By fantasy Article content
The Vancouver Whitecaps are heading to the playoffs, officially.
Article content
Their 3-0 win over St. Louis City SC Wednesday night at B.C. Place, combined with LAFC’s simultaneous comeback win over Minnesota United, clinched a spot in the playoffs for the Whitecaps.
Article content
Brian White, with his 15th of the season, opened the scoring for Vancouver (12-10-10) in the 58th minute, Sebastian Berhalter and Richie Laryea — with his first as a Whitecap — salted the game away a late-game strikes.
The win snapped both their own four-game winless streak, and the five-game undefeated streak for St. Louis (17-11-5), who had already sealed first place in the West earlier in the week.
The Whitecaps are now fifth in the West, tied on points with fourth-place Real Salt Lake, and have two more games to play — away in Seattle on Saturday, then home to LAFC on Decision Day two weeks after.
Article content
RSL has a game in hand on Vancouver, with games against SKC, LA Galaxy and Colorado, all of whom are 11th or lower in the West.
Here’s what we learned …
PLAYOFF BOUND
It’s the second time in Vanni Sartini’s three years in charge that the Whitecaps have made the playoffs, and they nearly made it in the middle year, as well.
The playoffs begin for Vancouver sometime after Oct. 28, with a best-of-three series against a yet-to-be determined opponent. Their next goal is to now clinch a top-four spot and the home field advantage that comes with it.
DON’T FRET
The Whitecaps fan base held its collective breath when Designated Player Andres Cubas went off in the 51st minute, clutching his right shoulder and grimacing in pain.
In his place came Berhalter, who’s proven to be a most capable understudy this season. He held his own defensively, and then showed the same deep-lying threat Cubas can be, curling home a perfectly placed left-footed shot from 20 yards in the 82nd minute. It was nearly the same spot the Cubas scored his first — and only — goal for the Whitecaps, in his second home start back in 2022.
Berhalter has evolved from a Columbus Crew castoff to be an effective and impactful MLS player, sitting second on the team in assists per 90 behind Gauld.
MAKE LIKE A TREE AND LEAVE
If a team qualifies for the playoffs, and no one is there to see it, did it really happen?
Wednesday night saw an announced crowd of 13,776 at B.C. Place for the game, the third-smallest attendance total of the regular season.
The Caps had 13,379 come through the turnstiles for Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, June 3, with the lowest attendance coming in a Wednesday game just prior to that — 13,232 vs. Houston on May 31.
Share this article in your social network