Dynamo finds a way to beat Whitecaps and frustrates with late comeback

VANCOUVER — After coming from a two-goal deficit in the first half, the Vancouver Whitecaps conceded nine consecutive goals late in the second half to fall to a wild 4-3 loss to the Houston Dynamo in a Major League Soccer match on Saturday night, ending their six-game unbeaten streak.

Striker Fafa Picault scored twice and provided the assist for a goal by defender Ranko Veselinovic for the Whitecaps.

Houston’s Griffin Dorsey scored his second goal of the night with a shot through traffic in the 87th minute. The Dynamo’s Brad Smith tied the game at 3-3 with a shot that deflected past Vancouver goalie Yohei Takaoka’s hand in the 78th minute.

Vancouver striker Ryan Gauld was forced off the field in the 24th minute due to a right knee injury.

Picault’s first goal came in the 48th minute with a header, giving Vancouver a 3-2 lead when he headed in a pass from defender Sam Adekugbe. Picault has scored eight times in all competitions, and it was his third consecutive game with a goal.

Veselinovic levelled the score in the 54th minute by heading a ball from Picault into the penalty area.

A crowd of 24,114 at BC Place Stadium saw the Whitecaps (11-8-5) lose for the first time in six MLS games (4-1-1) and seven (5-1-1) in all competitions.

Midfielder Coco Carrasquilla and defender Griffin Dorsey also scored for Dynamo (10-7-7), who have lost just once in their last 10 games (5-1-4).

The loss drops Vancouver to fifth in the MLS Western Conference with 38 points, while Houston climbs to sixth with 37 points.

Carrasquilla put Houston ahead in the 29th minute. Ibrahim Aliyu made some nice moves around the Whitecap defenders and then passed the ball to Carrasquilla in front of the net. His shot went off Veselinovic and past goalkeeper Takaoka.

Dorsey took advantage of a broken play to put Houston up 2-0 in the 36th minute. A shot deflected off Vancouver defender Bjorn Utvik and rolled to Dorsey, who scored with a long-range shot that curled inside the right post.

Before the game, the Whitecaps announced that Quinn Thompson had been named the team’s technical director. Reporting to sporting director Axel Schuster, Thompson will oversee roster composition and salary budget, player relations, and player recruitment strategy alongside senior director of analytics, insights and research Dr. Johann Windt.

Thompson, a 28-year-old Vancouver native, is the youngest technical director in the league.

Brian White had a good scoring chance in the fourth minute when he sent a pass from Gauld just wide of the net. White claimed he had been fouled during the play, but no whistle was blown.

The Whitecaps got a nice defensive move from Veselinovic in the 18th minute when he blocked a shot from midfielder Amine Bassi. It looked like a dangerous play.

Gauld was injured while fighting for the ball in the 24th minute. He lay flat on the field for a few minutes and then left the field under his own power, returning briefly to play, but was replaced a few minutes later by Brian Raposo.

COMMENTS

Vancouver had a shot on goal four minutes into the game. The Dynamo did not allow a shot on goal in a 1-0 win over San Jose on Wednesday night. … The Whitecaps and Dynamo will play again on Sept. 18 in Houston. … Vancouver’s last loss was 2-0 in Portland on June 22. … The Whitecaps have played seven of their last 11 regular season games at home. … Defenders Tristan Blackmon (groin) and Mathias Laborda (ankle) and goalie Joe Bendik (back) were not dressed for the Whitecaps. … The Whitecaps celebrated their 11th anniversary Pride Match with a ‘Caps & Queens Drag Happy Hour outside BC Place before the game.

NEXT ONE

The Whitecaps’ next MLS match is at home to LAFC on August 24. They play Wrexham, the Welsh soccer club co-owned by Ryan Reynolds, in a friendly at BC Place Stadium on July 27, then play LAFC in a Leagues Cup match away on July 30. The Whitecaps host Tijuana in another Leagues Cup match on August 3. Houston hosts Mexico’s Atlas FC on July 27, then Real Salt Lake on August 5 in Leagues Cup matches before playing Toronto FC at home on August 24.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2024.

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press