3 things the Vancouver Whitecaps need to do to beat LAFC in game #3 of first round playoffs series
With their backs up against the wall, the Vancouver Whitecaps put together a performance to remember on Sunday, beating LAFC 3-0 in game #2 of their first-round best-of-three playoffs series at BC Place.
On the verge of elimination after losing game #1 of that series, the Whitecaps managed to keep their 2024 MLS Cup playoff hopes alive with one of the biggest wins of their MLS era. Just their second-ever playoff win at BC Place since they joined the league in 2011, it was the sort of performance they’d long craved, coming against one of the top teams in the league, to boot.
Yet, it was a result that has been coming for these Whitecaps. After a dominant 5-0 win over the Portland Timbers in the #8 vs #9 Wild Card round, they were arguably the better team for 60 minutes of their 2-1 game #1 loss to LAFC away, but lost the battle in both boxes.
In game #2, however, they learned from those lessons, putting in a complete performance across the pitch, catching LAFC by surprise in the process.
Now, they’ve set up a crucial elimination game on Friday in Los Angeles. There, the Whitecaps can take a big step forward with a victory, proving that they’re not just a good MLS team, but a great one.
Having flirted with taking that step since the start of 2023, beating an opponent the calibre of LAFC in a matchup like this would certainly represent the step towards that next level.
Already ahead of where they were in last year’s playoffs, where they were swept by this same LAFC side in the first round, the Whitecaps won’t be satisfied with just getting the one victory against their new LA rivals - they feel they have what it takes to now dispatch the 2022 MLS Cup champions and 2023 runner-ups on Friday. It won’t be easy, as these are the games where teams like LAFC seem to play their best, but these Whitecaps won’t be fazed by that, as they showed in game #2.
With that in mind, here are three things they’ll need to do in game #3 on Friday if they’re to advance to the conference semi-finals for the first time since 2017.
Score early:
Funnily enough, when comparing the first two games of this series, it’s worth noting that the Whitecaps didn’t change too much between both matches.
In both games, they started strong, but with one key difference - they scored early in game #2 after failing to find the first goal in game #1.
That ended up making a big difference, as in game #1, the Whitecaps missed some early chances to score, before LAFC eventually opened the scoring in the 30th minute, taking a lead they never relinquished.
By comparison, in game #2, the Whitecaps started strong again, but they made sure to turn their good start into some early goals, as they were up 2-0 before the 15th minute. That ended up giving them a big edge, as they were able to sit back a bit more and start to hit LAFC on the counter, where they’re at their most dangerous.
A dream start for @WhitecapsFC!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024
Their main man Ryan Gauld slots it home. 🔥
📺 #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/leuuxbsLhx // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XZDeU95O0K
Compared to game #1, where they had to start pushing numbers forward once LAFC scored the opener, that made a big difference, as they were able to control more of the game on both sides of the ball in game #2 by sitting back.
Despite taking that early two-goal lead in game #2, however, it’s worth noting that the Whitecaps didn’t always look comfortable - for 20 minutes in the second half, LAFC looked likely to score the next goal, which would’ve halved the lead and set up a nervy finish.
To the Whitecaps' credit, however, they continued to push for a third, and eventually got it in the 68th minute, allowing them to cruise to the finish line.
Now, they’ll want to replicate that formula in game #3, for two reasons.
First, there’s this matchup against LAFC, based on how both teams match up. Two teams that have been comfortable sitting deeper and hitting on the counter, that strategy is most effectively used when a team has the lead.
Because of that, when looking back at all five meetings between both teams this year across all competitions, the team that scored first won four of the games, with the other one being a draw (in which the Whitecaps scored first and then won on penalties), showing the value of scoring first in this fixture.
Secondly, there’s the Whitecaps' overall results this year, as they’ve typically been a much better team when scoring first compared to when they concede first. A big reason for that? They’ve struggled to break down low defensive blocks, but have excelled on the counter, meaning their style of play is better suited to defending a lead than chasing a game.
A Canadian BLITZ!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024
Gauld at the heart of it again!! 2-0. 😱@WhitecapsFC // Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/XkvN1e1Xok
By comparison, LAFC are also quite good at breaking down low blocks - having a player like Denis Bouanga helps massively for that, for example - they’ve just preferred playing on the counter.
Ironically, the Whitecaps have been a team that have wanted to be more dangerous in possession and against low blocks, but they’ve struggled to find the right formula all year long, ultimately remaining as a team that is at their best when they sit in their defensive shape, press high up the pitch and the hit teams on the counter.
They’ve embraced that in these playoffs, putting in three strong performances, but even within that, the first goal has remained crucial to their success - they’ve won both games in which they’ve scored first, and lost the one in which they didn’t.
Because of that, finding an early goal in Los Angeles seems to be a must if the Whitecaps are to make it three wins from four playoff games this year, allowing them to advance to the next round.
Continue to dominate the midfield:
When they were dominating MLS a half-decade ago, LAFC were led by one of the best midfield groups in MLS, as they destroyed teams in central channels with players such as Mark-Anthony Kaye, Eduard Atuesta and Latif Blessing.
Now, however, this LAFC team looks much different under head coach Steve Cherundolo than what it looked like under then-head coach Bob Bradley, who was the orchestrator of those teams a half-decade ago.
And the midfield has been the biggest change - having once exclusively been a team that only used a 4-3-3 with three midfielders, something they continued to do to start Cherundolo’s reign, they’ve changed that over the past few months, switching to a 3-4-3.
Instead of looking to dominate teams centrally in possession as they once did, however, they’ve been looking to overload teams out wide, with their midfielders Lewis O’Brien and Timothy Tillman being tasked with progressing the ball from deep before making late runs.
That’s something the Whitecaps took note of, as they’ve looked to target LAFC’s midfield, and have been successful in their approach.
Once an area of weakness for the Whitecaps, it’s now become one of strength thanks to the presence of players such as Andrés Cubas, Stuart Armstrong, Ali Ahmed, Pedro Vite and Sebastian Berhalter, who they’ll put up against most teams in MLS, let alone LAFC’s lighter midfield.
Because of that, the Whitecaps have looked to use that to their advantage, using a 4-3-2-1 where the three central midfielders have been tasked with playing extremely aggressively defensively, with their two #8s sitting atop LAFC’s double pivot, and their #6 sitting just underneath. From there, the goal has been to limit LA’s ability to break lines and to find their wingers Denis Bouanga and Mateusz Bogusz in transition, which is where they’re at their most dangerous.
And to the Whitecaps credit, that midfield set-up caused LA problems in game #1, as they went with Armstrong and Vite as their #8s in front of Cubas, and they took that to another level in game #2, as the insertion of Ahmed for Vite pushed the Whitecaps to another level defensively. Combined with the ball progression that Armstrong provides with his passing and positioning and that Ahmed provides with his passing and dribbling, they ended up really dominating LAFC’s midfield in game #2, which proved to be key to their victory.
In particular, they made life very tough for Tillman, who is an extremely dangerous box-arriving midfielder at his best, as the Whitecaps' aggressive midfield press has forced him to play much deeper on the pitch than he’d have liked to.
As a result, look for the Whitecaps to continue to use this to their advantage again in game #3. No doubt, the pressure is on LAFC to adjust tactically, but even doing so will come with its risks.
If they change to a 4-3-3, that’ll benefit the Whitecaps, as that will give them less to deal with in wide areas (and more space to attack at the back given how aggressive LAFC’s full backs tend to be), while a 3-5-2 would sacrifice one of LAFC’s dangerous attackers, which would also be to the Whitecaps advantage.
Then, if LA sticks with this 3-4-3, the Whitecaps will be able to try and use a similar blueprint to game #2 with how they press, something they won’t mind doing again.
Either way, one thing’s for sure - Armstrong, Ahmed and Cubas will need to be key on both sides of the ball for the Whitecaps to win game #3 no matter how LAFC adjusts, as this feels like an area where the Whitecaps have a key advantage in most scenarios. 
Keep getting Ryan Gauld the ball:
It’s often said that big players decide big games, and Ryan Gauld is proving the value of that statement for the Whitecaps in these playoffs.
With another dominant performance in game #2, one where he scored the winner and forced two own goals, he’s now scored five goals in the Whitecaps three games, sitting directly involved in seven of the nine goals they scored (and playing a secondary assist on an eighth goal for good measure).
Ryan Gauld leads the 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs in goal contributions with six (five goals, one assist). He also forced both own goals against LAFC on Sunday night. Gaulden in the Playoffs.⁰ ⁰#VWFC pic.twitter.com/TmGbpdMYis
— Whitecaps FC Communications (@VWFC_PR) November 4, 2024
In terms of the impact an attacking player can have on a game, it’s hard to put together a three-game stretch much better than that, as Gauld has dragged the Whitecaps forward at a crucial moment.
Yet, he’s been doing that all season for this team, as he’s now got 17 goals and 16 assists in 39 appearances across all competitions, essentially providing a goal contribution a game for this team.
But in terms of form, he’s hit a new level as of late, scoring eight of those goals and finding 13 of those assists in his last 17 games in all competitions, as his playoff form hasn’t come out of nowhere.
A big reason for that, however? The Whitecaps have done a better job of getting him the ball, with the arrival of Armstrong and the recent return to full fitness of Sam Adekugbe proving to be two big boosts in that regard.
Combined with the switch of formation to the 4-3-2-1, which has been key to help boost the Whitecaps midfield as mentioned earlier, those have all allowed the Whitecaps to improve their progressive passing, with Gauld the biggest beneficiary of those tweaks.
Because of that, they’ll want to keep finding a way to get him the ball in those dangerous areas between the lines where he thrives, as it feels like he’ll find a way to generate a goal or assist every time he receives the ball in the final third.
Ryan Gauld was everywhere for @WhitecapsFC tonight.@SachaKljestan breaks it down on MLS-Wrap Up. pic.twitter.com/pEyQ8982Tw
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 4, 2024
Naturally, one can worry about if LAFC will hone on him and aim to shut him down after seeing him directly factor in all four goals the Whitecaps have scored this series, but the Whitecaps won’t mind that either - that’ll just open up more space for those around him.
And that’s the other plus of this formation switch. There, Brian White and Fafá Picault have done a great job supporting Gauld in the front three, doing a good job of both stretching the field with dangerous runs while also knowing when to drop centrally and combine with Gauld, which has proven to be tough to defend.
White and Picault haven’t seen the fruits of their hard work, sitting with one goal combined in these playoffs, but they’ve played a huge role in Gauld’s success and will look to continue doing that.
Plus, if Gauld does get marked tighter, that’ll just open up more space for White and Picault to get on the end of some of those chances, which one would expect them to put away after seeing White score 16 goals (all competitions) and Picault score 10 goals (all competitions) this season.
Along with the threat of Armstrong and either one of Vite and Ahmed from deeper positions, that should give Gauld plenty of support in the attack, no matter what happens in this game.
Now, they’ll need to just keep getting him the ball, and from there, that’ll give them the ammunition needed to give themselves a chance at winning this game.
