Vancouver Whitecaps FC were a frustrated group following a 1-1 draw on Saturday against the Philadelphia Union which saw them drop two more points at BC Place. They are now 1W-2L-2D at home in 2019 and their six total points thus far have them second from the bottom in the Western Conference.
“We should’ve had three points tonight,” defender Jake Nerwinski said after the game. “I think we had one mistake and they scored. That’s what it is.”
“We were the better team by far. Everyone can see it. It’s clear,” midfielder Russell Teibert added. “The discrepancy between them and us in the standings? We dominated them today. For some reason or another luck is not going our way right now. This is one of our best performances all year long.”
The Whitecaps took the lead through a header from Doneil Henry, but then a back pass by Vancouver left back Ali Adnan was intercepted as the Union equalized through Kacper Przybylko's first goal in MLS.
“If you get greedy maybe we could’ve stolen a second goal in the end,” Union manager Jim Curtin said. “Not a day when there were a ton of chances for either team, to be honest, but overall I think a draw is a fair result.”
The perspective in Vancouver's camp was very different. And with only three goals from open play in 2019, Vancouver head coach Marc Dos Santos admitted the attacking production was a concern.
“The chances were there and there was a lack of quality in the last third to finish them,” he said. “We have to continue working.
“We have to grow offensively,” Dos Santos continued. “And it’s not a secret for no one. It’s a part of the game that needs to grow and we have to be better. The club lost some important pieces last season offensively and I don’t think that we were able yet to replace them. But it’s something that every week and every day we’re very aware and very focused. Maybe there are some guys on the roster who are in a bad spell and can still grow and help the team.”
One of the bright spots in the attack was Yordy Reyna, who “does everything I think a No. 9 should do,” according to Dos Santos. The manager called the Peruvian “an example for other No. 9s to look at” for his pressing, work rate and movements. Although he admitted that Reyna “needs to be sharper” in the box, he felt the team “lost a little bit” after Reyna’s exit due injury in the 65th minute.
“I’m still upset. I feel like we did enough to win the game,” Dos Santos said at the start of his postgame presser. “We created enough opportunities but then if you don’t finish your chances, you’re always playing on the edge. Today we lost two points.”
