If there’s one thing we learned on Saturday night in Los Angeles, it’s that LAFC still very much has the upper hand on the Vancouver Whitecaps.
After the black and gold eliminated Vancouver in two different competitions in 2023, the Whitecaps had an opportunity Saturday night at BMO Stadium to exorcise some demons and prove that this season was going to be different. This was especially true after Vancouver opened the year with flying colours, while LAFC sputtered along below their usual pace.
Instead, the match on Saturday wound up being a nightmare performance for the Whitecaps, as it was their first 90+ minutes of the season without any notable redeeming moments, and they fell at full time by a final score of 3-0.
Alright, without further ado, let’s dive into the individual player ratings:
Yohei Takaoka – 4.5
The Japanese keeper made a couple of very nice early saves, but his command of the area continues to be an issue. On the first two LAFC goals, Bouanga played great balls across the Vancouver area. In each instance though, they were played right across the face of the keeper. All Takaoka had to do to disrupt the play was get any kind of touch on the ball, but he was not able to do so. In these moments, Yohei seems to be caught somewhere between staying on his line to make the save and coming out to break up play – the problem is, he often ends up doing neither.
Mathias Laborda – 5.0
Look, playing 1v1 against Bouanga is not easy. I also don’t think Laborda was helped much by his teammates in this match. There were several moments where bad tactical discipline in the midfield or poor play by his fellow CBs compounded a mistake. All that said, it obviously was not a great night for the Uruguayan, with the second goal being a low-light for him. I think Laborda’s play in this match speaks to the general over-aggressive approach the Whitecaps played with, which in hindsight was obviously a mistake.
Ranko Veselinovic – 4.0
It’s matches like this one where you wonder if Ranko can really lead the Whitecaps deep in the playoffs at the centre of the back three. In key moments against good teams, Ranko is far too passive and is often a step deep, keeping players onside, which is an even bigger problem when the rest of the team is aggressive. On the first LAFC goal, Ranko keeps the play onside. On the second LAFC goal, the ball goes right through Ranko’s feet. Simply not good enough.
Tristan Blackmon – 4.5
I thought Blackmon was great against Austin, but this was the other end of the spectrum from him. It’s important to note in Vanni’s system that Blackmon should never get stick for “losing his man” because that’s not how the Whitecaps defend. However, it is fair to say that Blackmon did a very poor job defending his area at the back post on LAFC’s first two goals and was not aware of who was running into his area, or when he did or did not have support.
Andres Cubas – 6.5
Somehow, I thought Cubas was pretty decent, despite the tilted nature of this matchup. He was good with the ball at his feet and won a lot of duels. The only moments that looked lesser than were when he was trying to cover for his teammates.
Alessandro Schopf – 5.0
The Austrian’s revitalization this season has been a pleasant surprise, but this was not a great matchup for him. I think we saw the limit of Schopf’s legs against LAFC, as he simply couldn’t keep up with the pace of the game as LA attacked in those transition moments.
Ali Ahmed – 6.5
Like Cubas, Ahmed was one of the small bright spots for Vancouver. He had a couple of good chances, won a lot of duels, and drew several fouls.
Ryan Raposo – 5.5
We noted on the podcast this week that playing Raposo against LAFC might be a bad idea, so I think it’s on Vanni more than Raposo for what happened in this match. Again, I think it pointed to the over-aggressive and perhaps somewhat naive approach the Whitecaps played with. Obviously, Raposo had a couple of poor defensive moments, but what did you expect in that setup?
Fafa Picault – 6.5
Perhaps if Picault could have found the back of the net on that early chance, this match could have gone another way. Vancouver’s best attacking sequences seemed to come when either Ali or Fafa created space down that left flank.
Brian White – 6.0
I hope that White is not too hobbled after he looked to have picked up an injury early on. These days are tough for a striker, where you don’t get a lot of the ball and your team is mostly chasing the game, so a bit hard to evaluate.
Ryan Gauld – 6.5
I do wonder why it was necessary for Gauld to play the full 90 in this one, especially with a busy calendar on the horizon. Gauld was solid for the Whitecaps, doing what he could to drop deep and provide support in the midfield, while still linking with Picault and White. Ultimately, the issues in the team on Saturday lay elsewhere.
Substitutes – NS
It’s a bit hard to provide an honest evaluation here as the Whitecaps were already down 3-0 and the match was basically over. If I had to pick a couple of standouts, I thought both Martins and Vite had some good moments in the late stages.
Vanni Sartini – 4.5
As I have alluded to already, I think a good amount of blame lies in the tactical approach to this match. The Whitecaps left themselves exposed in areas that LAFC would obviously look to exploit, namely, leaving Raposo and Laborda on an island against Bouanga. I also thought that Schopf would have been better out wide, with someone a little higher motor like Vite starting beside Cubas in the middle of the park. Finally, you have to question why Utvik didn’t start again after playing so well in his last couple of starts. It felt like all of these little decisions compounded to create a big problem for Vancouver, where they were the second best team for the full 90+ minutes.
Ultimately, a loss on the road is not a big deal. They all count the same, so it doesn’t matter whether you get blown out 3-0, or lose on an unfortunate bounce in extra time. Still though, given the Whitecaps’ lofty aspirations this season, we’re going to need to see more from them in these big matches, even if that means taking a pragmatic approach and treating your opposition a bit more cautiously.
Alright, those were my thoughts, let me know yours in the comments as always.
with the next 2 games on the road- colorado and seattle- it will be interesting to see what Vanni chooses as his lineups– if we lose both, the Caps will be closer to the playoff line which is where i think they belong
what the owners will do in the summer transfer window will be crucial … but i dont hold my breath- its going to be the usual do or die push to the playoffs unless there are upgrades
simply put- Vanni’s lineup was naive and when it isnt working, he reacted far too slow – its part of the game that he needs to learn
the critical decision to not try to add some muscle when we damn well knew that Bouanga was ‘killing us’ on our right side- laborda was just overwhelmed and an adjustment needed to be made
that naivity and slowness to respond by Vanni rippled through the whole team and REALLY, the Caps should have lost by more – in some games with a team that has fast/quick out-wide players, on the road, Vanni should start with a 4-man backline and then adjust as needed
is he naive or stubborn, but we have seen this pattern of Vanni adjusting inside a game far too slow
C) Both of the above.
Sartini is too far into his head coach tenure with the ‘Caps to “learn” anything. His stubbornness and lack of demonstrated ability to adapt are his weak points and they will continue to be.
Whitecaps going nowhere with this squad and coach!…..and just what does Shuster {DIRECTOR OF FOTBALL?} contribute? Saturday was as bad as I have seen /and yes I have seen bad nights for sure!
For a start, Schuster’s football-side title is Sporting Director, which isn’t being pedantic as much as if you’re going to discuss him then know what his titles actually are.
I have my own perceptions of the effectiveness of him in that role thus far, certainly has been a mixed bag of good decisions and more questionable ones. Aside that, I have come to believe this season that he is hindered by the investors’ continued lack of investment at the player quality level necessary through the squad to legitimately and consistently be a top-10 side in the league (overall).
The lack of further U22 signings (for actual transfer fees) and the still-unfilled third DP slot are all the example needed that until the investors sell to those that are willing to take that step, it won’t matter who is in the role of actually signing those players, Schuster or another.
This latest loss to LAFC is the most recent example. Next-level quality requires next-level investment. And THEN a next-level SD / DOF to manage that. Personally I think Schuster is an average SD, to be fair to that perception I don’t think he’ll get the opportunity with the ‘Caps to show he can or can’t be a better one with more resources.
This is going to be very reactional as that’s how I felt when I woke up this morning and started reading the Report Card.
Takaoka: He made some great saves. Our zonal defense and relying on the offside is our problem dealing with balls right in front of our goal. Of course preventing these dangerous crosses is the key.
Laborda: Utvik is better than Laborda in every facet of the game so he should have started. Laborda is a good player but he’s not up to dealing with Buoango. Although the defensive system/structure throws Laborda under the bus.
Ranko: Blaming him for not executing an offside line is just so wrong. For example if the ball is crossed from the goal line then no one is offside. The ball is ahead of all the attackers. Understand….
Blackmon: you got that right. The zonal defines is the problem. How do you know when to switch from zonal to man to man?
Cubas: he was ok. Tough position to be in when you’re being overwhelmed. He looked much better in the 2nd half when the Caps decided to start attacking.
Schopf: Same as Cubas. When you’re being overwhelmed, centre mid is a tough position to play. Lots of running without getting much done. Vite was certainly an upgrade when he came on. Quite a dirty tackle in the 1st half, the double kick. Should have at least been a caution.
Raposo: his best defence is his offence. His weakness is defending in our final third and that was what was happening a lot in this game. I’m sure LAFC was more than happy to be up against Sartini’s Christmas tree formation with Raposo and Laborda on our right side
Fafa; He has good pace and attacking instincts but LAFC had 2 players against him who were as fast or faster than he was. This led him to cutting inside and while he maintained possession he wasn’t able to deliver any killer passes. I thought he should have been at least switched to the right to see if he could have more impact
White: I think the knock he took slowed him down just enough to make him not as effective as he normally is. Credit to him for running it off and battling to the end. He was also up against 2 outstanding centre backs who weren’t going to make it easy for him. And if he and Gauld aren’t playing in tandem then our attack is somewhat stunted
Gauld: He just wan’t able to execute in the ways he normally does. LAFC didn’t allow him and White to link up together and that’s always a key to defending against The Caps.
Subs: Yes, hard to really judge when the game is really over and LAFC has taken their foot off the gas. Vite and Martins gave us some attacking omph while Brown did better defensively than Raposo. Johnston has good attributes for a striker but can he learn how to play at the highest MLS level in a hurry as needed. I hope so but not convinced right now.
Sartini: I don’t think he knows what his strongest lineup is. I don’t think he understands that there are flaws in his Christmas tree formation and there needs to be a plan B. Otherwise LAFC will beat us every time, as they have…..
Again, why is Vanni playing Gauld and Picault on their off wings? Picault is a natural right footer and can make some nice passes and crosses into the box off that foot. Also he had a real nice shot off the right side during the match. Gauld is a natural left footer, who can literally play anywhere, but I like him on the left side where he can make the nice passes and crosses off his best foot. L.A. did a nice job of it, natural left footer Bounga over to natural right footer Olivera, and bang, in the net twice. Simple.
The back line definitely needs some work. I wouldn’t mind seeing them go back to a 4 man back line, with Martins and Brown at fullback for now, and maybe Adekube replacing Martins at left back when he is fit. Laborda could compete with Brown for the right back spot, and the other three center backs could rotate through those two spots depending on their form.
Agree with you. I think Brown is far better then Laborda as an outside right fullback. Brown as a right sided CB isn’t his best position. Brown’s 2nd best position is right wingback. Don’t forget that Blackmon is a good right back, an option that has pretty much been overlooked. Agree about Fafa and Gauld being on the wrong side. And..Sartini thinks Sam’s best position in his formation is as a right wingback. This is baffling to me
That Bouanga side was not great. I thought he would start Laborda and Raposo but really I would have liked to have seen Schopf wide there with Utvik behind him. I imagine there was the hope that Raposo could get some of his excellent crosses in there. It will be interesting to see what our new Aussie brings on the right side there once he’s settled in. I feel like they must have brought him up for this very reason. And Utvik was a great pick up as well.
I was hopeful that Sartini would do something to counter act LAFC’s attack against our right side but no…same old same old