The Vancouver Whitecaps always had the belief. Now they have the win to go with it.
They were in a do-or-die situation Sunday after losing the opener of their best-of-three MLS playoff series with Los Angeles FC last week.
The visitors to B.C. Place had beat them in five straight MLS contests, outscoring them 14-6 in that span, and swept them from the post-season last year.
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The Caps were underdogs, without question. The results hadn’t been there, but the underlying analytics were.
“Let people believe what they what they want to believe,” Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld said coming into the game.
“We know inside this group that we’ve got good, good players. We’re a good team. So we’ve got the belief that we can do it, and that’s what matters.”
They started the game believing, and by minute 10, it was validated when Gauld blasted home a rebound past LA keeper Hugo Lloris. Three minutes later, Gauld’s cross was whipped across the face of goal and turned into the top of the net by Ryan Hollingshead, and the rout was on.