VANCOUVER — Mathias Laborda briefly looked down at the pitch before marching off the field after being sent off late in the Vancouver Whitecaps' rivalry match against the Seattle Sounders.
Moments later, Vancouver conceded for the third time and were condemned to a second straight loss.
Yeimar Gomez Andrade scored in stoppage time as the Seattle Sounders scooped up a 3-2 win against Vancouver at B.C. Place on Saturday night.
"We tried to be in the face of (Seattle)," head coach Vanni Sartini said. "Unfortunately we didn't score the goal and we've been very naive."
Conceding twice while leading the match proved a tie would have been a fair result, Sartini added.
Seattle's Leo Chu scored a brace as the Sounders (10-7-5) twice rallied to tie Vancouver in the Major League Soccer contest.
Andrade bagged the winner moments after Laborda was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Chu.
"I strongly disagree with the referee. I strongly disagree. He had a good game, I think the reffing in general was very good but I think he made a mistake there," said Sartini about the last yellow card decision.
Vancouver (6-7-7) opened the scoring in the 24th minute after midfielder Ryan Gauld whipped in a free kick from the left wing and found a rising Ranko Veselinovic who glanced the ball into the bottom corner.
Chu twice found the net off set pieces, first at the end of a flicked header from Jackson Ragen in the 60th minute and then in a near copy of the first, finding the end of a flicked pass from Nico Lodeiro in the 76th minute.
"We have to be better. We cannot concede three set piece (goals)," said Veselinovic. "It's naive and we need to see what happens in the next three days and be ready for the next game."
Gauld had put the Whitecaps in the lead once again in the 72nd minute, racing on to a flick from striker Brian White and calmly tucking the ball away.
The Whitecaps captain had scored four in a row before being held off the scoresheet in the 3-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City on Canada Day.
The Sounders thought they had a chance to tie the match late in the first half only for the referee and VAR to deny their claims for a penalty after back-to-back alleged handballs.
"That team found a way to win. They went down twice, I don't think deservedly, I think we outplayed (Vancouver) for large parts of the game," said Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer.
"That group of players, when they celebrated Yeimar's goal, you go take a look at that. That's a team that's sticking together, that's committed and that's going to do a lot of good things this season."
The Whitecaps have three more games at home before a seven-game road stretch that could determine if they make the MLS playoffs.
"Beautiful games ahead," Sartini said with a laugh.
The Whitecaps are also awaiting the result of Sunday's U.S.-Canada match at the Gold Cup, which could determine whether Julian Gressel or Ali Ahmed return to the club ahead of Wednesday's match.
UP NEXT
Vancouver hosts Austin FC on Wednesday, while Seattle heads to California to take on the San Jose Earthquakes.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2023.
Nick Wells, The Canadian Press
