Vancouver Whitecaps kept their hopes in the second consecutive play-off by beating superstar Lucas Cavallini 2-1 to beat LAFC on Wednesday in Portland.
Whitecaps are now eighth and last in the Western Conference playoffs with five matches remaining and sit behind LAFC in fourth place in the conference standings.
Vancouver started hard with two strikes in the first minutes of the match, and maintained that momentum until he scored the opening goal in the 30th minute. From midfield, Freddie Monteiro sent the ball towards Christian Dagome in the penalty area. Dagome then sent a square pass towards Cavallini, who hit the net from close range. This was the highlight of the strong first half for Whitecaps, who fired nine shots and four on target.
LAFC started the second half by pressing a team looking for an equalizer and his first shot on target. But that mission was disrupted when Cavallini scored again in the 59th minute. The trio who met the first goal did the same for the second, as Dagome sent the ball to Montero on the right side of the penalty area. Monteiro then sent Cavallini a cross in front of goal, and he slipped it into the net to make it 2-0.
LAFC continued to press for a goal, although they struggled to score a shot on goal despite their possession control. The opportunity to join the board came with a penalty kick in the 83rd minute awarded after a handball foul by Vancouver player Jake Nirwinski. Although goalkeeper Evan Bosch defeated Edward Atuista’s first attempt, the kick was recovered due to the goalkeeper’s encroachment and scored on his second attempt.
However, despite their best efforts, there was no equalizer from LAFC, who lost their seventh game this season after losing only four in the 2019 record.
Objectives
- 30 ‘- Who – Lucas Cavallini | Watch
- 59 ‘- Who – Lucas Cavallini | Watch
- 83 ‘- LAFC – Edward Atoista – PK | Watch
Three things
- The Big Picture: Only when everyone is ready to write off Whitecaps after four straight losses do they show the heart of a team far from ready to compromise regardless of the adversities they continue to face in 2020. They have achieved their second consecutive win against Weak, but the LAFC side is still very capable, making It makes clear that they’ll just flip through until the end. LAFC is looking forward to welcoming its South American stars after their return from national team assignments and their subsequent quarantine in the Final Round.
- Match moment: Lucas Cavallini, Freddie Monteiro and Christian Dagumi played a crucial role in the success of the Whitecaps, and in the second goal he provided great passes and in the case of Cavallini, it was a great goal.
Man of the Match: Lucas Cavallini was the key to Whitecaps’ success, scoring two goals for the team and scoring four shots overall.
Next
- from: Sunday, October 18 at LA Galaxy (10:30 PM ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN +; TSN 1/4 in Canada)
- LAFC: Sunday October 18 at Portland Timbers (10 p.m. ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN +; MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
