Vancouver finished far above their chances and beat Seattle

Vancouver Whitecaps beat Seattle Sounders 5-1, scoring well beyond what their chances suggested.

Brian White scored inside the first minute at BC Place, and Ryan Gauld doubled the lead before the ninth minute had passed. Mathías Laborda added a third just before half-time, so the Seattle Sounders were already three behind at the interval. Whatever the second half held, the match had been decided in the first forty-five minutes.

Vancouver had less of the ball than usual. They kept 49% of possession, which is below their own average of 52.7% over their home matches this season. Seattle also had less than they normally do, 51% against their usual 53.4%, so neither side was simply taking control. Possession says little on its own here, and the chances tell the rest.

Expected goals, or xG, is a way of valuing each shot by how often shots from that spot and in that situation become goals. Vancouver's 18 shots added up to 2.2 expected goals, well above the 1.49 they usually accumulate at home. Seattle's 11 shots came to 1.08, a little under their usual 1.2 away and below the league average of 1.48 per side. Vancouver took the better chances, and they took them efficiently.

The finishing made the difference. Vancouver scored five times, nearly three more than the chances alone would normally produce, and their season average is 1.8 goals a home match. White scored twice and was rated 9.4, the best figure in the match, while Gauld scored and set up another, and Bruno Caicedo finished the afternoon with two assists. Seattle's only goal came from Jordan Morris on 62 minutes, set up by Albert Rusnák, and it was their only shot that found the net.

Seattle had more of the fouls and more of the corners. They committed 17 fouls against Vancouver's 11 and won six corners to Vancouver's two, which tells us they were pushing forward without finding the goal. Vancouver conceded 1 goal, close to their usual 1.3 at home, and the Seattle chances, at 1.08, were a little below what Vancouver normally allow. The defensive picture is ordinary, and the story lies at the other end.

Vancouver are first in the table with 58 points from 32 matches, and their 17 wins are the most of any result they have recorded this season. Seattle sit ninth on 43 points after 32 games, with 11 wins and as many defeats. That gap was narrowed on this afternoon by very little, because Seattle had enough chances to score but not enough of them went in.

The defeat leaves Seattle with 40 goals conceded from 32 matches, equal to Vancouver's 33 only in the sense that both sides have played the same number of games. Vancouver, meanwhile, have now scored 67 times this season. Their total is the one that will be talked about, and it began with two goals inside the first nine minutes.

Player of the matchB. White2 goals9.4

R. Gauld1 goal · 1 assist9.0

Bruno Steven Caicedo Quiñonez2 assists8.2

Y. Takaoka4 saves7.8