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Undefeated Vancouver Whitecaps off to their best start in 12 years

Har Johal
Har Johal
|
Mar 20 2024, 12:05 am
Undefeated Vancouver Whitecaps off to their best start in 12 years
Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

The undefeated Vancouver Whitecaps are off to their best start to a season since 2012. Sitting tied for second in the Western Conference despite only playing three matches, the Whitecaps have won their last two road matches along with a draw in the season opener at BC Place. 

Whitecaps goal-scoring has played a significant part in the team’s quick start to the campaign, with six different players finding the back of the net already. 

Looking back one season ago, it took until the sixth MLS match for the Caps to score their sixth goal as a team. The biggest difference this season is finishing in the final third. 

A closer look at the numbers reveals just how clinical Vancouver has been offensively.

The Whitecaps currently sit last in MLS with 24 scoring attempts and they’re tied for 25th with 13 on-target scoring attempts. But their 54.2% accurate shooting percentage ranks first overall. 

“Last year we had a lot of data that showed that we were playing well and we created a lot of chances,” Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini told Daily Hive following training on Tuesday. “Our [expected goals were] through the roof but we didn’t score a lot of goals, we kept missing chances. The difference is the fact that we are [finishing]. That makes an enormous difference.”

As much as teams talk about scoring depth and getting contributions from throughout the lineup, it’s one thing to go out there, and it’s another to actually get the job done. 

“It’s huge,” midfielder Ali Ahmed said. “The more we have guys put production in, it’ll be huge for us. We’re very dynamic this year. A lot more free flowing offensively and we’ve got a lot of different guys ending up towards the end of the box. We’re just trying to help Brian White and Ryan Gauld, take a little pressure off them.”

Gauld and White combined to score 26 of the team’s 55 MLS goals last season. They were the only Whitecaps players to score more than five MLS goals in 2023. 

Starting the season with six different goal-scorers takes some of the pressure off of both players. It also boosts the confidence and morale to see other teammates scoring. 

“It’s a big deal,” Sartini said. “It’s a very good thing that we have different sources. It’s a demonstration of what we say every time. We don’t rely on the magic of one player. Our most skilled player (Gauld) hasn’t scored yet, hopefully it’s going to arrive soon.”

Having players like Fafa Picault, Ryan Raposo, Mathias Laborda, Alessandro Schopf, and Ahmed scoring puts the opposition on notice that Vancouver has a lot more scoring options.

Along with Gauld, Damir Kreilach, Andres Cubas, and defenders Ranko Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon are also looking for their first MLS goals of the season. 

“It’s important to get as many guys on the scoresheet because then you have multiple threats to beat a team,” Brian White said. “We’re just trying to flood the box, get numbers high. Anybody can get a chance on the field, hopefully they take it.”

The Whitecaps’ early success is also due in part to a pair of road wins over San Jose and FC Dallas. Vancouver struggled on the road in MLS last season. The team didn’t record an MLS win away from home until June 24 against LAFC.

Vancouver will return home to BC Place to start a four-match homestand on Saturday, March 23 against Real Salt Lake. Kreilach will return to the starting lineup against his former team as he replaces Picault who is away on international duty with Haiti.  

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