After falling behind 2-1 just moments before halftime, the ‘Caps rallied with a pair of stoppage-time goals for a 3-2 victory over their regional rivals, the Portland Timbers. 

“It doesn’t matter the score, we can always get the three points,” said midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who put away the game-winning strike in the 95th minute. “It’s a testament to the culture, I guess, that we’ve built … that everyone still believes and no one panics. 

“And it’s our identity, it’s who we want to be. We want to be people that, even if we’re winning 3-0, want to get the fourth. If we’re down 2-1, we want to get the 3-2.”

The Whitecaps improved to 5-1-0 on the season while the Timbers fell to 1-4-1. Portland has not won a game since Feb. 21 when the Columbus Crew 3-2 to open the season. 

Vancouver controlled 61.1 per cent of possession across the game and outshot Portland 22-9, with a 9-4 edge in on-target shots.

It took the home side until nearly the final whistle to seal the win. 

“You can never draw up a game. You can hope for something and prepare something, but you know, this game is so unpredictable,” said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen. 

“For a neutral (fan), I think it was very entertaining. For our fans, I think they left the building very happy. And they should, because it was. I think we played a very good game in general.”

The ‘Caps got off to a solid start, with Edier Ocampo scoring six minutes in.

Vancouver ‘keeper Yohei Takaoka sent a long kick up the field and his Portland counterpart James Pantemis came up outside of the penalty area to challenge. Ocampo collected the ball before Pantemis could get to it and took a couple of strides before rolling a low shot in to give the home side an early 1-0 lead. 

The Whitecaps controlled play through much of the first half, but the visitors pushed late in the frame and capitalized on their chances. 

Juan Mosquera levelled the score at 1-1 in the 37th minute, sending a rocket of a shot soaring into the top corner of the net off a corner kick. 

He then helped out on David Da Costa’s tally in first-half injury time. Vancouver defender Mattias Laborda blocked a cross but couldn’t clear the ball and Mosquera was there to pick it up and get it off to Da Costa, who sent a sharp-angle shot in from the side of the six-yard box to give the Timbers a 2-1 lead. 

The Whitecaps didn’t take advantage of their chances during the first half, Sorensen said. 

In the locker room at the break, the coach said he told his team to stay focused and not panic. 

“Just keep believing. We need one moment to equalize and then we needed to push for the rest of the game. And today we managed,” he told reporters. “But there was no need to panic. It would have been worse if we had played a very bad first half. Then we would have needed to change a lot. But there was no need for this.” 

Vancouver pressed in the second half, hemming the Timbers in their own end and creating several chances that Portland blocked or quickly headed out of harm’s way. 

A corner kick in the 89th minute proved fateful for the ‘Caps. 

Berhalter swung the ball in and Ocampo drilled a shot into a defender at the top of the penalty area, who was called for a handball. Referee Joe Dickerson signalled for a penalty kick. 

Thomas Muller stepped up to take the shot in the first minute of injury time, stutter stepped, then fired a left-footed shot in past Pantemis for his third goal of the season. 

Four minutes later, Berhalter chipped a left-footed shot off from the top of the penalty area, sailing the ball in to give Vancouver a late 3-2 lead with his fourth goal of the season. 

“I knew I needed to get in the box. I just got fortunate it fell to me, and then once it fell to me, I knew I was going to score,” said the American midfielder. “So it’s a good effort by the whole team. Honestly, I just looked at it — that was the 91st and 95th minute. And to score two goals in stoppage time shows a lot.”

Even after collecting an important victory, the Whitecaps have work to do, Takaoka cautioned. 

“It’s a massive win for us, and we showed our mentality,” said the ‘keeper. 

“We never give up until the end. It’s a massive win, but we have to look back at the end of the first half, we’ve conceded two games in a row. We have to be solid and we can’t allow a goal in the end of the first half. So I think we should be better, but it’s a great win.”

NOTES

Saturday marked the second meeting between the two clubs this season. The ‘Caps beat the Timbers 4-1 in Portland on March 7. Striker Bruno Caicedo made his Whitecaps debut, coming on for Cheikh Sabaly in the 71st minute. An announced crowd of 25,465 took in the game at B.C. Place. 

UP NEXT 

Timbers: Host Los Angeles FC on Saturday, April 11.

Whitecaps: Host New York City FC on Saturday, April 11.

New England (2-3-0) has lost all three of its road matches under first-year coach Marko Mitrović, but the Revolution have won their two home matches by a combined 9-1 score. Mitrović wasn’t on the field as the Revs closed it out after receiving a red card in the 34th minute.

Montreal falls to 1-5-0 and ends a six-match road trip to begin the season.

New England jumped in front in the sixth minute and held a 1-0 lead through halftime on a goal by Langoni, who was in the right place to knock in a deflected shot by Dor Turgeman. It was the first goal this season for Langoni and his sixth in 43 career appearances.

The Revolution took a 2-0 lead in the 77th minute when Langoni set up Fofana’s goal. Fofana tallied one assist in 30 appearances — all starts — last season as a rookie. 

Peyton Miller, an 18-year-old defender, scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Miller has two goals in three matches coming off the bench this season after scoring two goals in his first 36 appearances with 33 starts.

Matt Turner had five saves for New England to earn his first clean sheet this season and his 25th in 117 career starts for the club.

Thomas Gillier saved two shots for Montreal in his 14th career start over the past two seasons.

Montreal beat the Revs 3-1 in its last trip to Foxborough in July.

New England leads the all-time series 19-14-4.

UP NEXT

Montreal: Hosts the Philadelphia Union on Saturday, April 11.

New England: Hosts D.C. United on Saturday, April 11.

His first career Major League Soccer goal was the winner in Toronto FC’s 3-2 over the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, but the real fireworks happened eight minutes before that.

A blooper-reel own goal by Colorado goalkeeper Zack Steffen brought the game level in the second half and set the stage for Sargent’s heroics.

Leading 2-1 in the 75th minute, Rapids right back Keegan Rosenberry attempted to reset play from midfield by kicking the ball back to Steffen, the Colorado captain.

But Steffen misjudged the pass and stepped forward only to watch the ball dribble past him and into the back of the net for Toronto’s equalizer.

“I was a bit like ‘OK, what just happened? We’ll take it,’” Sargent said. “We definitely got a boost of energy from that, like ‘all right, let’s go win this thing now.’”

Sargent launched a header into the back of the net off a cross from Alonso Coello. It marked the American’s first goal in three games since joining TFC from Norwich City in February.

“Big relief. It’s been a while since I’ve scored,” said Sargent, who missed wide on a first-half scoring opportunity. “I would have been upset if I didn’t get a goal by the end of the game. So just very happy. Great to get a goal and hopefully more to come.”

Sargent played 90 minutes, subbing off just before second-half stoppage time. Toronto’s designated player logged just 65 minutes total over his first two TFC appearances.

“Josh is good at everything you need a forward to be good at and we see bits and pieces of it every time we’ve seen him play, and then we see more of it when we see more minutes,” Toronto head coach Robin Fraser said.

Sargent’s goal was the capper to a see-saw battle that saw Toronto (3-2-1) extend its points streak to four. The game featured three red cards along with momentum swings.

Colorado (3-3-0) was assessed the first red card in the 33rd minute when midfielder Jackson Travis was sent off for an illegal tackle against TFC’s Raheem Edwards.

Toronto failed to capitalize, and then took a red card of its own early in the second half when Edwards was sent off for denying a Colorado goal-scoring opportunity just outside of the box.

The Rapids converted on the ensuing free kick. Paxten Aaronson beat TFC’s Luka Gavran low to the goalkeeper’s right side in the 51st minute.

Rosenberry struck just three minutes later to double Colorado’s lead.

“It was actually quite surreal,” Fraser said. “It’s a horrible place to be and I think we got even better and even more engaged and even more intense at that point. Then it turned into this crazy game.”

Toronto pulled within one when Richie Laryea executed a top-corner strike in the 65th minute, curling the ball in from a tight angle. 

There was some question as to whether Laryea’s ball was really intended to be a cross that ended up being pushed in by the wind. Only the result mattered to Toronto.

Colorado’s Miguel Navarro picked up his second yellow card and was sent off in the 74th minute. 

The Steffen own goal occurred just three minutes later and led to jeers from the home fans every time he touched the ball for the rest of the game.

“For me, it was just ‘OK, now we’re even. Now let’s go win the game,’” Fraser said. “Zack’s feet are phenomenal, and it was a really unlucky situation for him, which obviously was really fortunate for us.

“It’s probably the first time in a long time that I can recall being down with that large a deficit and getting back to even and just thinking, ‘we’ve gotta win this game.’ It wasn’t satisfying to get back to two-nil, it was really the job is still out there to be done.” 

Djordje Mihailovic, who was acquired by TFC from Colorado in August, didn’t suit up for what would have been his first game against his former team due to a pelvis injury. Fraser said the extent of Mihailovic’s injury remains unknown.

Toronto defender Walker Zimmerman was substituted off in the 56th minute due to calf tightness. 

Rapids defender and Toronto native Kosi Thompson — traded from TFC to Colorado in late March for up to $400,000 in general allocation money — wasn’t in the lineup for his new team either.

The match marked the third of nine straight at home for TFC before it heads on the road for six to make way for the FIFA World Cup.

Toronto hosts FC Cincinnati, and Colorado is at home to the Houston Dynamo next Saturday.

That was apparent on Friday when Fraser was asked about the club’s first-year forward Josh Sargent, who arrived in Toronto from Norwich City in February. 

The 26-year-old American scored an impressive 56 goals in 157 appearances for The Canaries over five seasons but has yet to find the back of the goal this season for Toronto. 

Sargent has made one start over two appearances for a TFC side that has managed only six regular-season goals in five games.

“In my mind he’s playing extremely well and for us it’s been about trying to get him physically in a position where he can do that for all season,” said Fraser. “That’s the reason for not throwing him (in games) from the beginning.

“It’s building his strength, his agility, all the things he needs to remain healthy throughout the year.”

Toronto fans would love to see Sargent break out on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids at BMO Field.

“In terms of what he brings us, you can already see his intelligence in his defending, his technical ability in attack, composure, experience … we see all those things every day,” Fraser said. “If your question is, ‘When’s he going to score?,’ I have very little doubt that he is going to score soon and certainly the hope is once he starts, he doesn’t stop.”

After starting the MLS campaign with two losses, the Reds have recorded points in their last three matches, including a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew on March 21.

With seven straight regular-season games scheduled for BMO Field, Fraser said it’s crucial for his club to go on a roll.

“I choose to see it as an opportunity to get ahead,” he said. “You take care of your home games and by the time this homestand is over we should be in a pretty good position.”

Toronto will have its hands full with the resurgent Rapids, a club with three wins and two defeats in five games. Under new head coach Matt Wells, Colorado has scored 11 goals – the second-highest goal tally in the MLS.

“They’re good, they’re young, they’re energetic (and) they occupy some interesting positions in their buildup,” said Fraser, who was the head man in Colorado from 2019 to 2023. “They play with a ton of energy, they get a lot of pressure. They’re a good group.”

Forward Rafael Navarro leads the way for the Rapids with three goals. Colorado is coming off a 4-1 victory over Kansas City on March 21.

TFC has failed to make the MLS playoffs since 2020 but appear to be heading in a positive direction this year.

“I think we’re just scratching the surface (in terms) of the potential this team has,” said goalkeeper Luka Gavran, a native of Hamilton, Ont. “I was disappointed in how we played in the first two games because it didn’t really show how we did in the pre-season. So, for us to bounce back with two wins and a tie … this team has so much more.”

Saturday’s match will mark the return of defender Kosi Thompson, who was acquired by the Rapids from TFC last week for up to $400,000 in general allocation money.

First-year left back Matheus Pereira (groin) has yet to play a game for Toronto FC this season but Fraser said he is available.

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Fraser, 59, was a key member of TFC’s coaching staff during the team’s glory years, serving as Greg Vanney’s assistant and right-hand man starting in 2015 before leaving the club to take over as head coach of Colorado in 2019. 

He led the Rapids to back-to-back playoff appearances in his first two full years with the outfit and a first-place finish in the Western Conference in 2021, setting a new club record for most points (61) in a season. He was also a finalist for MLS coach of the year that same season. 

But a disastrous start to the 2023 campaign — just three wins in 26 league games — led to the club firing him. Fraser also spent three seasons (2001 to 2003) of his distinguished MLS playing career in Colorado, collecting a pair of assists in 81 games across all competitions.   

A lot of time has passed since he was let go, but Fraser is still very fond of the city and his former team. 

“I love Denver. … It’s a place I have great affinity for. My kids were born there. It’s a place that I’ve spent a lot of time, and I feel like I grew up in Denver a lot,” Fraser said on Friday. 

“I will always have special feelings about Denver and about my time at the Rapids,” he added. 

All that being said, there is no room for sentimentality for Fraser as this weekend marks the third match of a nine-game run at home for a Toronto side that is unbeaten in three contests and showing signs of life after opening its campaign with back-to-back losses. 

“(Colorado) is another team that we need to get points off. I feel like this homestand for us is really important and the focus is on us and continuing to improve,” Fraser said. 

The recent international break means TFC (2-2-1) have been idle since recording a come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew on March 21. With seven points, the Reds are much further along than they were at the same point last season when they only had a single point from their first five games and didn’t collect their first win until April 19. Fraser wants to see the team continue to build upon its early-season momentum by showing more urgency. 

“I think when we play with urgency, we’re very good, but it’s urgency from the very beginning. I’ve used the term energy a couple of times, but it’s a group that always works. They will always work,” Fraser said. 

“The difference between that and urgency is taking the initiative. I feel like in the games where we have taken the initiative with the ball, without the ball, we’ve been pretty good.” 

New DP forward Josh Sargent is still looking for his first goal after making two appearances (one start) for his new club, totalling just 65 minutes. Thus far he’s recorded three shots on target and looked lively in spurts when he’s featured for Toronto. All that is left for Sargent to do is open his TFC account with a goal.   

“He’s playing extremely well, and for us, it’s been about trying to get him physically in a position where he can do it for all season. And that’s the reason for not throwing him in from the beginning, is building his fitness, his strength, his agility, all the things that he needs to remain healthy throughout the year,” Fraser said.  

Fraser added, “I have very little doubt that he is going to score soon. And certainly, the hope (is that) once he starts, he doesn’t stop.”  

Elsewhere in MLS this weekend: 

• Lionel Messi and Inter Miami host Austin FC on Saturday in its inaugural match at Nu Stadium, a brand new 26,700-seat soccer-specific venue. Miami has called Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale its home since coming into MLS in 2020. It’s also where Miami won last year’s MLS Cup final. 

• The Vancouver Whitecaps (4-1-0) on Saturday will host the Portland Timbers, a rivalry that stretches back to 1975 when both clubs played in the old NASL. The Whitecaps will go into this match without centre back Ralph Priso, who suffered a hamstring injury while playing for the Canadian men’s team earlier this week. 

• CF Montreal (1-4-0) wraps up its six-game road swing to open the season when it visits the New England Revolution on Saturday. Montreal has the second-worst defensive record in MLS with 14 goals against. Montreal acquired midfielder Frankie Amaya on loan from Mexican club Deportivo Toluca FC this week, and he could make his debut for the MLS outfit this weekend.