By Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic and Samuel Rowan

The Vancouver Whitecaps have lived to fight another day in the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs, as they defeated LAFC 3-0 in game #2 of their first-round best-of-three series at BC Place on Sunday. 

After LAFC won game #1 by a score of 2-1, giving them the opportunity to end this series in this match, the Whitecaps ensured this one would go the maximum distance with a commanding victory at home. 

Just the Whitecaps’ second-ever home playoff win in the MLS era, it was a surprising result given the pedigree of LAFC, who have been one of the most dominant playoff teams in MLS over the past two years. 

Yet, it also shows the capabilities of these Whitecaps, who have arguably put together the best team of their MLS era this year. But after battling inconsistency all year long, they’ve finally hit top gear at the perfect time, and this result shows that. 

Now, their journey is far from over – they now enter this game #3 looking to avoid elimination once again, but they can now at least enter that game also knowing they can advance to the Western Conference semi-finals for the first time since 2017. 

Returning to this game, it didn’t take long for the Whitecaps to open the scoring in this one, as they had the ball inside of LAFC’s net after just 10 minutes.

After Ali Ahmed won the ball high up the pitch, he played the ball inside to Ryan Gauld, who found Brian White with a nice pass. From there, White did well to find Stuart Armstrong with a nice cutback, and while Armstrong’s original shot was denied, Gauld pounced on the rebound and turned it home with his right foot to make it 1-0. 

A dream start for @WhitecapsFC!

Their main man Ryan Gauld slots it home. 🔥

📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/leuuxbsLhx // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XZDeU95O0K

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024

Then, just minutes later, the Whitecaps doubled their lead, this time thanks to some good luck. Naturally, however, the luck started with some good work from Gauld – after a nice through ball from Sebastian Berhalter, Gauld whipped a great ball into a dangerous area, one that Ryan Hollinghsead inexplicably turned into his own goal to make it 2-0. 

A Canadian BLITZ!

Gauld at the heart of it again!! 2-0. 😱@WhitecapsFC // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XkvN1e1Xok

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024

That ended up being massive for the Whitecaps, who like they did down in LA in game #1, started the game well, but this time had something to show for their good work. As a result, it allowed them to play the rest of the game on their terms, instead of chasing LAFC, which made a big difference for them.

Of course, the game wasn’t over – among teams in MLS, it feels like LAFC would be the most likely to orchestrate such a comeback on the road – something the Whitecaps had to be wary of.

Because of that, it made the next goal a big one. 

First, the Whitecaps looked likeliest to get it – Fafà Picault came close to turning home two dangerous chances in the first half, as he was causing all sorts of problems for LAFC down the left side of the pitch. 

But then, LAFC had a fantastic chance to cut the Whitecaps lead in half in the 60th minute, as Denis Bouanga managed to sneak in behind Tristan Blackmon, giving himself a dangerous look on a breakaway. Despite that, however, LAFC’s danger man lacked his usual cool finish, as he slammed his effort right into the chest of Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, who had done a good job of closing down space for the forward to get his shot off.

Yohei Takaoka DENIES Denis Bouanga 1v1!

Massive save for Vancouver. 🧤@WhitecapsFC // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/uZqLbQiMNe

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024

Then, Takaoka ended up being called into action again seven minutes later, as Blackmon almost scored an own goal, one that forced an excellent reflex save out of his goalkeeper to keep the game at 2-0. 

Those saves proved to be a pivotal turning point in the match, as the Whitecaps then made it 3-0 in the 68th minute. After some more great work down the flank from Gauld, he tried to find White with a dangerous cutback, one that hit the legs of LAFC defender Eddie Segura and rolled into the net for another own goal. 

Vancouver are 3-0 up! Game Three on the horizon? 👀@WhitecapsFC // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ipr7kNws4A

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024

From there, the game felt over, a sentiment punctuated by LAFC’s decision to take out Bouanga in just the 76th minute – a sign that LA had already started thinking about game #3. 

All that was left from there was for the game to conclude, which it did without any further action, ensuring these two teams will meet for that third and deciding match in this series, which goes this Friday, November 8th down in LA. 

Here are three thoughts as we saw it from inside BC Place. 

The Importance of a Strong Start:

It goes without saying – it’s important to score the first goal. Especially against a team like LAFC, it can make a huge difference, as they’re arguably more dangerous when up a goal, as they can destroy teams when the field opens up for them. 

The Whitecaps saw that first-hand in game #1, as they started the match well, but gave up that ill-fated first goal, which left them with a big mountain to climb, one they were eventually unable to overcome in the end. 

Because of that, it was imperative that the Whitecaps found a way to start strong in this game, avoiding making the same mistake they did in game #1, where they left with nothing to show from their early work. 

To their credit, they found the early start they needed this time around – the Whitecaps came flying out of the gates, and had a two-goal lead within the first 15 minutes, and the rest was history. 

That ended up making a huge difference, as instead of needing to open things up as they chased the game, the Whitecaps were able to play more conservatively, which ended up suiting their style of play. 

Gauld: “It’s gonna be the same on Friday, we have to start very well. (But) the game might be different there.”#VWFC #MLSCupPlayoffs

— Joshua Rey (@JoshuaRey00) November 4, 2024

Yet, this shows the other big reason why strong starts are so important for the Whitecaps – they’re a team that thrives when they play with the lead. 

All season long, the Whitecaps’ best games have either come on the road or when they’ve scored early, while their worst games have come at home or when they’ve gone down early. 

Why? When they’ve been away from home or gone up early, they’ve been able to sit back and counter more, whereas at home or when trailing, they’ve struggled to chase games and to break down teams who sat back and dared them to initiate the game. 

And that’s proven to be a conundrum for these Whitecaps – they’re arguably at their best when they don’t actually hold onto the ball much, and when they’re able to hit on transition. For a team that has wanted to entertain and play on the front foot, it’s made for a tough battle, as they’ve weighed between being a team that plays more on the front foot and the one that sits back and hits teams on the counter. 

Unfortunately, it’s been a tough battle for them to deal with – it’s no coincidence that their worst run of form came at the end of the season, when they had a bunch of home games. 

Now, heading into the playoffs, however, they’ve embraced being a team that can sit back and frustrate teams defensively before bursting forward in possession, and this game was a perfect example of it. 

It wasn’t always pretty – they held just 44% of possession and completed just 81% of their passes in this game, but they did well on both sides of the ball – they outshot LAFC 17-15, and the xG battle was only 1.35 to 1.32 in favour of LAFC. 

Then, most importantly, the Whitecaps were clinical in both boxes, something they struggled to do in game #1, and that ended up making a big difference in the end.  

That all came from their strong start, one that allowed them to play this game on their terms, something they’ll look to replicate in game #3. -Alex

Whitecaps’ Tactical Surprise:

LAFC has haunted Vancouver over the last couple of seasons, and much of that struggle has originated from questions of how the Whitecaps can try to slow down LAFC’s dynamic attack, in particular, Denis Bouanga.

Yet, returning home for match two in this series, Vanni Sartini made the bold decision to flip the script, giving LAFC something to worry about that they weren’t expecting. 

Going into the match, many thought (myself included), that we would see a straight swap of Fafa Picault for Ali Ahmed in the front three. Picault’s directness and ability to run in behind was clearly missed, so Sartini decided to go back to Picault for this do-or-die match.

However, what we didn’t see coming was Ali Ahmed remaining in the starting XI, dropping deeper into a #8 role instead of Pedro Vite, with Sebastian Berhater also replacing Mathias Laborda at right back. 

It was a huge risk for Vancouver, focusing less on how they would contain LAFC, and more on how they would put the visitors under pressure when they had the ball. But it was one that would pay off. 

LAFC had no answer for Vancouver’s pressure in the midfield, with Ahmed and Stuart Armstrong covering all sorts of ground, putting the likes of Timothy Tillman and Lewis O’Brien in a difficult position. This was clear in Vancouver’s opening goal, with Ahmed applying the pressure which turned the ball over deep in the LAFC half.

30 minutes in, dropping Ali back into the midfield looks to have made a huge difference.

Cat and mouse now in terms of how LAFC will adjust.#VWFC

— The Third Sub (@The3rdSub) November 4, 2024

Equally, Sebastian Berhalter put in an absolutely massive shift down his right-hand side of the pitch, joining the attack as the Whitecaps shifted into a 3-3-4 shape, while also tracking back to cover Denis Bouanga defensively as a fullback. 

As much as Berhalter put in a good shift, this set-up would have never worked unless Ranko Veselinovic, Tristan Blackmon, and Sam Adekugbe were ultra-aggressive, and they did a great job in the first 45 minutes cutting out through balls from the LAFC midfield and stopping attacks before they had the chance to even start.

All in all, it was a great tactical move from Sartini that forced the visitors to divert from their game plan in a fashion they are not very often asked to do. However, none of that would have worked without a very high level of execution from those tasked with difficult roles, and to a man, the Whitecaps were up for those assignments. -Sam

Are These Whitecaps a Team Built for the Playoffs?

The sample size is now up to three games, and the Whitecaps have looked very good in all three of them. 

It’s been an impressive turnaround from a team that stumbled their way into the playoffs, now showing that they can more than hold their own against one of the best teams in CONCACAF, and that there has been significant progress since last year’s disappointing playoff exit, one where the Whitecaps never really looked up for the challenge.

As much as the results matter, and obviously they do come playoff time, it’s been the performances which have really impressed. Even in Vancouver’s 2-1 loss down in LA, they were the better team for long stretches of that match, and as Vanni Sartini noted after the home win, one of the biggest differences between the first two matches of the series was the luck inside the area. If the Whitecaps can continue to play this way, they have every chance of coming out on top Friday at BMO Stadium. 

One thing that has really stood out from this 2024 playoff run so far is that Vancouver’s best players have come to play in every match. Ryan Gauld has hit a new level, already up to 5 playoff goals this year (a tally that has vaulted him well atop the all-time top Whitecaps MLS-era playoff scorers list), while Andres Cubas has been the aggressive ball-winner Vancouver has needed to help keep the match in control. 

Furthermore, we are starting to see why Vancouver splashed the cash to bring in Stuart Armstong as their third designated player. He provides an extra ingredient to the Whitecaps attack that was much missed earlier this year, and the fact he went 80 minutes in this match despite clearly struggling near the end was impressive to see. 

We don’t get very much time to evaluate the true strength of the Whitecaps with Armstrong being fit enough to have an impact (unless they get to the final). But it seems like they’re close enough to the 1 seed LAFC that home field advantage is a major factor. #vwfc

— Caleb Wilkins (@wilkins_caleb24) November 4, 2024

Beyond that, Vancouver were finally able to turn around their home woes, taking control of this match right at the very start, capitalizing on their chances and not giving their visitors a window back in until the result was well out of hand. 

I’m not sure we’ve seen that ruthlessness at any point inside BC Place this season, and certainly not against an opponent of this quality. To really drive this point home, the only 3-0 loss that LAFC suffered this season was a crazy snow game against Real Salt Lake right at the start of the year. The Whitecaps went ahead and did that to LAFC straight up, in a playoff match, in much better conditions.

Certainly, if Vancouver can somehow find a way to bring the same level of performance down in LA on Friday, and they advance to the next round, I think there’s every chance that they could still make a deep run in these playoffs if they keep playing like this. -Sam

This post was done in collaboration with Canadian Soccer Daily, who cover all things Canadian Soccer at https://canadiansoccerdaily.com