By Canadian Press

Vancouver Whitecaps want more intensity in first Cascadia tilt vs. Portland Timbers

Apr 7, 2023 | 4:09 AM

VANCOUVER — After a disappointing 3-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on Wednesday in CONCACAF Champions League action, the Vancouver Whitecaps are looking for a rebound on Saturday against regional rivals.

The Whitecaps, who are 1-3-2 in the regular season, have reasons to be optimistic after the loss, head coach Vanni Sartini said after training on Thursday.

“I don’t want to sound like a lunatic but I think there’s more positives than negatives,” he said.

Sartini, who has introduced a more attacking mindset to the team this season, said players are still finding their feet and learning lessons from results that do not go their way.

“It’s the first season, at least since I’ve been in charge, where we are a team that play more than the other team,” said Sartini. “We’ve always been a team that defends and counters.

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“I think we are still not mature enough that when we’re dominating it doesn’t mean that we have to be up in the score every time.”

Vancouver has let leads slip away this season before a 5-0 rout of CF Montreal last weekend.

“We’re not used to being the team in charge of a game,” Sartini added. “I want to see us keep developing our style of play, be more clinical in the box and in case things aren’t going our way we don’t lose our minds.”

Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, who has started six games this season, said Wednesday’s result highlights the need for the team to remain calm.

“We were frustrated. We played well…we need more patience,” said Takaoka. “They were a good team but we need to be better.”

The Whitecaps are taking on the Portland Timbers on Saturday in the first Cascadia tilt of the season.

“Especially with what happened (on Wednesday), it’s something that will provide a spark for us to focus and make us a little hungrier because that can’t happen again at home,” said midfielder Ali Ahmed, who made his first start of the season against Montreal.

Ahmed had a goal and an assist as a starter against CF Montreal on Wednesday and said his team has the quality to win games, they just need to stay focused.

“When we play our game, when everything is going our way, we’re always the better team. We’re one bounce away from three points,” said Ahmed. “We have to come out with more intensity at the beginning of the game and come out with intensity on Saturday and do what we’ve been doing: playing our football, playing our style and put some goals in the net.”

The Whitecaps played a team that featured few changes from their normal starting lineup in the mid-week match and Sartini said he will likely make changes for Saturday.

But he wants a strong team because he understands the reality of the deficit heading into the second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League match next week.

Sartini compared overcoming the 3-0 loss in terms of goal differential as “climbing Everest.”

“We are prioritizing the game on Saturday and we’ll see what we can do on Tuesday,” he said.

CASCADIA RIVALRY — Following Wednesday’s CONCACAF Champions League match, the ‘Caps will shift their focus towards MLS action, as they look to extend their four-match unbeaten run against Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers on Saturday, April 8 at BC Place. The match will mark the first Cascadia clash of the season for the ‘Caps, as they hope to claim their seventh Cascadia Cup. 

YOUNGSTERS FLYING — Whitecaps FC midfielder Ali Ahmed and forward Simon Becher were named to the MLS Team of the Matchday for their performances in Matchday 6 against CF Montréal. The pair became the first players from the club’s MLS NEXT Pro side Whitecaps FC 2 to sign with the first team this past off-season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2023.

Nick Wells, The Canadian Press