Vancouver trounce SDFC in final match before Summer window
Marcus Ingvartsen holds his hands up in frustration after missing a chance to equalize the match at 2-2 in the 59th minute. (Emmanuel Alonso/ Sandiego.Futbol)
San Diego FC finished out the first part of their season with a loss to the first-place Vancouver Whitecaps in a 4-2 result at home to end the first part of the MLS season at 10th place on the table.
“We played against the best team in the league. This is the standard right now,” head coach Mikey Varas said of Vancouver. “They're flying. Metrics show it, the eye test shows it, the standings show it, and then you see them play and you can see that they're very good.
San Diego FC’s starting eleven was a little different than normal with midfielders, Anibal Godoy and Jeppe Tverskov both out with injuries and Luca Bombino on the bench. The home team was solid to start out, but the reigning Western Conference champions were a step ahead throughout the match.
The Whitecaps scored first in the 30th minute when a Vancouver defender sent a long ball into the penalty area to Thomas Müller who perfectly passed the ball to Brian White directly in front of goal. White was covered by McVey, but still managed to tap it in to make it 1-0.
The Whitecaps took advantage of a counter-attacking opportunity in the 45th minute after stealing a ball away from San Diego’s defensive line trying to build a play from the back. SDFC defenders were trying to defend, but Vancouver passed the ball perfectly into the final third and set up White to score his second of the night.
San Diego came out well in the second half with Luca Bombino substituting on in the left back position and shortened the lead by the 53rd minute. Solid offensive play on the right side of the pitch drew defenders close and created an opening for David Vasquez at the top of the box. Two Whitecaps defenders stood in front of him creating a small window to shoot which Vasquez filled with a strong right-footed strike that made it 2-1.
The home team nearly scored again a couple minutes later with a perfect cross by Bombino to Marcus Ingvartsen, but Ingvartsen’s header was not on target.
In the 67th minute the Whitecaps scored again in another counter-attacking opportunity, this time dispossessing Pedro Soma in the midfield to quickly create a scoring opportunity.
San Diego was attempting to mount a comeback, but had their fates all but sealed in the 73nd minute when Luca Bombino earned a second yellow card resulting in a red card and an ejection from the match.
“The referee made two yellow cards in 25 minutes on a player who had two fouls,” Varas said. “I think the league has to take a serious look at what's happening with our team and across the league, because you have multiple teams on five red cards, 15 games through a season. We've played 230 or 240 minutes with a player down, in a lot of situations that don't look clear and obvious that you should be playing a man down.”
Varas was forced to make a substitution on the defensive end to fill Bombino’s position substituting off Amahl Pellegrino for Ian Pilcher. He officially came on right before a corner kick for San Diego and was lost in the set piece leaving a Whitecaps player wide open to head the ball toward the opposite post for another forward to add a final head in making it 4-1.
Zamblé scored a consolation goal in the first minute of stoppage time on the left wing to make it 4-2 and for a brief moment San Diego seemed ready to attempt a comeback, but Vancouver kept the pressure on with more offensive chances to keep the SDFC offense from developing great chances.
The Major League Soccer season will pause for the Summer for the international window with the men’s FIFA World Cup. San Diego FC will not return until July 22, against the Colorado Rapids.
