Three Talking Points: Whitecaps Draw Dallas at Home

ANALYSIS- The Vancouver Whitecaps got their first point on the board after a tightly contested stalemate against FC Dallas. With the stats pointing kindly towards the draw, Whitecaps fans will still feel aggrieved with the result after a handful of fantastic chances for the ‘Caps.

Whitecaps Draw Dallas in Frustrating Stalemate

#1: Chances Are Coming, But Lacking Finesse

The Whitecaps only boasted an xG of 0.31 in the game, but they arguably had the best chances throughout the evening. Brian White had a diving header saved by a quick reflex from Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes at the end of the first half. And at the end of the second, Sergio Cordova was inches away from tapping in the winning goal from a Ranko cross.

The team has created a lot of good chances so far in the MLS, with six big chances, but they have missed five of them according to Fotmob. When asked about the lack of a finishing touch in the post-match press conference, Head Coach Vanni Sartini boggled it down to “bad luck, but also something else”.

It might be a case of still figuring out chemistry between the forward line or just a lack of confidence from White and Cordova, but the ‘Caps have been left to rue missed chances in every MLS match so far. That’ll have to change quickly for Sartini’s men, if they are to properly kick-start their season.

HIGHLIGHTS | 'Caps earn point in back and forth battle with Dallas#VWFC | #VANvDAL pic.twitter.com/bSnzPU06fk

— x – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) March 12, 2023

#2: Aerial Threats a Concern for Whitecaps

FC Dallas opened the scoring in just the 5-minute, with Sebastian Ibeagha leaping over the Whitecaps defence and flicking a header into the ‘Caps’ side netting. This is the third goal conceded in the air from three straight matches, each coming directly off a set-piece or shortly afterwards.

When asked about whether this is a concern, Sartini replied that the issue is not with the height of the man or of the jump, but rather the positioning of his defence.

“For sure we need to keep working on defending the high ball, but the first goal was a case of very bad position in from our defence.

With a shorter goalkeeper in Yohei Takaoka, and their tallest CB being 6’2” in Ranko Veselinovic, the Whitecaps will have to certainly work on their positioning to make up for their lack of height at the back.

Centre-back Nkosi Tafari crosses for centre-back Sebastien Ibeagha. A fairly unique goal for FC Dallas! pic.twitter.com/XRXT6pcZy3

— James Nalton (@JDNalton) March 11, 2023

#3: Cordova Growing, but Still Not There

Sergio Cordova started today’s match on the bench, but then was thrown on at the beginning of the second half. He had moments of quality, using his quick feet and deft touch to get past defenders, but he still looked slightly lost. It obviously takes time to adjust to a new system, even if you are familiar with the league, so Cordova can be afforded some slack. Perhaps that is why he is being slowly eased into matches instead of playing an outright 90 right of the bat.

But with a DP price tag and a lack of immediate impact, fans are already losing patience with the Venezuelan striker. This is a numbers game, after all, and you can only go so far without a tangible output. Sartini will hope that he can open his account on Wednesday against Real CD Espana, with the ‘Caps carrying over a 5-0 lead from the first game.