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The Whitecaps took on Charlotte FC without the player that has been part of their entire MLS history: Russell Teibert
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Published Mar 02, 2024 • Last updated Mar 03, 2024 • 6 minute read
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Charlotte FC’s Jere Uronen tries to score on Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka as Ranko Veselinovic watches during the first half in Vancouver, on Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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A point is a point. And a goal is a goal.
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The Vancouver Whitecaps and Charlotte FC played to a 1-1 draw in the home opener for the Caps at B.C. Place on Saturday in what has become almost a tradition: the slow start out of the gates.
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Of their last eight home openers, the Whitecaps have won just once. Excluding the 2021 season when they returned home midseason, their 2018 win over Montreal was the only victory since 2015 (0-6-2).
The Caps fell behind on Iuri Tavares’ 31st minute goal, but with heartbeats before halftime, Ryan Raposo scored the equalizer, his redirection feebly trickling over the line past a wrong-footed Kristian Kahlina.
“A goal is a goal. I’ll take it. It doesn’t matter how it goes in. It matters that it does go in,” said Raposo, who hadn’t scored a league goal since tallying one in a 3-3 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes on May 14, 2022.
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“I meant to put it back across the goal, and it trickled in. I think he was cheating because he saw that there were two guys open in the middle and he was already going through the middle and … I don’t really care, to be honest with you. … Any point you get in the league is a good one.”
Head coach Vanni Sartini, watching from the observation box on Saturday, had lauded Raposo as the best pure wingback on the team just the day before, and the five-year vet was a menace all day on the flank.
But it was also his casual back-heel turnover on the touchline that was turned into Charlotte’s opening goal two quick passes later.
“I think the elephant in the room maybe people don’t want to ask me about, is their first goal and obviously me giving away the ball,” Raposo said. “I’m seeing it all over Twitter. Everyone’s tweeting at me. I’m like ‘Man, it’s football. People make mistakes.’ But yeah, it’s something that we’ve trained 1,000 times over.
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“And as soon as the ball went in, my first thought was ‘I’m gonna see this tomorrow morning on film’ … because that’s the ball that (Sartini) does not want from the wing back, down the line. I played it. It was a bad ball and the way we kind of build out, we’re vulnerable to those type of situations. Us fullbacks, wingbacks, you have to possess the ball and not give it away cheaply like that because if we do, we’re very expanded. And you see they won the ball and within a couple passes, the ball is in the back of the net.
“I was talking to the guys in there. I think maybe a couple of years ago, I think I would have lost my head after that. Like put my head down and been like, you know, ‘that’s obviously my fault’ and maybe had a rough rest of the game. But honestly, the goal went in and my mindset was like: it happens. I’m going to continue to dribble at guys, I’m gonna continue to be active in the final third, I’m gonna continue to play my game.
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“I’m happy with my performance because I did exactly that — I didn’t put my head down and I was able to get the goal to tie.”
Here are some random observations from the rafters at B.C. Place.
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SHOWING HIS STRIPES
It was probably a good thing that Sartini was forced to watch this one from the coach’s box, the first of his multi-game suspension to start the season. (Six games, but they’re hopeful it will be reduced for his complying with the conditions).
“I love the referees” is his mantra for this year. It would have been said through gritted teeth after watching Scott Bowman, the stand-in replacement referee from the Canadian Premier League. The standoff between MLS referees and PRO means the league has been forced to bring in replacement referees with varying degrees of embarrassment. Inter Miami’s game, for example, had to replace their replacement official just before the game because of multiple pictures of him wearing Inter Miami jerseys surfaced just before the game.
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NEXT GAME
Saturday, March 9
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
7:30 p.m., B.C. Place, TV: TSN, Radio: AM730
Bowman called a first-half penalty on Triston Blackmon when it was clear to everyone in attendance that Enzo Copetti had just tripped over the back of his legs. A quick point to the spot was followed by quicker call from VAR to have Bowman to the sideline replay monitor. He rescinded the penalty to cheers and jeers.
“I said to him, ‘First off, there’s no way in hell that’s a foul. Just sticking by my team,” said Blackmon. “He seemed to really share with his decision from the get go. … and they automatically check it as we know. But I think there’s definitely pressure for him. Obviously, it’s not the refs that we’re used to. These guys are coming into games like this, especially this one — we have 30,000 people, a lot of people cheering, intense game — so there’s pressure on these guys to make decisions. But you know, I’m not gonna speak you know too much about the refs, they’re gonna do their job and we’re going to try to play and win by ourselves.”
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Later in the half, Raposo took a clear foul just outside the Charlotte box, but Bowman swallowed his whistle. Likewise when Raposo scythed down Kerwin Vargas later in the half, another clear foul. When Charlotte took exception and Raposo was chopped down moments later by Ashley Westwood, there was no whistle, and both players remained inert lumps until Ryan Gauld played the ball into touch.
“I took a couple of them actually. But it’s good,” said Raposo. “I think that’s the type of player I am. I put my feet and my body in places that a lot of people wouldn’t. So it’s OK, I’m used to it. (Bowman) did actually let a lot of things go, which as long as he’s consistent — which he was — I’m OK with.”
And while bodies were strewn about the field with regularity, only two yellow cards were issued: one apiece to Andres Cubas and Blackmon, and cards to Ashley Westwood and Iuri Tavares.
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That’s brutal refereeing again in this Whitecaps against Charlotte match. It is time to pay the PRO referees.
Bowman and his crew are in over their heads, and players are getting hurt as a result.
— Manuel Veth (@ManuelVeth) March 3, 2024
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LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
It was supposed to be the moment to honour a club legend: minute 31.
With midfielder Russell Teibert retiring — he spent his 16-year career with the Whitecaps — fans were supposed to give him a standing ovation in the minute matching his jersey number. But Charlotte spoiled the party with Tavares scoring in the 31st minute instead.
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SAVE OF THE DAY
Yo ho hay, another save for Yohei.
After centreback Ranko Veselinovic had his pocket picked by Copetti, the platinum-haired striker went in untouched on a breakaway into the Caps box.
But Yohei Takaoka charged out from his net and got a leg down to stop the FC attacker, and keep his team from going in a 2-0 hole, and saving his centreback some embarrassment.
“Yeah, massive,” said Blackmon. “I think it’s huge for him too, confidence, first game, making a big save like that. Massive save, changed the momentum, I think kind of woke us up in the first half for sure. If we go down two-zero, it’s gonna be a tough, tough hill to climb.”
Charlotte FC’s Ashley Westwood trips Vancouver Whitecaps’ Alessandro Schopf during the first half of soccer match in Vancouver, on Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024. Photo by ETHAN CAIRNS /THE CANADIAN PRESS
CROWDED HOUSE
The Whitecaps said they had 16,000 season tickets sold for the 2024 season, and Saturday’s attendance bore that out. The crowd of 29,624 — including the upper deck — was the largest for a home opener in team history.
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Courtesy : https://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/vancouver-whitecaps/whitecaps-1-charlotte-1-a-point-won-not-two-lost