Whitecaps suffer first loss of the season, aim to bounce back quickly

Chicago Fire's Jonathan Bamba, top left, leaps to avoid a tackle as Vancouver Whitecaps' Bjorn Inge Utvik slides and takes the ball away from him during the second half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, March 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Jesper Sorensen knew a perfect season was unlikely.

That’s why the Vancouver Whitecaps head coach was already looking to move on after his team dropped a 3-1 decision to the Chicago Fire Saturday night for its first loss of the Major League Soccer season.

“I’ll not be too high when we win and I’ll not be a slave to the moment now,” Sorensen said after the game. “I’m very disappointed with the loss but I have seen a group of players that work hard every day. If we continue doing that, then we’ll be a good team.

“It would be unrealistic to believe that we could go through a season without losing. You always hope for winning the next game.”

The Whitecaps gave up a goal in the opening minute but battled back to tie the match before giving up two second-half goals.

Striker Philip Zinckernagel scored in the 62nd minute and assisted on Hugo Cuypers’ early goal. Midfielder Rominique Kouame put the match away with a goal in extra time.

Forward Daniel Rios scored for the Whitecaps in the 15th minute.

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.

“We never really got in charge of the game,” said Sorensen. “We didn’t get in the flow that we usually have. We were not able to play with the same composure.”

The Whitecaps were without seven players either due to injury or international duties, but Sorensen refused to use that as an excuse.

“I’m not really interested in talking about who’s not here,” he said. “I think everybody has a really strong belief that they can fill out the positions. I think a lot of players have taken great responsibility.”

One of the bright spots for Vancouver was right-winger Liam MacKenzie. The Comox, B.C., native, who turned 18 on March 15, earned an assist in his first start for the Whitecaps.

“There was a lot of nerves at first,” said MacKenzie. “It was a great feeling stepping on the field, getting my first start.

“Obviously I would have liked to get the win. I’ll just take this experience, learn from it, see what I can improve on.”

Sorensen liked what he saw from MacKenzie.

“He was not too stressed,” said the coach. “I think he showed some of the things he can do. He’s a very promising young man. Hopefully we’re going to see him a lot in the future.”

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. After the game father and son spent a few minutes talking on the pitch.

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.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 22, 2025.

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press