Vancouver Whitecaps want to play 'attractive' soccer in MLS Cup Playoffs: Sorensen
What Jesper Sørensen has done in his first two seasons at the Vancouver Whitecaps has been remarkable, but he knows there is still more to achieve. Last season, the 'Caps fell just short in the finals of the Concacaf Champions Cup and MLS Cup, but did manage to win their fourth-straight Canadian Championship crown.
The Voyageurs Cup ended up in Hamilton with Forge FC this season and other competitions have escaped Vancouver one by one as the year has gone on - but there's the big one left: a shot at redemption in MLS Cup. They have won the Western Conference for the first time in club history to punch their ticket to the 2027 Champions Cup, but that is just the first step toward bigger goals of winning an MLS trophy and having something to show for being among the league's best clubs.
The Danish boss doesn't want to just win, he wants to win playing good football that the fans will love to watch - a different mentality to that of Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, for example, who has gotten results with the Premier League champions but been criticized for a boring tactical outlook. Sørensen's Whitecaps have blown teams out at times this season, includingputting five past their Cascadian rivals, the Seattle Sounders, over the weekend.
Brian White scored his 100th Whitecaps goal with his second of two on the night, days after gettingthe 100th MLS goal of his career. The American will be critical to their playoff push, and stylistic preference.
"I think what is important for us is that we would like to create," Sørensen told reporters this week. "We know that we are also in the entertainment business, we also like to play an attractive game and style for our fans, and we know that they would also like to come watch something where they have the feeling that the players put everything on the pitch.
They also have the opportunity to see some players do great things on the pitch, and a team that works well together, and that's what we're all about. We're a cohesive group and we're a cohesive organisation where everybody works with the same goal and for the same goal, and in the same direction, and that also spreads to our fans and everybody who supports us.
A crowd of over 32,000 fans showed up to BC Place for the Seattle win. As the Save The Caps" movement continues to push for the club to stay in the city long-term among ownership and stadium concerns off the pitch, the players and fans are doing their part.
"We can definitely feel the energy that brings," club captain Ryan Gauld said post-game. "We all enjoy playing in front of big crowds.
At the end of the day it's down to us to put in big performances to make the crowds come. The 32,000 that were there, hopefully they enjoyed the game and they can be there to help us in the playoffs."