Even in the toughest of seasons, a dramatic victory can have a galvanizing effect inside a locker room.
For the Vancouver Whitecaps, the hope is that Saturday's 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake was exactly that type of season-altering moment as they fight for their playoff lives down the stretch of the season.
Coming into the match having lost four straight games, the Whitecaps found themselves on the ropes again after conceding a first-half opener to RSL's Damir Kreilach. Then, in a span of four minutes, the 'Caps flipped the game on its head, taking advantage of a fortunate own goal in the 71st minute that set the stage for Lucas Cavallini's game-winner in the 75th. The Whitecaps are still just outside the playoff line in the West at 18 points, but they're within striking distance. For head coach Marc Dos Santos, that's all he can ask amidst a season that has been rife with adversity.
"A lot of people don't believe we could make the top eight and a lot of people don't believe in this team," Dos Santos said after the match. "It's a huge opportunity for us to show that we can come back and show how much we want to be in the top eight. So, great attitude.
"Look, the mentality, the belief of the group — the belief that we have here, is intact. And we want to keep going, keep pushing. [We have] a little bit of a rest and then comes the next game on Wednesday. ...What I want to highlight is the mentality of everybody that kept fighting, kept going, kept believing — that's important to build and to continue our stretch here."
Highlights: Whitecaps FC vs. RSL
The hero of Saturday's proceedings was Cavallini, the big-money striker Vancouver brought in during the offseason with the hopes that he could be the team's carry-the-load No. 9. While he has yet to truly break out in his debut MLS campaign, the game-winner in this match was a reminder of the type of quality that he brings to the table as a proven Liga MX goal-scorer.
Dos Santos said he feels as though his team is only now getting the chance to work with a consistent group, which he's hoping pays dividends for the whole group. Cavallini added that the team is fully aware that a hot run of form during the "home" stretch at Providence Park could lead to a playoff berth that most would have deemed improbable for much of the season, and that he felt a different type of energy in the locker room after Saturday's win.
"We couldn't afford to lose this game, to lose anymore points if we wanted to stay in the fight," Cavallini said. "I know that we're still not in a playoff spot, we're almost there. As I always say, anything can happen, this league is really inconsistent when it comes to game results because now teams are playing every 3-4 days. Due to international duty a lot of teams are missing key players and obviously fatigue is a back factor here and could cause a lot of injuries. If we're smart, if we're professional, if we keep the same team [consistently], we can have a good fight here and clinch that playoff spot.
"I thought after the game today I saw a different mentality in the players," he continued. "We have to enjoy today, enjoy the victory, and tomorrow think about the next game on Wednesday."
Veteran goalkeeper Evan Bush, who recently joined the team from the Montreal Impact via trade after a rash of injuries at the position, said another thing that could win the team's favor is the youth on the roster.
Homegrown midfielder Michael Baldisimo is one example of a young face that has stepped forward with another notable shift on Saturday that saw him factor into both goals, including sending in the free kick that led to the equalizing own goal. And aside from their ability, Bush said, the inexperience can actually be an asset .
"I don't know if that's because it's a much younger group that I came from, so there's a little bit more maybe innocence in terms of if you lose 3-4 games in a row. Where I was it got very tense, it got very heavy very quickly," Bush said. "And not to say that we weren't tense here losing games, but there's belief every time we go into a game, there's a sense of wanting to be with each other around the hotel. And there's a lot to be said about that. We have another month at least in the hotel, the bubble that we've put together, so that's important. We're probably not going to win every game going forward — we'd like to — but the chances of that happening are pretty low. So we need to be able to rebound when we get one point, keep ourselves calm when we have three points, if we lose a game we need to stay calm and move on to the next one.
"I think the environment that's set up here with the guys that are here has made that somewhat easy, to transition on to the next game after whatever the result is."
