From nearly dead last to playoff-bound, the Vancouver Whitecaps have done what many didn’t think was possible at the start of the season.
The team, which at one point sat in the 13th spot in the western conference, managed to claw its way up to sixth on Sunday, clinching the playoffs with a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Sounders.
The Whitecaps dismissed head coach Marc Dos Santos at the end of August amid the disappointing performance. They started the season with just two wins in 12 matches.
However, in the last 22 games, Vancouver has only lost twice, moving up the rankings to end up in this unexpected position.
The Whitecaps are the only Canadian MLS team to clinch a post-season berth.
Thank you, Vancouver #VWFC pic.twitter.com/c8RZkxElam
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 8, 2021
Pandemic-related border restrictions forced the the team to play much of last year in Orlando and Portland. The Whitecaps also began this season in Salt Lake City, Utah, due to COVID-19 and its impacts on travel.
While there were some tense moments on Sunday, interim Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said his group executed the moment as planned.
“(Seattle) brought like 15 players in. Basically they were all the team there so it was really hard to defend,” he said. “But we actually did what we were supposed to do.”
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Pushing and shoving ensued after a boot came dangerously close to goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau’s face and another ‘Caps player was kicked in the Achilles tendon.
“It’s not a clean play, it bobbles a little bit, ball’s loose, someone got at the end of it and I have to throw my body in the way and then from there (Whitecaps defender Florian Jungwirth) gets kicked and obviously it escalated. Tensions are high, especially at that part of the game,” the Crépeau said of the game’s final moments.
But the team was able to hold onto the draw. A Whitecaps loss would have eliminated Vancouver from contention.
Securing a spot in the playoffs was made all that much sweeter with Sunday’s game being played at BC Place. Twenty-five-thousand fans were in the stands for the match, with the crowd erupting into cheers and song with the final whistle.
Thank you for standing by us #VWFC pic.twitter.com/4pTFgGV8Er
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 8, 2021
Vancouver will face Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the post-season.