Whitecaps’ unbeaten streak at home ends
LAFC 2, WHITECAPS 0
It wasn’t Friday the 13th that was unlucky for the Vancouver Whitecaps. It was Thursday the 12th.
That’s when starting striker Kei Kamara crumpled in a heap during training at UBC, an injury severe enough to keep him out of Friday’s Major League Soccer game at B.C. Place Stadium.
Without their main offensive threat, the Caps couldn’t find any offence and LAFC struck twice in the second half for a 2-0 victory, ending the Caps’ 11-game home unbeaten streak.
“We had a couple injury blows yesterday, and it seemed to affect us,” said coach Carl Robinson, who said he had yet to see the results of the MRI Kamara had Friday. “I could say (Kamara’s absence) didn’t affect us, but clearly I’d be lying or not telling the truth. I think the way we play, and the form that Kei is in … I think we huffed and puffed, as you’d say, up front. They adjusted their formation, and credit to them, they got their tactics spot on.
“(We) just have to go back to the drawing board … whether it’s a tweak in formation or a tweak in personnel.”
Here’s what we learned Friday:
OFFENSIVE ADJUSTMENTS
The impact of Kamara’s absence was apparent.
The lack of the big target in the middle meant there were fewer of the patented Robbo crosses in the first half, as they worked more through the middle on the ground.
The lone cross in the first half — from Cristian Techera — counted as a shot as goalkeeper Tyler Miller was forced to intercept the ball.
L.A.’s big Belgian international Laurent Ciman, a two-time MLS All-Star and 2015 MLS Defender of the Year, was a wall on the back end, breaking up any offensive attempts the Caps made and smothering Erik Hurtado, who started in Kamara’s place.
L.A. held the possession advantage — 51.3 per cent, a number skewed in Vancouver’s favour after L.A. retreated into a defensive shell — but notably, held a 16-8 advantage in shots.
Russell Teibert, who had been 3-0 this year when starting, got the nod as the No. 5, working just in front of the four-man back line in a 4-1-4-1. He was Vancouver’s most accurate distributor on the day, connecting on 94.3 per cent of his passes before giving way to Yordy Reyna in the 65th minute with the Caps trailing 1-0.
This allowed Felipe to move into a more offensive position, feeding the wingers and Hurtado, but without Kamara’s presence, they couldn’t find the cohesion in the final third.
WHAT THIS MEANS
The Whitecaps, who hadn’t lost back-to-back games since March of last year, fell to .500 at 3-3-1, while Los Angeles improved to 3-2-0 and snapped a two-game losing streak.
Vancouver hadn’t lost at home since losing 2-1 to the Portland Timbers on July 23, 2017.
It was also the first home shutout loss for Vancouver since losing 1-0 to D.C. United on May 27.
Vancouver remains second in the Western Conference ahead of Saturday’s action, while L.A. moved up to third, just ahead of the Galaxy.
CODE BLACK AND GOLD
Perhaps lost in the Zlatan Ibrahimovic show last week was Carlos Vela’s lethal left-footed goal.
He struck a 22-yard in-swinger from the left side that curled into the top corner.
Maybe the Caps didn’t see that, as he scored a remarkably similar goal against them Friday.
A ball popped loose to him near the top left corner of the box, and, without a defender within five yards, curled one top corner past a flat-footed Stefan Marinovic in the 59th minute.
It ended a 202-minute scoreless streak that stretched back to the Galaxy game, and also stood up as the winner.
The second goal came as the Caps couldn’t clear a loose ball, and when Marinovic and Kendall Waston collided, Diego Rossi fired home the loose ball between Marinovic’s legs.
HARVEY’S HOMECOMING
Jordan Harvey played his first game as a visitor at B.C. Place, and the Caps welcomed their former left back with a pre-game ceremony, video montage and framed photograph.
The 34-year-old and the Caps couldn’t come to terms after last season.
He joined his hometown LAFC as a free agent.