Muller’s Whitecaps Suffer Stunning Canadian Championship Exit to Montreal

Such was not the intended outcome for Thomas Muller’s Vancouver Whitecaps.

Raumdeuter arrived in Vancouver to capture trophies. He achieved this immediately last year when his team won the Canadian Championship, a title the club has effectively made its own over the past half-decade by securing four consecutive titles.

That dominant run has now come to an end following a shocking 2-1 defeat in Montreal on Wednesday, which gave CF Montreal a 3-2 aggregate lead in their two-legged semifinal.

Despite entering the match tied 1-1 after a lackluster performance at B.C. Place the previous week, Vancouver remained heavy favorites. Montreal is currently undergoing a rebuilding phase and sits dead last in the MLS Eastern Conference, while the Whitecaps—despite recent stumbles—still lead the Western Conference.

The Whitecaps certainly deserved a better outcome, and falling behind 2-0 in the first half—despite their dominance—tells much of the story. Ultimately, the Whitecaps controlled the stat sheet in every category except the final score, which is often the reality for teams chasing a deficit.

Montreal was awarded a penalty in the 30th minute and added another just before halftime. Although the Whitecaps pressed heavily against the Montreal defense and finally scored in stoppage time, overcoming a two-goal deficit against any opponent is incredibly difficult.

Since returning from the World Cup, the Whitecaps have secured only five victories across all competitions: a single cup win over Cavalry FC in early July and four league triumphs. When juxtaposed against two cup draws, Wednesday’s Montreal loss, two losses and a draw in August’s Leagues Cup, and four league losses with two draws, it is clear the team is largely stagnating.

A significant factor is undoubtedly fixture congestion; the sheer volume of matches in a compressed timeframe is a severe test of the squad’s depth. While the Whitecaps have done well to cultivate depth on the margins of their roster, they still have not found a suitable replacement for the engine that was Sebastian Berhalter. Oliver Larraz works tirelessly, but he is not Berhalter—a fact most apparent during set pieces. Larraz lacks Berhalter’s ability to score from free kicks or deliver precisely on corners, leaving Matias Laborda as an invisible aerial threat. Laborda was a primary target for Berhalter last year, but Larraz cannot find him this season.

This is not a slight on Larraz, but rather an observation on the difference in quality between a budding star and a reliable squad player.

Muller remains a brilliant and industrious player, but he is visibly showing his age. Brian White has finally returned to fitness, though his understudy Rayan Elloumi is still a work in progress. Bruno Caicedo can shine as brightly as any player in the league when at his best, but he remains a raw talent.

Emmanuel Sabbi is at least back to full health, and he did score the Caps’ late goal, which was set up by Jeevan Badwal, another player returning from injury.

Captain Ryan Gauld and fullback Edier Ocampo—also recently returned from injury—are currently the team’s standout stars.

However, the overarching narrative is a struggle to find consistency. Head coach Jesper Sorensen has addressed this issue multiple times in recent weeks, and the magic he uncovered in this squad last year must be rediscovered. Despite their recent struggles, the team has produced some magical performances, proving the talent is still present.

The team simply needs to find its way forward. Everyone will be happier moving ahead, even if the Canadian Championship—and the somewhat silly and slightly embarrassing dream of playing at Swangard one more time—is now over.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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