LOS ANGELES, CA – Head Coach Vanni Sartini was jumping and dancing on the sidelines come to the full-time whistle, as he could finally celebrate his team’s 3-2 win over LAFC, marking their first road win of the 2023 MLS season. “It was one of the top performances of the season,” said Sartini after the match, explaining that this was the level of play that he has come to expect from his side.
Vanni Sartini Boasts Top Performance at BMO Stadium
Formation Gamble Paid-Off
It was an aggressive and fast start for Sartini’s men, as they opened the scoring in just the third minute when Ranko Veselinovic pounced on a Ryan Gauld corner and looped his headed effort over the rooted John McCarthy. The Whitecaps then were in the driver’s seat for the majority of the first half, as their new-look formation allowed them to heavily press the backline of LAFC, and force them into mistakes. “I envisioned the game [like that]” said Sartini in the post-match presser, “with us pressing them and to be aggressive as we can, and also being risky”
“And it paid off in the end because we had like six clear chances in the first half”.
The Whitecaps indeed had six or seven chances in the first half, with the best of them coming to Sergio Cordova. Cordova had yet another good match in terms of his work ethic, but he missed a few clear chances to put away his first goal of the season. In the end, it was Brian White who doubled the scoreline in the 23-minute as another stupendous Gauld cross found him alone at the back post, looping his header, like Veselinovic did, over McCarthy’s head.
And while the Whitecaps changed back to a more conventional formation in the second half, their energy still allowed them to grab a third and see out the game despite LAFC’s pressure
Anotha one *header*☝️ @ryangauld with his second assist of the match finds @_BrianWhite42 to put us up by two 🤝#VWFC| #LAFCvVAN pic.twitter.com/J3RsWpaixl
— x – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 25, 2023
Ryan Gauld In Glittering Form
One man who stood out from amongst the others was the diminutive Scottish magician in Gauld. Gauld recorded a goal and two assists in this match, earning him the Man of the Match and a nomination for Player of the Matchday. “I think Ryan Gauld, in the last six or seven games, has been so good that it’s almost MVP-ish” explained Sartini after the match. And it’s hard to argue against that. In his last four matches, Gauld has four goals and three assists, a haul that was unprecedented in his Whitecaps career.
“He’s not the flashiest of DPs, [but] I like to call him a ‘working-class’ DP” noted Sartini on Gauld’s ethic in the team. He is a player who works hard for the team, regardless of where he plays. This was evident in this match, as he started in the unfamiliar position of wide and on the left. Usually a more central midfielder, he took up a wide-playmaker role in this formation and shone like never before. “I feel like I wasted 10 years of my career in the middle” joked Gauld in the post-match.
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“That was probably our best team performance, possibly since I’ve been here, that we all came together.” praised Gauld, adding “You know, we went up by a couple of goals twice, and they’re a good team, obviously, they’re going to give it everything to kind of get back into the game. I don’t know how long was left when they scored the second, maybe like 20 minutes, 25 minutes and, you know, I think we defended really well against them”
“It was a great performance from everyone, even the boys who came in and done their part. It’s just a good night all around.”
It was a statement performance from the Whitecaps, and as captain on the field, Gauld certainly led by example.
Game changer 😮💨
Midfielder Ryan Gauld is your @GE_Appliances Player of Quality for #LAFCvVAN
#VWFC pic.twitter.com/zV9ANXpkdB— x – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 25, 2023
A Platform To Build On
Now with their first win under their belts, Sartini’s men can nush on to grab more points away from home in what is to be a road-heavy second half of the season for the Whitecaps. “We showed today that no team in the league is better than us” exclaimed Sartini to the media, a message that he passionately relayed to his team on the pitch just after full-time. For the Whitecaps, it was not only just their first away win of 2023 in MLS but also their first-ever win against LAFC at BMO Stadium.
“When you look at the grand scheme of things, we’re always in and around that sixth, seventh position…and that’s without picking up points on the road” described Gauld after the match. “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”.
They will certainly need to keep these performances going, because, in August and September, they will need to deal with a six-game roadstead that will truly test their resolve to rise above expectations this year. Nevertheless, it’s a task that Gauld is sure they can rise to with the right mentality.
“That’s going to be a really tough run but if we go into it confident knowing that we can get points on the road then that could set us up for a good finish with the home games at the end of the season.”
Whitecaps’ next match will be against Sporting Kansas City on Canada Day, as they look to make it back-to-back road wins in MLS this year.
"That's the kind of performance and spirit we're going to need for the rest of the season." @saritareports chats with game MVP @ryangauld post-road win 🎤#VWFC| #LAFCvVAN pic.twitter.com/0lGfCRtL3W
— x – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) June 25, 2023
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports, of a Ryan Raposo Headshot and a Ryan Gauld Headshot, on June 24, 2023.
