Earthquakes 1, Whitecaps 0: Lack of end as Whitecaps let one slip away

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Creating scoring probabilities has not been an issue for the Vancouver Whitecaps this season.

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However of their first league recreation since July 15 and their first recreation altogether in two weeks, ending was a wrestle for the Whitecaps, who fell 1-0 Sunday night at B.C. Place to the visiting San Jose Earthquakes in entrance of an introduced crowd of simply over 16,000.

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The Caps got here out of the gate flying, making a mountain of probabilities. However they couldn’t end.

And because the first half wore on, you began to get the sneaking suspicion this might flip right into a banana peel recreation.

The Whitecaps play very enticing, energetic soccer, however their ending was sluggish out of the gate on the season as effectively, which is why they got here into the night time nonetheless solely on the sting of a playoff spot in Main League Soccer’s western convention.

The Earthquakes have gotten by this season on pluck and guile and due to it have been hanging across the ‘Caps within the standings earlier than the night time started.

And with the Whitecaps urgent for a objective late within the first half, you knew a sudden change in possession may depart the house aspect weak.

As a substitute of discovering the end the house followers needed to see, as an alternative it was the guests who took the lead, as Cristian Espinoza hammered in a deft cross from Jeremy Ebobisse, ending off a 4 v 2 counter by San Jose within the forty third minute.

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It was San Jose’s solely shot on track all night time.

Discuss smash and seize.

The second half noticed the ‘Caps carry the play once more, however with the Earthquakes nursing a shock 1-0 lead, they inevitably parked the bus and the house aspect couldn’t join on something.

Whitecaps wing again Ryan Raposo mentioned that when San Jose obtained up, they stifled the Caps, placing them off their recreation.

“I believe we needed to do a greater job of taking part in in behind them. And that’s actually our philosophy as a crew, attending to the opponent’s objective as quick as doable, principally, within the least quantity of touches and passes. They compelled us to play a recreation that we’re probably not accustomed to, with 11 behind the ball and us simply, you already know, taking part in small passes in entrance of them,” he mentioned.

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Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini couldn’t disguise from the reality that this loss was flat-out disappointing.

Dangerous luck was a few of it, however Sartini additionally thought his crew might have been a contact extra affected person once they did get their scoring probabilities.

“We’ve this precept we name it patience-speed-patience. So affected person within the construct up, then if we break the primary line, let’s go as quick as we will. Then once we arrive within the ultimate, within the 18 (yard field), let’s be affected person once more,: he mentioned. “I believe within the first half, not less than three or 4 probabilities … we have been attempting to tick-tick-tick increase increase increase, going one million miles per hour.”

Total, he was happy with the method, although there have been different final-third points that damage their efforts to get a end result.

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“it’s very exhausting to say we should always have finished higher right here,” he mentioned. “Tactically, I believe we didn’t arrive an excessive amount of with the other quantity eight within the field like we usually do. … We wanted somebody behind and sadly, we didn’t work together there.”

Nonetheless the top coach mentioned the loss was principally down tot he work of San Jose goalkeeper Daniel, who made numerous excellent saves on the night time. Within the high quality of the Whitecaps’ build-up, in how they created probabilities, within the variety of photographs they’d on track, they need to have received, he mentioned.

“By far the perfect participant within the recreation was their goalkeeper,” he mentioned, quipping that after the sport he went as much as the Brazilian and congratulated the opposing goalie with a good-humoured F-bomb.

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Too dangerous the sport was a sporting contest, he additionally joked.

“I believe we made our case to attain objectives and win the sport. Sadly it wasn’t trial, it was a soccer recreation.”

Laryea’s zip

Richie Laryea’s final motion was on July 9 for Canada on the Gold Cup.

His lack of polish as a consequence of an absence of recreation motion over the previous six weeks was evident, however the zip that could be a large aspect to his recreation wasn’t rusty.

The energetic wingback was very evident all through the primary half, discovering loads of area to assault, displaying no lack of tempo when he did go on the assault and getting a number of scoring probabilities due to it.

He obtained one exhausting shot off within the twelfth minute, coming off his proper and reducing onto his left foot to shoot, however put it proper at San Jose keeper Daniel’s chest.

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After which about 20 minutes later he had an incredible likelihood the place Sergio Cordova laid the ball off to him on the best and he teed up a shot together with his proper foot however screwed the ball effectively extensive.

Submit-match he rued each probabilities.

“Each actually. The one which I caught on my left foot, fairly near the objective there, that’s clearly a really, superb likelihood and the one which comes throughout, Sergio performs a very good ball out extensive after which I take a contact and it type of will get away from me. I ought to do higher,” he mentioned.

A extra in-form model of the Canadian worldwide in all probability would have scored on each these probabilities. Laryea himself recommended so.

He was changed at halftime by fellow debutant Sam Adekugbe.

Adekugbe, for his half, practically had a objective within the second half, ringing a free kick from about 25 yards off the skin of the left put up.

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Cordova presence

Sergio Cordova’s presence is rarely exhausting to overlook.

The massive, bodily Venezuelan will get on the ball and the ball tends to stay to him.

He was a giant affect on the ‘Caps’ first two probabilities of the sport — first forcing Daniel to spill the ball, creating an opportunity for Alessandro Schopf, who couldn’t get the ball over the inclined Quakes keeper — then had an incredible likelihood himself within the 14th minute, hammering a shot from the best however hitting Daniel sq..

He additionally intercepted a lazy move again and obtained round Daniel, however the angle was too tight and his try to string the ball over the road clanged off the put up.

A number of instances within the second half he reeled in by means of balls and was in a position to put the ball again throughout his physique in direction of the highest of the six-yard field, however his teammates have been by no means in a position to get to the well-placed probabilities.

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Laryea mentioned he was actually impressed by the work of each the crew’s strikers on the night time, Cordova and Brian White. Each held the ball up effectively and in addition labored across the nook to maintain San Jose’s defenders scrambling.

“They’re in a position to maintain it, do effectively with it, knock it down after which nonetheless do effectively sufficient to get into the field as effectively. Credit score to each of them. I believed they have been each actually good at the moment they usually labored extraordinarily exhausting.”

No Gauld

Ryan Gauld has been nursing a hamstring pressure for the reason that Whitecaps’ Leagues Cup PK loss to Tigres two weeks in the past.

He’s been often restricted in coaching since then and so it wasn’t a giant shock to see him on the substitutes’ bench to start out the sport.

The Caps’ famous person playmaker subbed on within the 59th minute and was efficient in creating probabilities for his teammates, however like his teammates efforts, it was all in useless.

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Defensive miscue

Ryan Raposo mentioned the Whitecaps had labored all week in coaching to be prepared for moments the place San Jose may counter rapidly, as they did on their objective.

“We rehearsed that precise scenario many instances all through the week, for the previous two weeks. That’s the place they’re harmful, in transition. And so they get you precisely how they obtained us,” he mentioned.

Sartini mentioned the objective got here all the way down to a poor choice on a 50/50 ball moments earlier than San Jose broke free. As a substitute of attempting to win the ball immediately, the Caps ought to have tried to stall the play and prevented a large breakout.

“As a result of in the event you can not win the ball, it’s a must to delay after which we might have been three towards 4,” he mentioned, implying they’d have absorbed the assault had they’d a 3rd defender.

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By the numbers

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The Whitecaps now play seven video games in a row on the highway, partly as a consequence of BC Place scheduling a sequence of concert events, partly due to how BC Place permits the Caps to play video games at first and finish of the season, when a few of their cold-weather opponents merely can’t be relied on to host a recreation.

Regardless of the trigger, the Whitecaps now sit in eighth place, 4 factors again of San Jose, a crew that they definitely seem like extra gifted than.

However in the long run the video games are performed on the sphere, not on paper.

1.4

The Whitecaps’s quantity of photographs and the standard of them added as much as 1.4 anticipated objectives. That they had 18 photographs in all, eight of them on track.

San Jose had simply three photographs, with the objective their solely shot on track.

On the season, San Jose have scored three extra objectives than they need to have whereas conceding six fewer than anticipated. It’s exhausting to see them sustaining these outcomes.

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0

Sam Adekugbe shouldn’t be a objective scorer. So to see him ring his second-half free kick off the woodwork was a little bit of a shock — it’s simply not one thing he’s recognized for. He’s all the time taking cracks at objective in coaching however in matches, that’s simply not his factor.

If he had nailed the twine as an alternative of the put up, that might have been his first objective in Whitecaps colors — of any stage. In his unique stint in Vancouver, he by no means scored for the senior crew, WFC2 or for the outdated U23 improvement squad.

Certainly, he has just one objective in the entire of his skilled profession, scored in 2016 in a 4-2 League Cup win for Brighton & Hove Albion versus Oxford United.

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