By Canadian Press

Raposo scores first MLS goal, Vancouver Whitecaps down Sporting Kansas City 1-0

Apr 2, 2022 | 7:26 PM

VANCOUVER — Ryan Raposo scored and the Vancouver Whitecaps earned their first win of the season Saturday, downing Sporting Kansas City 1-0 at B.C. Place. 

It was a revenge victory for the Whitecaps, who were eliminated by Sporting in the first round of the playoffs last season.

Raposo put away the game’s lone goal in the 73rd minute, unassisted. 

Thomas Hasal made four saves for the ‘Caps (1-3-1) and collected his second clean sheet of the season. 

Tim Melia stopped two on-target shots for Sporting (2-4-0), 

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The result snapped a dismal four-game winless streak for Vancouver, who lost 3-1 to Los Angeles FC in their last outing on March 26.

Sporting pushed hard in the final minutes to find an equalizer but some solid stops from Hasal preserved the Whitecaps lead. 

One of the Canadian ‘keeper’s best came in injury time when he dropped and smothered a header from Roger Espinoza.

Raposo broke the goalless deadlock in the 73rd minute, putting a right-footed shot just out of Melia’s reach from the left side of the six-yard box. 

It was the Hamilton, Ont., native’s first ever goal in Major League Soccer. 

The Whitecaps had a solid chance at getting their first of the game in the 68th minute when Raposo sent a cross into Russell Teibert in the box and the ‘Caps captain fired a shot wide of Sporting’s net. 

SKC nearly got on the scoreboard after slipping through the Vancouver defence early in the second half. 

Johnny Russell sent a crisp pass to Daniel Salloi, who waltzed through a pair of ‘Caps defenders and unleashed a blast from the top of the box at the 52nd-minute mark. Hasal kept the score knotted at 0-0 with a diving save. 

It was the Whitecaps who recorded the first shot on goal earlier in the half when Melia had to drop to the turf to stop a header from Ryan Gauld in the 47th minute.

Kansas City outshot Vancouver 4-2 across the first but neither side registered a shot on target. The two sides were nearly even in possession across the opening 45 minutes, with the ‘Caps holding a 50.6 per cent edge. 

Vancouver’s best chance of the half came in the 32nd minute when Deiber Caicedo sent a ball into White deep in the penalty area. The American striker went in for a sliding shot at the top of the six-yard box but Melia got to the ball a split second before he could put it in the back of the net. 

White was making his first start of the season after suffering a foot contusion in training camp, then dealing with calf tightness.

He played 58 minutes Saturday before being replaced by Canadian striker Lucas Cavallini.

Sporting got a prime opportunity to open the scoring in the 14th minute when Khiry Shelton sent a right-footed shot skimming past the Vancouver post from outside the box. 

The Whitecaps continue their homestand next Saturday, hosting their Cascadia rivals, the Portland Timbers. 

NOTES: Vancouver defender Tristan Blackmon left the field with a bandage around his head in injury time after a hard collision in the air. … The first corner kick came in the 61st minute. Kansas City had three corners across the match and Vancouver had one. … A crowd of 16,772 took in the game, including a shirtless pitch invader who briefly interrupted injury time. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 2, 2022.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press