VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps slayed a giant on Saturday.
The Caps came in below the playoff line in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference, and seemed to be in tough as they hosted league-leaders Los Angeles FC, a team that has dominated nearly every club in its path this season.
While L.A. controlled play through much of the first half, Vancouver came on strong in the second. An 89th-minute goal from newcomer Andres Cubas gave the home side a crucial 1-0 victory.
“We played really well,” said head coach Vanni Sartini. “It’s not just today — it’s games after games after games.”
After starting the season with a 1-6-1 record, the Caps have turned their campaign around, going 6-2-2 in MLS play since the beginning of May. The club has also won three rounds in the Canadian Championship and is set to face Toronto FC in the final on July 26.
“Unfortunately we started like, I don’t know. I don’t know,” Sartini said. “It looks like the coach was drunk maybe. We didn’t start very well but we are now on a roll.”
Goalkeeper Cody Cropper posted his third straight clean sheet on Saturday. He now has four on the season and the Caps (7-8-3) have not conceded a goal in MLS play since June 14.
“I think the stats speak for themselves,” said defender Tristan Blackmon. “We’ve been in really good form lately. And we want to keep that momentum going that way. So it’s really exciting.”
Vancouver outshot L.A. (11-4-3) 10-7 over the course of Saturday’s game, including two shots on target. The visitors did not have a single on-target shot.
Cubas — a Paraguayan international who signed with the Whitecaps in late April — connected for the game-winning strike in the 89th minute, taking the ball off his chest at the top of the penalty area and sending a right-footed shot skittering past LAFC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.
“It was great that I stayed in that position at the top of the box,” Cubas said through a translator. “I thought the player would angle a pass to my right. So I made the movement to intercept the pass. And as soon as I got on the ball, I knew I had to do something with it. I saw the opening in the angle of the goal and thankfully it all worked out in the end.”
Crepeau, a former netminder for the Whitecaps, made a single save in his return to BC Place. Jeers and boos rained down on him nearly every time he touched the ball.
The 28-year-old Canadian started in 32 games for Vancouver between 2019 and 2021, but requested a trade ahead of the…