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Sporting K.C. 1, Whitecaps 0: Valiant Vancouver comes up short in penalty kicks

The Whitecaps were missing 11 players and starting their third-string goalkeeper

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The Vancouver Whitecaps are out of the MLS is Back Tournament, but they put a king-sized scare into Sporting Kansas City on their way out the door.

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Sporting scored a 1-0 win in penalty kicks over Vancouver Sunday in Orlando, Fla., to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals against the Philadelphia Union. 

Sporting outscored Vancouver 3-1 in the penalty kicks.

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Third-string netminder Thomas Hasal was brilliant once again in the Vancouver net, as Sporting had the run of the play for extended stretches. They fired 22 shots in the first half alone, which is the second highest total in a half in an MLS game in the past decade, behind only the 25 that San Jose put up against Vancouver, oddly enough, in a 2019 match.

Sporting finished the game with 36 shots, which set a club record.

Hasal finished the night with eight saves.

Gianluca Busio of Sporting Kansas City scores during the penalty shootout during the round of 16 match between Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps as part of the MLS Is Back Tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday in Reunion, Florida.
Gianluca Busio of Sporting Kansas City scores during the penalty shootout during the round of 16 match between Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver Whitecaps as part of the MLS Is Back Tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex on Sunday in Reunion, Florida. Photo by Emilee Chinn /Getty Images

Hasal was playing because Vancouver lost starting netminder Maxime Crépeau to a broken hand in a game against the Seattle Sounders earlier in the tournament, and because backup Bryan Meredith is away mourning the death of a family member.

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Hasal recorded a clean sheet in a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire on Thursday that allowed Vancouver to advance to Sunday.

The only time the 21-year-old from Saskatoon looked remotely rattled was the TV cameras caught him knocking his head on a camera inside the goal

“I’m not used to the camera being there. It took me by surprise,” he said in the Zoom interviews afterward.

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He added: “It’s been a quick, special first few days. I think tonight is all about being proud of our team performance. We’re disappointed to be out of the tournament, but there’s a feeling of pride for everyone out on the field today. The guys in front of me didn’t stop running.”

Hasal said he was feeling “excited,” when the game went to penalty kicks.

“Shootouts, for goalkeepers, are a chance to be a hero, and penalty kicks are something that I enjoy and I felt I was ready for it. The team gave me some good advice and some good information,” he said.

Alan Pulido, Illie Sanchez and Gianluca Busio managed to score on Hasal in the penalty kicks. He stopped Daniel Salloi.

Leonard Owusu was the lone Whitecap to find the mark in the tiebreaker against Tim Melia. Cristian Dajome hit the post on Vancouver’s opening try, and Melia made saves on Derek Cornelius and Yordy Reyna.

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Vancouver’s best chance likely came in the 90th minute when Ali Adnan’s long free kick was smothered by Melia.

Vancouver was missing 11 players, including the likes of Lucas Cavallini, Fredy Montero and Tosaint Ricketts, who didn’t make the trip for the tournament.

Saves of note from Hasal in the first half came in the 18th minute, when he dove to his right to thwart a Gadi Kinda try, and in the 20th minute when he turned away a blast from Roger Espinoza. Johnny Russell’s blast in the 61st minute was just wide and hit the side netting, and Hasal got just enough of a Pulido try in the 66th minute that it managed to clip the outside of the post afterwards.

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