The Vancouver Whitecaps came from behind to grab a sorely needed three points, besting Austin FC 2-1 at Q2 Park on Saturday night.

The Caps dominated the first half, up until the point that Myrto Uzuni scored a gift in the 40th minute. But second-half goals from Ryan Gauld and a stunner from Yadaly Diaby helped get the Caps over the line for three points.

Jesper Sørensen rolled out three changes from the midweek, adding in Bruno Caicedo, Aleksa Cvetkovic, and Tristan Blackmon to replace Diaby, Oliver Larraz, and Ralph Priso. Everyone else forged ahead on tired legs for their third game in a week.

The Caps began by mirroring their display at BC Place a few weeks ago, controlling possession and trying to keep Austin at bay on the counter. The best chance came midway through the first half, with Caicedo intercepting a poor clearance and finding himself at the top of the box with Brad Stuver off his line. But the winger couldn’t direct his shot goalward.

Good chances continued to come for the Caps. White narrowly missed getting on the end of a dangerous cross. Then White fed a rare transition moment, with Caicedo letting rip a powerful shot that Stuver saved. 

Austin had no real grip on the match until Tate Johnson, perhaps frustrated by a string of poor refereeing decisions that went against him, misplayed a backpass to Yohei Takaoka. Uzuni needed no invitation to pop up and ping it past a helpless Takaoka. The goal seemed to take the wind out of the Caps’ sails, and surely there were more than a few players and fans wondering if another upset loss was in the cards.

But things turned around for Vancouver just 60 seconds after the second half resumed. Cvetkovic and Sabbi played a nice one-two around midfield, with the winger muscling down the right-hand side of the field. His cross was met with a perfectly placed header from Gauld to level the match 1-1. It was a striker’s finish from a guy you don’t normally expect to score headed goals and it came at the perfect time for the Caps.

Austin began ramping up a fairly effective press, which forced the backline into hoofing the ball out of some uncomfortable moments. But once in possession, the backline was able to deflect the Verde and Black without much trouble, with the home side looking less troubling the more possession they had.

Midway through the second half, Sorensen elected to swap Diaby for Caicedo and introduce Ralph Priso into the midfield in lieu of Andres Cubas. Diaby showed flashes of danger but couldn’t quite put it all together.

That changed with 20 minutes to go. After a string of probing passes that moved the ball around the edge of the box, Diaby decided to do it himself. The Guinean winger launched a curling shot from just outside the left-hand side of the box, and Stuver had no chance as it careened off the upright and in. 

Austin thought they had an equalizer moments later, only to realize that Tori Penso’s whistle had gone due to Tate Johnson being hauled down by Brendan Vazquez right before the goal. Brian White, meanwhile, continues to be snakebitten in front of goal, sending a 1v1 chance to seal the game wide of the mark.

That was the last chance for the Caps, as Austin dominated possession for the last 20 minutes or so, as a tiring Vancouver tried to keep them at bay. 

Stray Thoughts

• Aside from the one misplaced backpass, this was a very comfortable game for the backline. Blackmon and Laborda had a much-improved partnership after weeks of miscommunications. Laborda in particular was very effective at popping up in the midfield to snuff out danger, while Blackmon stayed home. That was something the pair struggled with a bit more previously, including in the reverse fixture against Austin. And Tate Johnson and Edier Ocampo were very good out wide as well (my condolences to whomever has to launder Tate’s kit).
• The Yadaly Diaby goal was spectacular, one of the best (if not THE best) goals of the season. The build-up to the goal, however, was vintage Whitecaps — a two-to-three minute passing sequence, deftly moving the ball from side to side before finding a weakness to exploit (this time from individual brilliance). Diaby won’t score screamers every match, but if that type of purposeful build-up continues, that is a promising sign.
• At a time when the Caps’ bench is quite thin, it is encouraging that Aleksa Cvetkovic has already become a solid depth piece. Sorensen usually needs time to trust his new signings (particularly the young ones), so it is promising that Cvetkovic is already getting starts. He continues to look increasingly comfortable and is a natural fit alongside Cubas and Gauld in midfield.
• This was one of Emmanuel Sabbi’s better performances in recent memory. I thought he looked consistently dangerous in the first half and completely outmuscled Austin. It was also his first goal involvement in over a month, with a fantastic assist for Gauld. Unlocking Sabbi is one of the keys to a strong finish.
• Man, Brian White has been brutal 1v1 in recent matches. That has sometimes been a feature of his game (multiple matches in a row where he misses big chances), and it is usually followed by a game (or games) where he bangs them in for fun. Hopefully, that sort of performance is coming soon.
• This was not a great performance, but I think the Caps did enough to deserve a win here. Aside from Uzuni’s goal, Austin did basically nothing going forward. Sure, Diaby won’t score that sort of goal every match, but it was nice to be on the other end of a fortunate bounce for once. And with St. Louis losing and the two Texas teams drawing, this will give the Caps some much-needed clearance at the top of the Western Conference table.