Whitecaps hit seawall in Seattle
SEATTLE — Clint Dempsey scored twice in the second half Thursday as the Seattle Sounders defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-0 to win their Western Conference semifinal.
Vancouver and Seattle played to an uneventful scoreless draw in the first leg of the two-game aggregate series on Sunday at B.C. Place Stadium in a match that set a Major League Soccer playoff record for attacking futility, with just one combined shot on target.
Dempsey beat Whitecaps goalkeeper Stefan Marinovic from the top of the penalty in the 56th minute on soggy night at CenturyLink Field after a clever backheel from Will Bruin glanced off teammate Harry Shipp before landing on the boot of the U.S. international.
The Sounders striker then iced the game in the 88th minute after getting in front of Whitecaps defender Jordan Harvey and tapping in a cross from substitute Victor Rodriguez.
Dempsey returned to the starting lineup after getting sent off in Seattle’s regular-season finale. The 34-year-old could have been banned another game or two for the elbow that resulted in the red card, or his sarcastic applause directed at the referee before slowly leaving the pitch, but escaped further reprimand.
Seattle will now meet either the Portland Timbers or the Houston Dynamo in the West final. Those teams also played to a scoreless draw in the first leg, with the return match set for Portland on Sunday.
After the Sounders went ahead Thursday, the Whitecaps needed an away goal to advance, with head coach Carl Robinson throwing on Alphonso Davies in the 64th minute in hopes the teenage sensation could provide a spark.
Vancouver found a bit of life, and got its first shot on target of the aggregate moments later when Christian Bolanos directed a header on goal that Stefan Frei stopped with ease, but a toothless attack would have little else going forward before Dempsey put things to bed.
The Whitecaps, who finished a point back of second-place Seattle in the regular-season standings, went with arguably their best lineup of 2017 on Thursday.
Offensive-minded midfielders Yordy Reyna and Cristian Techera, who could only sub on in the second half of the first leg because of nagging injuries, started despite Robinson’s assertions this week they probably wouldn’t be fit.
Nosa Igiebor also started in midfield for Vancouver, with Brek Shea and Tony Tchani getting bumped to the bench.