Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1 – FC Cincinnati 1: ‘Caps go toe-to-toe with league leaders as they wrap up unbeaten homestand

VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC wrapped up an unbeaten four-match homestand with a 1-1 draw against league-leading FC Cincinnati at BC Place on Saturday.

The first half was a frenetic, back-and-forth affair. Both sides had chances, with Sebastian Berhalter starting off the action by unleashing a wicked shot just wide in the seventh minute.

Brian White then got in on the action, just chipping a shot wide in the 11th minute, before Brandon Vázquez had a shot snuffed out at the other end of the pitch by Yohei Takaoka moments later.

Intensity continued to be high in the second half, with hard tackles on both sides as they each recognized the challenge of the opponent on the other side.

Finally, the visitors opened the scoring with a moment of magic in the 83rd minute. On a harmless looking long ball, MVP-candidate Luciano Acosta took one touch to lob a perfectly placed shot into the far side-netting to make it 1-0.

But the ‘Caps would not give up.

With time ticking, Sergio Córdova was shoved down in the box. Captain Ryan Gauld, on as a substitute, stepped and scored for a fourth consecutive match in all competitions to make it 1-1.

The ‘Caps pushed for a winner, but in the end a well-played match ended in a draw.

The Blue & White are now on the road for three straight matches, with the next two at Colorado Rapids on June 21 and at LAFC on June 24 on both TSN and MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as well as AM730 Radio. The ‘Caps are then at Sporting Kansas City on Canada Day on July 1.

Whitecaps FC are back at BC Place on Saturday, July 8 against Seattle Sounders FC for Pride Night. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.

MATCH DETAILS

VWFC GE Appliances Player of Quality: Sergio Córdova
Attendance: 16,086
Referee: Ismir Pekmic

Scoring Summary
83’ – CIN – Luciano Acosta (Matt Miazga)
89’ – VAN – Ryan Gauld (penalty kick)

Statistics
Possession: VAN 53.3% – CIN 46.7%
Shots: VAN 11 – CIN 10
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 – CIN 3
Saves: VAN 2 – CIN 2
Fouls: VAN 16 – CIN 13
Offsides: VAN 1 – CIN 2
Corners: VAN 5 – CIN 2

Cautions
29’ – CIN – Ian Murphy
60’ – VAN – Ryan Raposo
77’ – CIN – Yerson Mosquera
90’+2 – VAN – Pedro Vite

Vancouver Whitecaps FC
18.Yohei Takaoka; 23.Javain Brown (6.Tristan Blackmon 66′), 4.Ranko Veselinović, 2.Mathías Laborda; 27.Ryan Raposo (19.Julian Gressel 66′), 16.Sebastian Berhalter (7.Déiber Caicedo 86′), 20.Andrés Cubas (25.Ryan Gauld 73′), 14.Luís Martins; 9.Sergio Córdova, 45.Pedro Vite; 24.Brian White (29.Simon Becher 86′)

Substitutes not used
32.Isaac Boehmer, 12.Karifa Yao, 26.J.C. Ngando, 31.Russell Teibert

FC Cincinnati
18.Roman Celentano; 15.Yerson Mosquera, 21.Matt Miazga, 32.Ian Murphy (13.Santiago Arias 68′); 2.Alvas Powell, 5.Obinna Nwobodo, 93.Jaime Moreno, 31. Álvaro Barreal (28.Ray Gaddis 90’+4); 7.Yuya Kubo (26.Malik Pinto 78′); 19.Brandon Vázquez, 14.Dominique Badji (10.Luciano Acosta 68′)

Substitutes not used
1.Alec Kann, 8.Marco Angulo, 29.Arquimides Ordoñez, 36.Evan Louro