Whitecaps squander first-round bye opportunity in loss to Red Bulls
HARRISON, N.J. — The Vancouver Whitecaps squandered an opportunity to get a first-round bye in the Major League Soccer playoffs.
Daniel Royer, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Felipe scored and the New York Red Bulls clinched the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with a 3-0 victory over Vancouver on Saturday night.
“We were slightly off it from the first whistle,” Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said. “We were a yard behind, we weren’t our usual self, we didn’t have energy. And credit to New York. They started very brightly, they took it like a playoff game.
“Overall, a bad night. But there were some positives out of it.”