LAFC 1, Whitecaps 0: Refs ruin the night for Caps and their record crowd

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Denis Bounga’s penalty kick stands up as the winner, as Vancouver is dumped from the MLS playoffs. But it was referee Tim Ford who the players will blame after a series of calls went against them.

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Published Nov 05, 2023  •  Last updated 38 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

Referee Tim Ford (centre right) is followed by Vancouver Whitecaps’ Ali Ahmed (centre left) and (Sam Adekugbe, back left) as he leaves the field after Los Angeles FC defeated the Vancouver Whitecaps during Game 2 of a first round MLS playoff soccer match, in Vancouver, on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS

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They booed Max Crepeau every time he touched the ball. They booed the officials for every questionable call. They booed lustily every time an Los Angeles FC player fell heavily to the B.C. Place turf, pantomiming some phantom injury — a display of theatrics that was both frequent and frustrating.

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The 30,204 fans even had lusty boos for LAFC part-owner Will Ferrell, a beloved actor but a public enemy when he was shown on the Jumbotron.

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But for the Vancouver Whitecaps, the MLS club-record crowd had nothing but cheers and praise as the curtain fell on their 2023 season after their 1-0 defeat on Sunday night. LAFC won the first-round best-of-three series 2-0.

The black-clad visitors will move on in the MLS playoffs to face the winner of Seattle vs. Dallas, which will be decided next Friday.

L.A earned a 22nd-minute penalty when referee Tim Ford ruled that Caps centreback Tristan Blackmon had tripped Mario González in the box, pointing immediately to the spot. The jazzed-up stadium erupted in disbelief, but there was no call for Ford to check his decision on a sideline monitor, as the VAR check showed no error in judgment.

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Vancouver Whitecaps’ Pedro Vite lies on the field after losing to Los Angeles FC on Sunday. Photo by Darryl Dyck /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Denis Bouanga powered it home past a helpless Yohei Takaoka, and it stood up as the winner.

The loudest boos of the night came in the final moments of injury time, when Ford knocked over Alessandro Schöpf just as he was trying to hit a shot after an extended bout of Whitecaps pressure.  L.A. turned it the other way, and scored into an empty net, and the crowd went bananas, with invectives of every description being thrown at him.

Incandescent with rage, Whitecaps coach Vanni Sartini practically went into orbit, getting ejected from the game with a red card.

He wasn’t there to see Ford called to the monitor for a VAR check, and the goal chalked off for offside — as Takaoka was still upfield, it meant Carlos Vela’s pass put Bounga in an offside position.

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“The Canucks were here watching the game, so probably, they’re better suited than me to comment what the referee did against Schöpfy, because it was a beautiful (bodycheck) like an enforcer,” Sartini said post-game.

“Maybe he felt excited because he was in Canada and he wanted to do (something Canadian). … I think Tim is a good guy but … the referee was a disaster. We have to be completely honest; the referee was a disaster. … At the end, we didn’t have a fair chance, to be honest. Because today, unfortunately, the referee had a bad game.”

Sartini went on to describe the plays he had issues with, including the non-penalty on Richie Laryea in the second half. If that wasn’t called, the González call shouldn’t have either, he said.

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Sartini also couldn’t understand why González wasn’t given a straight red for a tackle that contacted Takaoka’s head.

Vancouver Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini was given a red card and thrown out of the game. Photo by DARRYL DYCK /THE CANADIAN PRESS

The game was whistled moments after Bounga’s goal was waved off, and B.C. Place security was needed to keep the Whitecaps players — notably Sam Adekugbe — from the officials as they were led off the field. Bottles, streamers and profanity followed them off as they were quickly ushered down the tunnel and out.

They were probably passed by Sartini, who came back through the tunnel after the final whistle to cheers and applause as he saluted the crowd and gathered his team together.

Sartini knows there will be blowback for his comments about the officiating, and made the request to the journalists at the presser not to ask the players about the refereeing, so he could take all the fines. And he knows it will probably go beyond a financial hit.

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“The crowd were fantastic,” said Sartini. “I’m so disappointed that I got sent off … because I’m not going to see them probably the first game of next year. Hopefully, it’s going to be an away game.”

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A Vancouver attack that had been among the league’s best at home didn’t manage a shot in the first half. Their best chance in the opening 45 minutes came when Brian White got a boot to a Crepeau clearance attempt, and it ricocheted just wide of the post.

There were a combined 32 fouls in the Decision Day meeting at B.C. Place between these two teams, and the physical play carried over on Sunday. Takaoka took a foot to the face from Gonzalez in the 40th minute, but it only earned the L.A. player a yellow card.

The visitors were lucky not to be down to 10 men, as Gonzalez had also gotten away with another bookable offence earlier in the half.

LAFC showed off their battle-hardened experience with the display, as the cheap fouls broke up the Whitecaps’ offence and kept them from building any momentum.

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“Anytime we have any momentum on the field, or tried to you get things going, they slowed everything down,” said Gauld. “And that’s just the sign of an experienced group of boys. It frustrated us that we couldn’t get things going.”

The Whitecaps had 13 shots to L.A.’s eight, but Crepeau was the man of the match, making several key saves against his old team, including a late White header in the 85th minute and a Gauld volley in the 98th.

Los Angeles FC co-owner, comedian and actor Will Ferrell greets Vancouver Whitecaps fans as he leaves the field before Game 2. Photo by Darryl Dyck /THE CANADIAN PRESS Los Angeles FC goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau dives for the ball in the first half. Photo by Darryl Dyck /THE CANADIAN PRESS

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