Vancouver Whitecaps FC picked one heck of a time to get their first road win of the 2023 season, beating LAFC 3-2 at BMO Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Matchday 21 victory against the defending MLS Cup/Supporters’ Shield winners is proof of what Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini has said throughout the season – his team is special.
“We showed today that no team in the league is better than us,” Sartini said postgame. "And we need to have this awareness when we go away, at home because, again, we are still ninth, of course now because we have [played] two less games than other teams and everything. But we need to aim for the sky because this team is really good.”
It was the third meeting this year between the Western Conference foes after LAFC claimed a pair of comfortable 3-0 wins in a two-legged Concacaf Champions League quarterfinal series.
Sartini knew he had to change things up on Saturday, electing to go with a 3-1-4-2 formation and utilizing Ryan Gauld as a left wingback rather than playing him in his usual spot centrally.
Gauld's form
Gauld put in a masterful performance with a goal and two assists, bringing the dynamic Scottish midfielder to four goals and three assists in his last four regular-season games. And that doesn’t include his goal in a Canadian Championship final win over CF Montréal.
“I think Ryan Gauld in the last five, six, seven games has been so good, it’s almost MVP-ish," Sartini said. "When he’s like this, you could probably play him in every position and he's going to be decisive. … I call him a working-class DP.”
Gauld said the win over LAFC is probably the Whitecaps' most impressive since he signed from SC Farense in Portugal’s Primeira Liga in 2021.
"When you look at the grand scheme of things, we’re always in and around that sixth, seventh position, and we have been for the majority of the season anyway, and that’s without picking up points on the road," said Gauld. "Knowing that we are capable of putting in these kind of performances and this result tonight, it should kick everyone on to kind of prove that we’re capable of getting the results."
Statement result?
Sartini said this is the best Whitecaps side since he joined the club in 2019. And it’s even better that Saturday's result came against a star-studded LAFC team.
“I'm very proud of the fact that we played here against probably the MVP of the league in \[Dénis\] Bouanga, a team that has a lot of stars – \[Carlos\] Vela, \[Kwadwo\] Opoku, \[Timothy\] Tilllman, \[José\] Cifuentes, \[Giorgio\] Chiellini – and come here and win deservedly so, of course it’s sweeter,” Sartini said. "Because when you beat big teams it means that you are a big team.”
With their signature win Saturday night, the Whitecaps extend their unbeaten streak to four (2W-0L-2D) while rising to ninth in the Western Conference with games in hand on rivals in front and behind them.
“I told you guys this year can be special,” the Italian manager said. “This team is good and more to come. We need to work, but more to come.”
