Less than three months after losing the championship final to Inter Miami, Thomas Müller’s Vancouver Whitecaps have made a successful start to the new season.
Three days after a 0-0 draw in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round at CS Cartagines in Costa Rica, runners-up Vancouver Whitecaps opened their new MLS season with a home game against Real Salt Lake City. While Müller led the team onto the field as captain, former HSVer Schonlau sat on the bench for the entire game. He is still waiting to make his debut after his transfer in August and a long injury break. Against the team from the US state of Utah, the 23,546 spectators at BC Place Stadium, a World Cup arena, saw only glimpses of the soccer that coach Jesper Sörensen and Müller want to see from the Whitecaps: active, high pressing, quick transitions, drive toward the goal. The 2014 World Cup winner, on the other hand, played as we have come to expect from him: Müller was not afraid to get stuck in, directing his teammates and communicating with them a lot. He almost scored his first goal of the season, but his left-footed shot from 17 meters out hit the post (16th minute).
In response, the Whitecaps were lucky when Piol stole a back pass that was too short, but he put the ball into the side netting from a tight angle. In the 38th minute, Salt Lake City celebrated briefly and prematurely, but it was offside. As we know all too well from the Bundesliga, the VAR review took almost two minutes, which was too long.
A difficult game with a deserved victory
In a game with chances at both ends, Vancouver gained more dominance after the restart and was rewarded. Johnson pushed forward down the left, crossed and found Aziel Jackson, who scored with a beautiful first-time shot into the far corner (57′). The 24-year-old “AZ,” as it says on his jersey and as he is called, joined the team in the winter from Polish first division club Jagiellonia Bialystok and impressed as a left winger on his debut. Prior to that, the one-time U.S. international had played for several clubs in the MLS, most recently in Columbus.
Shortly afterwards, Sabbi should have made it 2-0, but was denied by City goalkeeper Rafael. A deflected cross from Müller also almost sailed into the goal (80′). Without this second goal, the Whitecaps had to survive a hectic final phase. Coach Sörensen spoke afterwards of a “difficult game” but also a “deserved victory,” and he was right on both counts.
The Whitecaps host Cartagines on Wednesday for the second leg, and their second MLS game of the season against Toronto will also take place at BC Place Stadium. This is a welcome change from the recent heavy travel schedule, with the team completing their preparations in Marbella, Spain, among other locations.
