In a match that will be remembered for years at BC Place, the Vancouver Whitecaps booked their spot in the Western Conference finals with a 2-2 (5-3 on penalties) win over Los Angeles FC. The back-and-forth clash featured a stunning Son Heung-Min equalizer, a nine-man fightback from the hosts, and, fittingly, a penalty shootout that sent the Canadian side through.
Getty Images SportWhat happened
The match looked fairly tight as halftime approached, with both sides appearing destined to head into the break level. Instead, the Whitecaps struck twice in the final five minutes of the first half – and both goals were preventable.
The opener came in the 40th minute, and it was as direct as it gets. Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka launched a long ball over the top to a streaking Emmanuel Sabbi, who raced in behind the LAFC back line and calmly slotted past Hugo Lloris to ignite the sold-out crowd at BC Place. Moments later, the home fans were celebrating again as Mathis Laborda poked home a loose ball from a corner in first-half stoppage time, giving Vancouver a sudden and stunning 2-0 lead.
The visitors weren't dead yet, though. Their star, Son, dragged them right back into it, netting in the 60th minute to set up a tense finish at BC Place. It suddenly became even more tense in the 93rd minute with Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon was sent off with a second yellow card. Two minutes later, Son played hero, smashing a shocking last-gasp free kick into the back of the net to send the game into extra time.
In extra time, the Whitecaps were suddenly the team on the back foot as they dealt with Blackmon's dismissal and LAFC's rising momentum. Making matters worse was an injury to Belal Halbouni just minutes after coming on, forcing the Whitecaps down to nine men. LAFC were so close to taking full advantage, too, pressing throughout extra time, including on a sequence that saw the visitors hit the post three times in a matter of seconds. It went to penalties, in the end, as LAFC were unable to find that game-winning goal.
Once there, though, the Whitecaps kept their nerve, taking advantage of missed spotkicks from Son and Marky Delgado to book their place in the Western Conference final against the winner of Monday's semifinal match between San Diego FC and Minnesota United.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe MVP
His game will be overshadowed by the goals and all of the chaos that followed, but it shouldn't. That's because Andres Cubas was that good.
The 29-year-old Paraguayan midfielder was monstrous throughout the match, absolutely running the show next to Sebastian Berhalter in the center of the field. He won 11 duels, amassed seven tackles, provided nine clearances, and moved the ball as well as anyone on the field. Cubas was, generally, the best player on that field, as he did a little bit of everything to ensure the Whitecaps continued their season with a statement win.
Getty Images SportThe big loser
Plenty of LAFC players will look at this defeat as a missed chance. Denis Bouanga? He'll just be wondering how the hell this game didn't go his way.
When it gets to this point in the season, there's extra spotlight on superstars. Son stepped into it and, in a way, Bouanga did, too. He just lacked that little bit of luck, and that, ultimately, doomed LAFC. Bouanga fired eight shots, hit the post twice and saw a late effort slide right across the goal line. On any other day, he likely would have scored multiple goals. In this one, though, he scored none, and that's a big reason LAFC's season came to an end in heartbreaking fashion. It wasn't because Bouanga wasn't good; it's because he wasn't quite fortunate enough to get the bounce or two that he and LAFC were waiting for.
Getty Images SportMatch rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐