league play for the Leagues Cup. They play Leon on Friday, July 21 at B.C. Place, then journey to California to face the Galaxy on Saturday, July 29.
However getting a lead to MLS play earlier than taking an prolonged break from common play is important because the Caps prepare for the Galaxy.
“To start with, we play towards an excellent group. And we are able to say, for one more week, we’ll play towards probably the most proficient participant on this league … then it’s going to grow to be one other man in Miami,” mentioned Sartini. “Riqui Puig is probably the most proficient participant on this league in the intervening time. And (LA) are additionally in a great way. They beat LAFC and Philadelphia within the final two video games, and they’re behind us. So it’s a giant recreation for them in an effort to attempt to catch up.”
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