Brian White scored his team-leading 14th goal of the season and then helped earn a second-half penalty kick, but the Vancouver Whitecaps were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against visiting D.C. United on Saturday night.
Ryan Gauld added his 11th goal and 11th assist for Vancouver (11-10-10, 43 points), which finished the evening in sixth place in the crowded Western Conference standings, five points above the playoff line.
In their first home match after an unusual seven-match road trip, the Whitecaps twice gave away the lead on a night a victory would’ve been good for fourth in the conference with three matches to play.
Christian Benteke scored his 14th goal of the season for D.C. (9-13-10, 37 points) to join White and two other players one goal behind a three-way tie for the MLS goal-scoring lead.
Mateusz Klich scored the match’s final goal in the 62nd minute for the visitors, who will also feel more frustrated than satisfied with a draw that leaves the Black and Red in 10th in the Eastern Conference and beneath the playoff line.
Twice, Vancouver took the lead, and twice D.C. quickly answered.
White opened the scoring in just the second minute, popping up to nod home Gauld’s cross after Richie Laryea’s initial cross from the left was blocked.
The advantage lasted only nine minutes, as the Whitecaps were punished for sloppy passing in their own end, with Theodore Ku-DiPietro intercepting goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka’s pass and feeding Benteke for a finish into an open goal.
In the second half, White earned Vancouver’s penalty by inducing Pedro Santos into a mistimed clearance attempt that got White’s leg and not the ball. Gauld finished past goalkeeper Alex Bono, who had guessed correctly but could not keep out the 57th-minute penalty.
This time the home side’s advantage lasted only five minutes before Klich hit a speculative half volley from outside the box that caromed off a Vancouver defender and knuckled past Takaoka.
Bono made a spectacular lunging save to deny Vancouver substitute Ali Ahmed in the 87th minute.
–Field Level Media