Fire hand Whitecaps first loss of season
Published
VANCOUVER - The Vancouver Whitecaps fell behind early then gave up two second-half goals in a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Fire Saturday night for their first loss of the Major League Soccer season.
Striker Philip Zinckernagel scored in the 62nd minute and assisted on Hugo Cuypers’ goal in the opening minute for Chicago. Midfielder Rominique Kouame put the match away with a goal in extra time.
Forward Daniel Rios tied the match for the Whitecaps in the 15th minute.
Right-winger Liam MacKenzie of Comox, B.C., who turned 18 on March 15, earned an assist in his first start for the Whitecaps.
Zinckernagel gave Chicago the lead after finding a loose ball in front of the Vancouver net and firing a shot that hit the top bar and went into the goal.
The Whitecaps pressed for the tying goal in the game’s dying moments but couldn’t score.
The Whitecaps (4-1-0) remain first in the Western Conference with 12 points, three ahead of LAFC.
Chicago (3-1-1) moves into fifth place in the Eastern Conference with nine points.
The loss was the first for the Whitecaps in nine games cross all competitions this season. It’s the first time since 2015 Vancouver has started the MLS season 4-1-0.
The game saw Vancouver midfielder Sebastain Berhalter playing against a Chicago team coached by his father Gregg.
It’s not the first time in MLS history a coach and son have played against each other. Bob Bradley was head coach of LAFC when his son Michael played for Toronto FC in 2018 and 2019.
Many in the crowd of 18,717 at BC Place Stadium booed the singing of the U.S. national anthem as a protest to President Donald Trump imposing tariffs on Canadian goods and talk of Canada becoming the 51st state.
Some fans were still looking for the seats when Cuypers opened the scoring with less than a minute gone in the match. Zinckernagel sent a long pass into the box that the Belgium forward easily chipped into the net with a left-footed shot for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.
Zinckernagel threatened again in the 11th minute. He weaved his way through the Whitecaps defence before taking a shot that goalkeeper Yohel Takaoka deflected.
Rios tied the match with his first goal as a Whitecap. MacKenzie started the play by stealing the ball off a Chicago defender. Winger Jayden Nelson gained control of the ball and passed to Rios, who fired a hard shot that hit the post and went into the net.
A few minutes later MacKenzie was involved in a spectacular collision that sent Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady spinning head over heels.
Right back Edier Ocampo had a chance to tie the match in the 75th minute with a long shot that just missed the corner of the net.
FOOT NOTES
MacKenzie, who plays for the Whitecaps FC 2 development team, signed a short-team agreement with the Whitecaps earlier in the day. He had 30 family and friends in attendance watching the game. … Nelson’s assist was his team-leading fifth of the season. … Due to injuries and international call-ups the Whitecaps made five personnel changes from the lineup that defeated FC Dallas 1-0 last Saturday. … In nine game Vancouver has seen 21 different players earn at least one start. … Vancouver players out with injury were forward Ryan Gauld (knee) and defender Sam Adekugbe. … Whitecaps absent due to international duty were midfielders Ali Ahmed (Canada) Pedro Vite (Ecuador), Andres Cubas (Paraguay) and forward Brian White (U.S.)
UP NEXT
Fire: Host CF Montreal next Saturday.
Whitecaps: Visit Toronto FC next Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2025.