Whitecaps

VANCOUVER — An injury-time penalty shot by Ryan Gauld lifted the Vancouver Whitecaps to a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The goal was Meram's second of the season. … The game was the only one on MLS's weekend schedule due to an international break. But it's a testament of how the group is really fighting and working at the moment." "I had some feeling, honestly, it was going to bounce there because even before that there was one good flip before that I almost got on it," the defender said. Salt Lake controlled 59.6 per cent of the possession across the first half but didn't get a single shot on target. The 'Caps tested MacMath early. It's one that is instinctual," Cropper said. "For me that save was pure reaction. If we're up a goal if we, you know, give away a bad goal. "And I think that that's showing. "I want to remind you that we did 13 points in the last six games. Doesn't matter if we're down a goal.

Ryan Gauld scored on a penalty kick in stoppage time to give the Vancouver Whitecaps a 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Just maybe, Vancouver Whitecaps FC's magic from 2021 – their dramatic turnaround under then-interim manager Vanni Sartini that sparked an Audi MLS Cup ...

He hasn't always met the Designated Player tag he received, leading to outbound transfer speculation last winter. Playmaker Ryan Gauld and 2021 leading scorer Brian White have been limited to nine appearances each through 14 matches. El Tanque originally joined Vancouver from Liga MX side Puebla on a club-record deal. But in the bigger picture, it's getting harder and harder to ignore the possibility that Vancouver – who are now 4W-1L-1D in their last six games – will again have something to say about the West playoff race. The 29-year-old striker missed extended stretches of the 2021 season and had a modest six goals in 2020, but looks like he could be on the verge of a banner 2022 season. Not only that, but the win also takes Vancouver above Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC and Portland Timbers in the West. While Vancouver have a limited playoff pedigree, Seattle and Portland are the only two Western Conference teams to appear in MLS Cup since 2016.

After a strong start to the game, as they jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first half via a Ranko Veselinovic goal, the 'Caps nearly threw it away in the second ...

And the pressure would remain relentless from there, almost leading to a breakthrough in the 81st minute. Then, in the 78th minute, Cordova would manage to free himself up for another header at the back post, one that he’d make full contact with, just sending it wide of the target. So seeing that, it’d be no surprise that they’d come oh so close to doing just that in the 61st minute. For the ‘Caps, though, the joy that stop would give them would be quite short-lived, as less than a minute later, RSL would find their breakthrough. And from there, that pressure would finally lead to a goal in the 31st minute. Yet, despite that, he’d send his shot well over the goal, unable to control his shot from in tight. “At the end, we had our chances,” Sartini said. But that was the key – for the time being. It hasn’t always been pretty, as it’s often required carefully timed set pieces, some clinical penalties and some gritty defensive moments, but they’ve continued to find a way to get the job done in the clutch moments. Yet, that just shows how good the ‘Caps have been as of late. After that, however, things would quiet down for a bit. Off of a long throw-in, the ‘Caps would manage to flick the ball into a dangerous area, where it’d find the run of Ranko Veselinovic, who would easily tap the ball home from in close to give his team the lead.

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC recorded a 2-1 victory against Western Conference side Real Salt Lake this Saturday evening at BC Place.

90’+1’ – RSL – Aaron Herrera 62’ – RSL – Justin Meram Corners: VAN 2 – RSL 3 28’ – RSL – Aaron Herrera Offsides: VAN 2 – RSL 1 Saves: VAN 3 – RSL 2 Shots on Goal: VAN 4 – RSL 4 Real Salt Lake then tied the game moments later, as winger Justin Meram converted his shot when he got onto a loose ball from the left side of the box in the 52nd minute. Shots: VAN 6 – RSL 10 Possession: VAN 40.7% – RSL 59.3% 52’ – RSL – Justin Meram Following a long throw-in from Jake Nerwinski, Florian Jungwirth's headed flick found defender Ranko Veselinović inside the box, who opened the scoring with a right footed tip in the 31st minute of the match.

The goal was Gauld's second of the Major League Soccer season and added to a first-half strike by Ranko Veselinovic.

… The game was the only one on MLS’s weekend schedule due to an international break. Salt Lake controlled 59.6 per cent of the possession across the first half but didn’t get a single shot on target. First, he swatted a long shot by Jefferson Savarino out of harm’s way, then dove to deny substitute Sergio Cordova on a point-blank attempt from the side of the net. The goal was Meram’s second of the season. The ‘Caps tested MacMath early. Gauld stepped up to take the kick in the third minute of added time and sent a shot high into the top right corner of the net to seal the win.

Great stuff, all of it. However, I kept getting this vibe that Godoy was not communicating well with his wingbacks. The Cordova Save-And-Meram Goal sequence was ...

Seldom was White able to successfully latch on to a pass or make a play on a ball, but he sure made the most of what he could whenever possible. After controlling a difficult pass, Gauld went on the run, got his head up, and spotted the streaking Luis Martins on the opposite side, feeding the wingback with a ball that ultimately turned into the penalty drawn off Aaron Herrera. And once the PK was earned, Gauld cooly send MacMath the wrong way to bury the winner. Of all things, he had a solid game as a roleplayer, which isn’t optimal for a target striker, but the effort was there. You could get a sense of what his intensions were with the ball at his feet, but he was missing a precise execution on his passes. Caicedo’s runs were fine, I guess, but he far too often looked like a passenger in the match, with too few threats to the RSL backline. He knocks down a long shot from Jefferson Savarino, one I’m fairly certain was curling away from the net and destined for the endline, right into the path of a goal-crashing Cordova. Cropper was quickly on his feet to make a last-ditch lunge to stuff the shot and push the ball out for a goal kick. Also: he easily wins the award for Worst Yellow Card of the Match. What’s the point of refusing to back away from a free kick, then act like you’ve done nothing wrong? My only real gripe for Berhalter on Saturday was with the balls he played up the pitch. We may have to start calling Jungwirth Imodium because he kept on plugging up the middle for the second game in a row. If I’m being honest, his long balls up the pitch were not great, but when you combine the goal with the clearing of nearly every ball knocked his way, overall you score it as a solid performance from Mr. Veselinovic. For the fifth time in a row in fact, as the Whitecaps saw off Real Salt Lake with a 2-1 victory Saturday night. The phrase “inconceivable” can be taken quite literally on this one: I’m still not entirely sure the ball didn’t cross the goal line (check the 0:56 mark of the highlights video to see what I mean). Though a VAR check likely would have come, it wouldn’t be necessary as Cropper was beat short-side by Justin Meram just thirty seconds later.