If anyone remembers the scoreless draw against the Portland Timber in the first game of their Western Conference semi-final in 2015, it’s Tim Parker.
Parker felt that they wasted some chances that might have provided the edge needed in the aggregate series, but since the Caps were hosting the second leg the team felt confident to secure a win.
To the shock of many Whitecap fans it was the Timbers that scored the away goal in the first half which meant that the Caps needed to secure two goals in order to advance, but the end result saw a season ending 2-0 loss.
Two years later the Caps are looking at payback when they paid a trip the Emerald City hopes of securing a win, but the lackluster performance at home earned them a nil – nil draw.
Both the Whitecaps and the Sounders played the match tight in the first leg that saw just one shot on target and not much else for creativity.
Vancouver Head Coach Carl Robinson seemed to take an approach that was more conservative in nature, which shocked many in the soccer community.
Robinson mentioned later that he learned the hard way against the Timbers that conceding even one away goal in two-legged ties can be a blow to the team.
The trip south saw Dempsey’s return after missing the first leg due to suspension and the 32nd minute saw Lodeiro set up Nouhou who was pulled down by Cap’s Jakob Nerwinski that forced a review with no penalty assessed, with Nerwinski forced to leave the match.
Stoppage time in the first half saw Dempsey at the back post missing the cross which saw the match remain scoreless after the first half.
The second half saw the Sounders come out with a strong start setting up Dempsey in the 56th minute with a strike off his left foot notching his 5th career playoff goal putting the Sounders up 1-nil.
The Caps substituted in the 64th minute sending the 17 year-old Davies on the pitch replacing Techera managing to see striker Bolanos get first shot on net forcing Frei to make his first stop of the match.
A short two minutes later Davies cut to the inside with a direct shot off his left foot sending it wide only to give a new meaning to life for the Sounders.
The 88th minute saw the Sounders secure the birth to the final as Dempsey got his second of the match as Sounders midfielder Victor Rodriguez send a cross to Dempsey who was open behind all defenders on the far post sending a left foot volley in the back of the open net.
This season played out as it did in 2015 with the Caps being eliminated from any further play without scoring a goal.
The reigning champs are moving on and advance to the final against in the MLS final.
Whitecaps Coach mentioned that he is “disappointed for the guys as they put in a tremendous amount of work and came up a bit short, not just for today but the season.”
Captain Kendal Waston mentioned after the match “that they can’t go from this game with their head hanging down and they have to feel proud of the season they had this year, but obviously they have things to improve on and use this as an experience thing for next year.”
The Whitecaps have played seven playoff games since joining the MLS and have been outscored 6 nil in their last three visits to CenturyLink field.
Post Game Notes:
Whitecap midfielders, Yordy Reyna and Cristian Techera could only sub on in the second half of the first leg due to ongoing injuries and managed to return to the starting 11 despite Robinson’s comments earlier in the week that they probably wouldn’t be fit for the match.
Being honest, it’s fair to mention that they looked like bystanders than real scoring threats sent in by the Whitecap.
Seattle has players such as Dempsey and Nicolas Lodeiro who controlled the match both on and off the pitch.
Now it’s back to the drawing board to see if they can get a stronger offense entering the 2018 season.
The Whitecaps organization have been exceptional to deal with and Sportswave “thanks” everyone both on and off the pitch, from office staff to the media members.
Splits vs Sounders this season
Home
April 14th (W 2-1)
August 23rd (T 1-1)
October 29th (T 0-0)
Away
September 27th (L 3-0)
November 2nd (L 2-0)
