Whitecaps aim to get offence going in Seattle
Worn down but not worn out, the Vancouver Whitecaps (5-4-3) will look to reignite their offence when they visit the Seattle Sounders (3-6-4) tonight.
It will be their fifth match in 15 days and comes just three days after a 1-0 road loss to the Colorado Rapids.
“We don’t have to hide behind it, that it’s very hard physically, mentally,” said Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini about his team’s heavy recent schedule. “[Wednesday] was a game where we played well. We deserved much more than we obtained.”
Colorado’s only goal came on a penalty just before halftime when Vancouver defender Bjorn Inge Utvik was handed a red card after VAR revealed a handball inside the box that denied a goal.
That left the Whitecaps a man short for the second half. It also means Utvik will be unavailable for today’s Cascadia Cup clash. The Whitecaps currently lead that regional race among Vancouver, Seattle and Portland with a record of 2-0-0.
“I think so far in the league we’ve done well against our rivals,” said defender Ryan Raposo.
The last time the Whitecaps and Sounders met, on April 20, Seattle was playing two men down by the 75th minute at Lumen Field after red cards were shown to Jackson Ragen and Alex Roldan. During their one-man advantage, Vancouver received goals from Ryan Gauld and Brian White to seal a 2-0 win.
“We know what the atmosphere is going to be like,” Raposo said. “They were unlucky to go down to nine men. They’re going to want that back.”
White scored Vancouver’s last goal in MLS play on April 27, 15 minutes into a 1-1 road draw against the New York Red Bulls.
Since then, the Whitecaps have been shut out by Austin FC, LAFC and the Rapids.
“We had a lot of chances in the last three, four games,” Sartini said. “We just need to keep working, keep having it, and the quality will be back very soon.”
Levonte Johnson, the Whitecaps’ 2023 MLS SuperDraft selection, was the last player to score in any competition, with two goals in Vancouver’s 2-1 win over Cavalry FC in Canadian Championship play on May 7.
On Wednesday, he earned his first MLS start of the year against the Rapids.