Final Score: Pacific FC 0-1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Goalscorers: Gauld 58′
2024 TELUS Canadian Championship — Semi-Final (Leg 1)

Match in a minute or less

Following a cagey match, all is still to play for after the first leg of the semi-final tie at Starlight Stadium in Langford between Pacific FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Josh Heard nearly opened the scoring for Pacific FC in the 42nd minute, as he managed to open up space for a dangerous shot inside the Whitecaps box after a nice pass from Steffen Yeates, but his shot would be nicely blocked by Bjørn Inge Utvik. At the other end, the Whitecaps came close to breaking open the game with a flurry of chances before halftime, including a Levonte Johnson shot that nearly trickled across the line, but the ball would stay out to keep the game at 0-0 at the break.

On the other side of half time, the Whitecaps had a fantastic chance to open the scoring in the 49th minute, as Sebastian Berhalter found a wide-open Brian White in the box, but his header would be kept out by a flying stop from Emil Gazdov.

Soon after, however, the Whitecaps would get their opening goal in the 58th minute. After a perfect cross from Mathías Laborda, he found Ryan Gauld at the near-post, and the Whitecaps captain would do well to flick a header towards the back post, where the ball would hit the upright and go in.

From there, the Whitecaps would do what they needed to do in order to hold on to the win, seeing it over the line despite some late back-and-forth action between both sides to give them a key advantage heading into the second leg.

Three Observations

Whitecaps use width to find advantage in cagey tactical chess match:

Having found some form offensively as of late, having scored eight goals in their last three games, the Whitecaps entered this game looking come out aggressively in the chase of some crucial away goals. Meanwhile, Pacific were eager to continue a strong run of defensive form, having conceded just 10 goals in 13 CPL games this year, and 12 goals in 16 games in all competitions.

Because of that, it wasn’t surprise to see the Whitecaps get on the ball early and often in this game, as they looked to wear down Pacific off the ball. As a result, they finished the first half with 60.4% of possession in the first half, doing well to get comfortable on the ball.

Despite that, they weren’t able to get much of a look at the Pacific goal early on. They had a few shots, to be fair, but none were of high-quality, as they generated only 0.54 xG by the break, sending just three shots on target.

Yet, that likely didn’t bother them, as they were hoping they’d see the fruits of their work in possession in the second half, where they would’ve expected Pacific’s legs to tire from the defensive work they were putting in.

Certainly, that’s how things played out, at least, as the Whitecaps started to get their chances in the second half. In particular, they started to find some joy out wide, doing well to use the width of their attacking formation, which often looked like a 3-3-4 in possession.

Through that, they looked to isolate their two wide players, Sebastian Berhalter and Levonte Johnson, up against Pacific’s full backs, with the goal being to create more wide overloads. Having felt that they hadn’t done enough to put pressure on them in the first half, they immediately started to push more in those areas, doing well to target Berhalter and Johnston with more switches.

From there, they were able to find their opening marker, and came close to finding a few other goals, only finding themselves denied by last-ditch blocks or the hands of Gazdov.

“At the end of the first half, we told the guys that we should play more balls in behind their line and in behind (Kunle) Dada-Luke and (Eric) Lajeunesse,” Whitecaps head coach, Vanni Sartini, said afterwards. “And so we started playing with our wingers in behind, and it paid off immediately.”

Despite that, Pacific had their chances to push for a late goal, as they responded with some late adjustments of their own. After starting the game with a narrower lineup, they finished the game in a 4-3-3, one that looked to target the Whitecaps centre backs, given that they defend in a true back three.

A formation that the Whitecaps rarely stray away from, Pacific forced them to adjust with their tactical change, as the Whitecaps elected to bring a fourth centre back onto the pitch late in Belal Halbouni, which isn’t a move they use often. Yet, after seeing Ayman Sellouf come on as one of the wingers and generate three good looks at goal, it was a necessary adjustment to try and stem the tide of the game.

Overall, though, that was the theme of the game – it was a good chess match, as both teams did well to adjust their game plans depending on the state of the game. Both might’ve preferred different results, as Pacific would’ve liked to have drawn or won this game, while the Whitecaps will feel they could’ve turned their 18 shots and 1.23 xG into a second goal, yet ultimately 1-0 is a fair reflection of the match, one both teams can take plenty from.

“It was great opportunity for our group and our fans,” Pacific’s head coach, James Merriman, said after. “We’ve got to challenge ourselves, see where we’re at individually, and gained more experience and more learnings (to take) into the second leg.”

Ryan Gauld stays red-hot for Whitecaps with another key goal:

As Ryan Gauld goes, so do the Whitecaps, who structure a lot of their attack around their captain, who is known for his creativity, goalscoring and defensive work rate.

Because of that, it’s been no surprise to see the Whitecaps enter this game on a good run of form, amassing a record of 4W-1D-2L (13 PTS) in their last seven games in MLS play, and the play of Gauld has been a big reason why. Having entered this game with four goals and six assists in those seven games, coming part of a run that’s seen him score six goals and add six assists in his last nine games, he’s not only been a crucial part of the Whitecaps form, but has been one of the best players in MLS this season.

As a result, it was expected that the 2022 Canadian Championship MVP might find a way to influence this game for the Whitecaps, helping the Whitecaps leave the game with at least one crucial away goal, if not more. Especially against a stingy Pacific defence, it felt like the Whitecaps might need a Gauld moment of magic to find a goal on the night.

For a while, however, Gauld looked to be without his usual magic in this game. Faced off against a Pacific side that was doing well to defend compactly in the middle of the park, having started four central midfielders in this game, Gauld was forced to drop deeper to receive the ball. He found his way to push into the box on a few occasions, to be fair, but was unable to turn a bunch of first half shot attempts into more than one shot on target, as he couldn’t break through Pacific’s block.

Yet, despite that, he continued to push, as he looked for a moment to break the game open. Eventually, that’d come in the 58th minute with his header, and from there, that was enough for his team to grab a victory.

He wasn’t done there, either – he nearly added a second just after the 70th minute, as he almost won the ball high up the pitch after pressing high, not looking satisfied with his earlier marker.

Perhaps fearing that Gauld might just not stop running until the final whistle unless being physically uncapable of doing so, that led Sartini to make the tough decision to take him out in the 75th minute, making sure he’d get some rest on the day. For most, that he was still running would’ve been a sign of a player who wanted to stay in the game, but given that Gauld tends to never stop running, it looked like a sign that the Whitecaps might need to rest him for his own sake.

With some key games still to come for a Whitecaps team pushing for the playoffs in MLS play, the last thing they’ll want is for him to get tired and pick up a knock, slowing down his form amid a crucial summer for the Whitecaps.

“It’s awesome when he’s in-form, and he always is,” Whitecaps goalkeeper, Isaac Boehmer, said of Gauld. “He’s a great leader, a great captain and just a great human being, so we’re really excited and thrilled when you see him doing well.”

Yet, that’s the unique aspect of managing a player like Gauld for the Whitecaps, as his relentless nature can be a valuable asset for his side as seen by their recent results, but one that they’ll need to carefully manage to ensure he can continue to providing moments of magic for the months to come.

“We were discussing (if he might play), because in the last three game he also took a lot of kicks to his body,” Sartini said of Gauld. “So we were discussing that yesterday, but he told me he was feeling well and that he could play, so it was a no-brainer to play him.”

Pacific do well to clog up middle in cagey match:

Armed with a deep midfield, Pacific often use that to their advantage throughout the CPL season, rotating through that group quite nicely. Yet, having usually used that group to spell the other, they elected to make a unique tactical decision in this game, starting four true central midfielders in a 4-4-2.

Partly done out of necessity as they continue to slowly welcome back some of their injured attackers, it gave Pacific a different look tactically in this game, as they were able to clog up the middle defensively.

Against a Whitecaps side with quality central players, it forced them to stretch the pitch, sending 76.6% of their attacks out wide.

Through that, it helped Pacific keep this game close, as they were able to force the Whitecaps to spend a lot of the game on the periphery. For example, while the fact that the Whitecaps got 18 shots and 1.23 xG is a sign that they were still able to find the space to take some looks at goal, the fact that the Whitecaps had just one shot worth more than 0.15 xG shows that they weren’t able to get into the dangerous areas as much as they would’ve liked.

Yet, it was overall a strong defensive performance from Pacific, who continue to be tough to be break down. Certainly, they’ll want to get their offence going soon, as they’ll feel they could’ve done more in attack in this game, finishing with just 0.56 xG on 12 shots, but they’ll take a result like this in this game.

Perhaps, had this been a league game, they would’ve been frustrated to have left points on the table, but in a cup tie like this, it’s important to put games in context, especially in these two-legged ties. With this being the first leg, and with the Whitecaps on the road, Pacific knew that keeping them to one or fewer goals would be huge heading into the second leg.

Now, having only allowed one goal in leg one, they’ll go into BC Place knowing that if they score one goal, they’ll be able to wrestle control of the tie. Provided, they also can’t concede the first goal in that game, but given the defensive form they’re in, they’ll feel confident in their ability to do that, giving them a shot of scoring the first goal.

Therefore, despite the loss, Pacific remain optimistic heading into the second leg. Given that they were up against a full-strength Whitecaps side and still left this game with a chance of making some noise in this tie, that’s a good place for them to start.

Especially since they still have another gear to hit in the attack, that’ll be what they point to as a reason they can believe of turning this tie in their favour, which will be no easy feat, but one they’ll hope they can pull off if they can get their attack flowing in the weeks to come.

“We have a very good midfield, we have good chemistry amongst them, but we’ve also had some injuries to our forwards,” Merriman said of his decision to start four midfielders. “The work that they’re doing without the ball defensively to press, cover and to shift across the pitch has been very impressive, they have a good synergy across the midfield, so I think it was the right approach today, we could have done a little bit more in situations with the ball, maybe, but overall I think we did very well to follow the match plan to try and get something out of this first leg, and we’ll go we’ll take this result and move forward.”

CanPL.ca Player of the Match

Isaac Boehmer, Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Facing off against his old side, Pacific, who he spent on loan with for half a season during their CPL Playoff title winning campaign in 2021, Boehmer did well to keep her first clean sheet for the Whitecaps first team with a five save performance.

He saved his best work for late in the game, too, making four second half stops, doing what he needed to do in order to help his team secure a crucial road victory.

Box Score

Lineups

Pacific FC: Gazdov; Dada-Luke, Quintana, Meilleur-Giguère, Lajeunesse; Lamothe (Sellouf 67′), Young, Toussaint, Yeates; Moore (Zanatta 80′), Heard (Mukumbilwa 72′)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC: Boehmer; Laborda, Veselinović, Utvik; Berhalter, Priso (Vite 63′), Cubas (Badwal 87′), Schöpf (Bovalina 63′); Gauld (Kreilach 75′), White, Johnson (Halbouni 87′)

Goals

58′ — Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps FCFC)

Discipline

45′ — Yellow: Bjørn Inge Utvik (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

71′ — Yellow: Brian White (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)

82′ — Yellow: Cédric Toussaint (Pacific FC)

What’s next?

Both teams will have to wait a while for the second leg of this tie, which will be held in Vancouver at BC Place on Wednesday, August 27th (7:30 p.m. PT), where a spot in the final will be on the line for both sides.

For now, though, Pacific FC will return to CPL play this weekend, as they’ll travel to Hamilton to take on Forge FC at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday, July 14th (4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET).

Watch all TELUS Canadian Championship matches live on OneSoccer. In addition to its website and app, OneSoccer is now available on TELUS channel 980 and on Fubo TV. Call your local cable provider to ask for OneSoccer today.