Vancouver Whitecaps can clinch first place at BC Place this weekend
A pair of positive results has the Vancouver Whitecaps on the verge of accomplishing something they’ve never done since entering MLS 15 years ago.
The Whitecaps beat San Diego FC 4-1 at BC Place on Wednesday night. They also got good news on the out-of-town scoreboard, as FC Dallas fell 2-0 to the Columbus Crew.
That extended Vancouver’s lead atop the MLS Western Conference table. The Whitecaps are now four points up on Dallas, with just two games remaining each.
Vancouver’s still on top. (MLS)
It sets up an opportunity for the ‘Caps to clinch first place in the West as soon as Saturday, when they take on the Seattle Sounders in front of a crowd of over 30,000 at BC Place. If the Whitecaps don’t clinch this weekend, they’ll get another chance in their regular-season finale in Montreal on Nov. 7.
A loss or a draw by FC Dallas in either of their final two matches would also clinch first place for Vancouver.
Clinching first in the West would ensure home-field advantage all the way to the conference final, should Thomas Müller and company make it that far. The Whitecaps finished second in the West last season and were forced to go on the road for the Western Conference Final against San Diego and the MLS Cup Final against Inter Miami.
We’ll never know how Vancouver’s fortunes would have changed if the MLS Cup Final was instead played at BC Place.
Vancouver took on Lionel Messi in the MLS Cup Final last year. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
East-leading Nashville SC has already clinched the Supporters’ Shield this season with 71 points. The Whitecaps are currently tied with the New England Revolution (58 points), though New England has the tiebreaker with more wins. The ‘Caps currently hold a two-point lead over Lionel Messi and Miami (56 points).
The Whitecaps have been a force at BC Place this season, earning 10 wins and two draws in 16 MLS home matches.
It remains to be seen if the Whitecaps can translate this year’s regular-season success to the playoffs. Vancouver was red-hot to start the season, going 10-2-2 before the FIFA World Cup break. They’re just 7-6-5 since, which has come without Sebastian Berhalter, who was transferred to Middlesbrough FC in July.
But Wednesday’s dominant performance was encouraging for Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen.
“I just have a good feeling about how we played,” Sørensen said post-match. “I know that everybody is focusing on the standings and stuff… It’s more important how we play, and we look right when we play, and we play with the right intentions, and we play with the right force and quality.”
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