In a commanding display at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver Whitecaps FC triumphed over Sporting Kansas City with a convincing 3-0 scoreline during Week 22 of the season. Emmanuel Sabbi opened the scoring for the home side with a well-placed goal in the 34th minute, giving Vancouver a 1-0 lead. As the first half came to a close, Jean-Claude Ngando doubled the advantage with another goal in the 42nd minute. The match was sealed in the second half when Mathías Laborda found the net in the 41st minute, ensuring a comprehensive victory for Vancouver.
Mathías Laborda stood out as the player of the match, not only for his solid defensive contributions but also for scoring a crucial goal. Emmanuel Sabbi also shone brightly, contributing to the scoreline with a goal and making five attempts on target.
Vancouver’s head coach, Jesper Sorensen, opted for a 4-3-3 formation with Yohei Takaoka in goal; defenders Édier Ocampo, Bjorn Utvik, Tristan Blackmon, and Mathías Laborda; a midfield trio of Jean-Claude Ngando, Sebastian Berhalter, and Andrés Cubas; and forward line featuring Emmanuel Sabbi, Brian White, and Jayden Nelson.
Conversely, Sporting Kansas City, managed by Kerry Zavagnin, deployed a similar 4-3-3 setup with John Pulskamp as their goalkeeper, supported by a back line of Andrew Brody, Jansen Miller, Joaquín Fernández, and Tim Leibold. The midfield consisted of Jacob Bartlett, Zorhan Bassong, and Nemanja Radoja, while the attacking front included Magomed Suleymanov, Dejan Joveljic, and Daniel Salloi.
The match was officiated by referee Lukasz Szpala.
Looking ahead, Vancouver will host Portland Timbers in their next match, while Sporting Kansas City will face San Diego FC at home.
Substitutions for Vancouver Whitecaps FC
45’ 2H – Andrés Cubas out for Ralph Priso
73’ 2H – Édier Ocampo out for Tate Johnson, Emmanuel Sabbi out for Daniel Rios
80’ 2H – Jean-Claude Ngando out for Jeevan Badwal
88’ 2H – Tristan Blackmon out for Belal Halbouni
Yellow Cards for Vancouver Whitecaps FC:
2’ 1H – Emmanuel Sabbi (Unsporting behavior)
Substitutions for Sporting Kansas City
58’ 2H – Nemanja Radoja out for Jake Davis
59’ 2H – Daniel Salloi out for Santiago Muñoz, Tim Leibold out for Logan Ndenbe
84’ 2H – Magomed Suleymanov out for Mason Toye, Zorhan Bassong out for Memo Rodríguez
Yellow Cards for Sporting Kansas City:
27’ 1H – Dejan Joveljic (Unsporting behavior), 5’ 2H – Tim Leibold (Repetition of fouls)