'Caps Finish First Half of the MLS Season on Top of the Western Conference

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MLS Vancouver Whitecaps FC

'Caps Finish First Half of the MLS Season on Top of the Western Conference

June 14, 2025 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC News Release


VANCOUVER, BC - It was an end-to-end affair on Saturday evening, as Vancouver Whitecaps FC fell to a spirited 2-1 defeat to Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field.

Columbus started the game strong, scoring inside two minutes. Lassi Lappalainen cut it back for Ibrahim Aliyu to score inside the box.

However, it didn't take long for Whitecaps FC to get back on level terms, equalizing just four minutes later. Pedro Vite began the move, threading a delicious ball behind the Crew's defence with the outside of his boot. That sent Mathías Laborda on a run on the right, whose cut-back cross found Daniel Ríos on the edge of the box. Ríos then hit the ball first time, taking a slight deflection off J.C. Ngando and beating Crew 'keeper Evan Bush to make it 1-1.

After some intense back and forth between the two sides, Columbus got the upper hand again in the 23rd minute. Dániel Gazdag squared it for Diego Rossi in the box, who placed it past Yohei Takaoka to make it 2-1.

Vite nearly got a goal back just a minute later, being found on the edge of the box and blasting it towards goal, but it was blocked by a defender before it could nestle into the side netting. The 'Caps kept battling for the rest of the half to once again get back on square terms, but would go into the break with a goal to make up.

Whitecaps FC came back into the match with plenty of energy, forcing Bush into an early save after Édier Ocampo took a shot from range.

Columbus thought they added a third just before the half-hour mark trough Aziel Jackson, but the 'Caps defence did well to hold their line and force an offside as the goal was chalked off after VAR review.

Ocampo came ever so close to getting the vital equalizer in the 69th minute after being sent through on the right by Ralph Priso, but his driven shot went agonizingly past the far post by just a whisker.

Columbus once again thought they scored a third goal in the 75th minute, and then later in the 81st minute, but the 'Caps' perfect defensive line meant that both goals were annulled for offside.

Andrés Cubas was the next player to come close for Whitecaps FC, hitting a bouncing ball outside the box with venom and firing just over the crossbar.

Johnny Selemani, on his MLS debut, tried to head an effort past Bush in the 84th minute, but his effort was collected by the Crew 'keeper.

Near the end of the match, Takaoka made a massive save to keep out a wicked shot by Jacen Russell-Rowe, tipping it over the crossbar.

Despite that heroic save, it would not prove to be enough as the 'Caps would fall to a 2-1 defeat away from home.

Whitecaps FC are back in action on Wednesday, June 25 as they host San Diego FC for the very first time at BC Place. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. PT. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.

MATCH DETAILS

Attendance: 20,721

Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr.

Scoring Summary

2' - CLB - Ibrahim Aliyu (Lassi Lappalainen, Andrés Herrera)

6' - VAN - J.C. Ngando (Daniel Ríos, Mathías Laborda)

23' - CLB - Diego Rossi (Dániel Gazdag)

Statistics

Possession: CLB 57.6% - VAN 42.4%

Shots: CLB 8 - VAN 9

Shots on Goal: CLB 5 - VAN 3

Saves: CLB 2 - VAN 3

Fouls: CLB 13 - VAN 12

Offsides: CLB 7 - VAN 1

Corners: CLB 4 - VAN 1

Cautions

32' - VAN - Tristan Blackmon

85' - CLB - Dániel Gazdag

Columbus Crew

24.Evan Bush; 2.Andrés Herrera, 25.Sean Zawadzki, 21.Yevhen Cheberko, 26.Lassi Lappalainen (23.Mo Farsi HT); 14.Amar Sejdić (19.Jacen Russell-Rowe 86'), 6.Darlington Nagbe, 13.Aziel Jackson (16.Taha Habroune 85'); 11.Ibrahim Aliyu (44.Tristan Brown 90'), 10.Diego Rossi, 8.Dániel Gazdag (7.Dylan Chambost 86')

Substitutes not used

22.Abraham Romero, 20.Derrick Jones, 31.Steven Moreira, 48.Cesar Ruvalcaba

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

1.Yohei Takaoka; 2.Mathías Laborda (28.Tate Johnson 64'), 15.Bjørn Inge Utvik (75.Rayan Elloumi 82'), 4.Ranko Veselinović ©, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 18.Édier Ocampo; 20.Andrés Cubas, 13.Ralph Priso (59.Jeevan Badwal 71'); 45.Pedro Vite, 14.Daniel Ríos, 26.J.C. Ngando (63.Johnny Selemani 64')

Substitutes not used

30.Adrían Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 12.Belal Halbouni, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina, 44.Jackson Castro

- whitecapsfc.com -

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