’Caps still alive in playoff race with 2-1 victory over Toronto
TORONTO — Fighting for their post-season lives with just four games to go in the regular season, the Vancouver Whitecaps arrived at BMO Field thinking only of themselves.
But Vancouver’s 2-1 victory over Toronto FC, in Toronto’s home stadium, didn’t only boost the Whitecaps’ playoff hopes. It ended Toronto’s.
And the Whitecaps (12-12-7) departed smiling just a little bit bigger.
“There was no sort of revenge going into the game,” said Russell Teibert. “Toronto’s got a good team, and that’s the reason why they’re reigning champs.
“It’s nice to put them out of the playoffs though,” he added with a grin. “I’ll definitely say that.”
The midfielder, from Niagara Falls, Ont., scored in the fourth minute when he connected on a gorgeous no-look pass from Yordy Reyna.
Vancouver ’keeper Stefan Marinovic praised his teammates for the “best first 10 minutes I’ve seen us play in a very, very long time. Effectively that 10 minutes won us the game.”
Jozy Altidore evened it up for Toronto (9-16-6) when he connected on a penalty kick in the 73rd minute after Doneil Henry was whistled for a hand ball in the box.
But four minutes later, an unmarked Kei Kamara one-timed a cross from Jordan Mutch from inside the six-yard box that Toronto ’keeper Alex Bono had almost no hope of saving. It was Kamara’s sixth game-winning goal of the season.
The victory ended the Whitecaps’ three-game losing streak. It was also the squad’s first win since they fired coach Carl Robinson and his assistants, and promoted Craig Dalrymple, former director of the Whitecaps FC Academy.
Killing Toronto’s playoff hopes, said Dalrymple, was an added bonus.
“Absolutely,” the coach said. “We’ve knocked them out, and we’re still alive. Extra special.”
The win put Vancouver within three points of Real Salt Lake for the sixth and final playoff position. RSL and seventh-place Los Angeles played matches later Saturday, but the Caps have a game in hand on both clubs after the weekend.
The game marked Alphonso Davies’ last trip to BMO Field in a Vancouver uniform, although the 17-year-old is slated to be back there Oct. 16 for Canada’s CONCACAF Nations League game against Dominica. Davies is headed to Bayern Munich at the end of the season.
Davies was solid all night, and had a hand in Teibert’s goal, with a crisp pass to Reyna. With 11 assists on the season, he remains one assist shy of tying the Whitecaps’ season record.
The teen star briefly had to leave the pitch after a hard tackle from Chris Mavinga. He was smacked in the face by Auro before being subbed out in the 69th minute.
Marinovic turned away five shots on the night, and came up with several huge saves — including on a couple of pointblank shots.
Vancouver hosts Sporting Kansas City on Oct. 17.