A scoreless draw was better than a loss, but still not the result the Vancouver Whitecaps were looking for in their Major League Soccer match against FC Dallas Saturday night.
The Whitecaps had 20 shots, five on target and hit three posts but couldn’t put the ball in the net.
“I’m sad,” said defender Ranko Veselinovic. “We controlled the game for 80 of the 90 minutes. I just feel sorry that we couldn’t score and end the game in the most beautiful way possible.”
Midfielders Mathias Laborda and Sebastian Berhalter both had great opportunities in the opening half but were stopped by Dallas goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer, frustrating the crowd of 23,188 at BC Place Stadium.
Late in the match, midfielder Deiber Caicedo looked to have a clear path to the net but a diving Maurer swept the ball off his feet. In added time, Caicedo had a shot blocked and Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau sent a ball wide.
Head coach Vanni Sartini liked the way his team played but didn’t like the final result.
“I think we played very well,” Sartini said. “I’m not satisfied because we deserved to win. I think we played better than them.”
The draw leaves the Whitecaps (12-8-6) sixth in the Western Conference with 42 points. Vancouver is 5-1-2 in the last eight MLS games and have consecutive clean sheets.
The point left Dallas (9-12-7) 10th in the West and two points out of the ninth and final playoff spot in the conference. Dallas is 1-8-5 on the road. Dallas has won just three times in 16 games at BC Place.
The Whitecaps played the game with a deleted roster. Five starters, including midfielder Ryan Gauld — the club’s second leading goal scorer with nine — have been called up for international duty. Vancouver was also playing without forward Brian White, who leads the team with 12 goals and 51 assists, due to MLS concussion protocol.
Sartini heaped praise on players such as midfielder Ralph Priso and defender Belal Halbouni who normally see limited playing time but were forced into starting roles.
“Ralph was phenomenal,” said Sartini. “I’m extremely proud of the team. Everyone played really well.”
Midfielder Stuart Armstrong, a Scottish international the Whitecaps signed earlier in the week, made his Vancouver debut in the 84th minute. He had a shot that was blocked in a wild frenzy near the end of the game.
“It’s always going to be a little rusty at the start,” Armstrong said about his first MLS game. “The more games I play, the better that’s going to get.”
After a slow start in the opening half the Whitecaps found their legs and put Dallas under pressure.
Vancouver had back-to-back scoring chances in the 24th minute. First midfielder Alessandro Schopf found an open lane and fired a shot from the left side of the box that bounced off the far post. Laborda corralled the rebound and took a shot from the right side that went wide. In the 33rd minute Laborda directed a header that Mauer stopped.
A few minutes later Berhalter arched a free kick toward the corner of the net that was stopped by a diving Mauer.
Berhalter also had a bending shot from distance that forced Maurer to make a leaping, one-handed stop.
Veselinovic said even with the missed chances the Whitecaps kept their poise and didn’t make mistakes that could turn into chances for Dallas.
“We didn’t get frustrated,” he said. “We were patient with the ball.”
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NOTES
The Whitecaps play five of their remaining eight games at BC Place. … Vancouver is 7-4-3 on the road, tying team records for wins and points with 24. … Dallas plays three of its final six games on the road. … Besides Gauld playing for Scotland, the other Whitecaps called up for international duty were midfielders Ali Ahmed (Canada), Andres Cubas (Paraguay), Pedro Vite (Ecuador) and forward Fafa Picault (Haiti). … Dallas had a record of 3-2-0 when playing games not held on a Saturday.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps host the San Jose Earthquakes next Saturday at BC Place Stadium. Dallas’s next MLS game is on the road against Real Salt Lake on Sept. 18.
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
