VANCOUVER – Desperate for their first win of the season, the Vancouver Whitecaps will need all hands on deck Wednesday night when they entertain Los Angeles FC.
Coming off a 1-1 draw last Friday against the Chicago Fire, the Whitecaps (0-4-2) prepare to play their second of three games in a span of eight days. While he was happy that his club earned just it second point of the MLS season, coach Marc Dos Santos admitted the overall effort in Illinois left plenty to be desired.
“If you look at the performance, it was the worst of the six [we’ve played],” Dos Santos said. “I don’t think we deserved to lose, but we didn’t deserve to win. I think the tie was fair.”
After their home match against LAFC (6-0-1), the Whitecaps travel to Florida to visit Orlando City on Saturday. With all of the cross-continent travel this week, Dos Santos said fans can expect to see player rotation and different lineups.
“There will be at least 3 or 4 new players,” Dos Santos confirmed. “It not only has to do with the Orlando game, but it also has to do with some players taking more time to recover than others.”
Whoever is in the lineup, the Whitecaps know they will require a maximum effort in trying to stop Los Angeles. Having rattled off three straight shutouts, LAFC sport the best record in MLS and feature two of the top three scorers in the league. Carlos Vela and Diego Rossi have accounted for two-thirds of the total offence the Black and Gold has provided so far. What is even more impressive is no other club has combined for more goals this year compared to LAFC’s duo.
“We have to work from the first minute to the last, because in one minute, they can win the game,” Whitecaps captain Jon Erice said of their opponents. “They are so dangerous, so we will have to work as a team.”
Vela enters the week leading MLS in almost every offensive category, including goals (eight), assists (five), shots (41) and shots on goal (16). Rossi has added six goals this season. In his last road match, he netted his first career hat trick in LA’s 4-0 win at D.C. United.
“We need to believe in how the coaches want us to play,” Whitecaps defender Jake Nerwinski stated. “We’ve gone over film every day this week to try and have the right keys to stop these two players. That’s what we’re going to do.”
In their lone trip to Vancouver last season, both Vela and Rossi found the back of the net in a 2-0 victory. Rossi also scored twice at home in a 2-2 draw with the Whitecaps in their most recent meeting on Oct. 21.
With the Whitecaps scoring just five goals through six matches, it is hard to blame fans for wondering what it will take to get a win against the top team in the league. Internally the players feel they have the tools to get three points against the MLS leaders. However, the players also know the pressure will continue to mount until they get a win.
“This is probably as good as a team I’ve been on here at the Whitecaps,” stated midfielder Russel Teibert, who has been a part of every Vancouver roster since they started in MLS in 2011.
“I know everybody wants to see the final product right away, but we’re only six games in. There’s a good group of guys here, but I also know the club is always looking to improve.”
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NOTES & TIDBITS
Four of the 10 goals allowed by Vancouver this season have come on penalty kicks. Last season, the Whitecaps conceded a league-high nine goals from the penalty spot.
Wednesday marks the first time that Marc Dos Santos faces LAFC since taking over the coaching duties for the Whitecaps. He was the assistant to Bob Bradley last year when Los Angeles put up the best ever record for an MLS expansion club (16-9-9).
Canadian international Mark-Anthony Kaye has had a solid start to the season for LAFC. The Toronto native has a pair of goals, including the winner in last Friday’s 2-0 win over FC Cincinnati.
Los Angeles has scored 13 straight goals without allowing their opponent to capitalize. The MLS record for most uninterrupted goals is 18, set by the LA Galaxy in 2014.
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