TORONTO — The Vancouver Whitecaps opened defence of their Canadian Championship with a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over York United FC on Wednesday, taking advantage of some fortunate bounces to trigger a second-half outburst that carried them past the Canadian Premier League side.
York conceded an own goal with the Whitecaps’ Simon Becher and Levonte Johnson adding insurance goals. Austin Ricci pulled one back for York in the 90th minute only to see Vancouver’s Julian Gressel score on a stoppage-time penalty.
The game was scoreless until the 64th minute with four more goals coming after the 75th minute.
The teams played a scoreless first half with York growing in confidence after a shaky start. The Whitecaps had more of the ball and created chances but lacked clinical finishing. Vancouver outshot York 12-2 in the first half but only put two of those on target, compared to one for York.
Goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos made some big saves early in the second half to keep the Whitecaps off the board.
Vancouver’s breakthrough came in the 64th minute after Ali Ahmed sent in a dangerous low cross. Giantsopoulos got a foot to it but the ball went to Whitecaps captain Russell Teibert whose shot hit the crossbar and then bounced in off the back of York’s Elijah Adekugbe, who knew nothing about it.
Giantsopoulos gifted Vancouver a second goal in the 76th minute, coming out of his penalty box to head away a ball from the chasing Johnson. The York ‘keeper got to the ball first but his clearance went straight to Becher who controlled it and then calmly lofted it into the vacated goal.
Johnson, a Whitecaps FC 2 player who signed a short-term deal earlier in the day, tucked the ball past Giantsopoulos in the 88th minute.
Pacific FC hosted TSS Rovers FC in the late quarterfinal Wednesday in Langford, B.C. Rovers, a semi-pro side that plays in the B.C. League1 upset Valour FC of the CPL in the preliminary round.
Vancouver will host the Pacific-TSS Rovers winner in the May 23 semifinals while CF Montreal entertains CPL champion Forge FC.
On Tuesday, Montreal won 2-1 at Toronto FC and Forge defeated visiting Atletico Ottawa in a penalty shootout (3-2) after the game finished knotted at 1-1 in regulation time.
Vancouver and Toronto, as last year’s finalists, received preliminary-round byes in the 14-team tournament.
Vancouver coach Vanni Sartini made seven changes to the starting 11 that beat visiting Minnesota United 3-2 in MLS play Saturday, retaining four key players in goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, centre backs Ranko Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon and attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld.
Gauld, a designated player for the Whitecaps, earned US$2.265 million last year, almost three times the CPL team salary cap of C$1.025 million this season.
The Whitecaps started three Canadians, the minimum allowed under tournament rules, while York had five Canadians listed on its lineup sheet. Teibert made his 30th career Canadian Championship appearance,
York was without the injured Mo Babouli, Jeremy Lapare-Gagnon, Michael Petrasso and Jonathan Grant
After suffering back-to-back losses to open the MLS season, the Whitecaps arrived at York Lions Stadium unbeaten in their last eight league outings (3-5-0). Vancouver (3-2-5) outscored the opposition 12-5 during that run while posting four shutouts.
York (1-3-0) sits in seventh spot early in the Canadian Premier League season with just three goals in the four league outings. It edged expansion Vancouver FC in the preliminary round of the cup competition.
It was a pleasant 18 degrees Celsius at kickoff at York Lions Stadium.
York was a little shaky to start with the Whitecaps finding space. But the home side survived the early minutes, gained confidence and launched some attacks of its own.
York captain Roger Thompson, a veteran defender who had played just 63 minutes this season due to a hip injury, exited in the 25th minute.
Takaoka was called into action in the 31st minute when York forward Osaze De Rosario’s header was on target. De Rosario had another chance three minutes later but his shot missed the mark.
York lived dangerously with some of its passing and defending with Vancouver’s Gauld looking to trigger a quick counterattack.
Lassana Faye tested Takaoka in the 53rd minute with a curling free kick that seemed to catch the Whitecaps ‘keeper by surprise. A minute later, Kevin Santos’ deflection of a York cross went just wide.
Vancouver answered with a corner that resulted in a deflected shot that just missed. And Giantsopoulos made a diving save in the 58th minute to parry a hard Gauld shot, doing it again four minutes later.
York made the semifinals of the 2022 cup competition, defeating Atletico Ottawa and Pacific FC in penalty shootouts before losing 2-1 at Vancouver. York coach Martin Nash captained the Whitecaps in their USL days retiring in October 2019 before the team entered MLS.
York lost 4-0 to Toronto in the 2021 cup quarterfinal.
Vancouver has won the Canadian Championship twice (also winning in 2015), finishing runner-up seven times since 2008.
The Whitecaps, who left by charter after Wednesday’s game, visit Portland on Saturday. York plays at Pacific FC on Sunday.
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