LOS ANGELES — The Vancouver Whitecaps crumbled in the face of adversity Wednesday, taking a 6-0 thrashing from Los Angeles FC.
The loss snapped a two-game win streak for the 'Caps (5-8-0) who were playing their fourth match in 11 days.
Dejan Jakovic struck just two minutes into the match, setting off a torrent of goals for the home team.
Bradley Wright-Phillips added a brace and Diego Rossi contributed another tally for L.A. (5-5-3). Own goals from Vancouver's Ranko Veselinovic and Andy Rose rounded out the scoring.
Vancouver barely tested Pablo Sisniega and was unable to put a single shot on target.
Goalie Bryan Meredith made his debut for the Whitecaps (5-8-0) on Wednesday and stopped 7-of-11 on-target shots.
Meredith's last MLS game prior to Wednesday came in June 2018 when he suited up for the Seattle Sounders in a 3-2 loss to the Portland Timbers.
The 31-year-old from Scotch Plains, N.J., joined Vancouver in January via a trade from Inter Miami CF. He's the third 'keeper to start for the Whitecaps this season.
Star netminder Max Crepeau fractured his thumb in a game at the MLS is Back tournament in Orlando. Meredith had left the tournament's bubble due to the sudden death of his mother, so the 'Caps were forced to call upon 21-year-old third-stringer Thomas Hasal.
The Saskatoon native performed admirably through the rest of the tournament, earning himself a starting position when the MLS resumed regular-season play in August.
Meredith was tested just moments into Wednesday's game after the 'Caps conceded an early corner. He made the save, but surrendered another corner.
Jakovic took advantage of the ensuing set play, putting a header into the top-left corner of the Vancouver net.
The Whitecaps had a quick chance to respond with Theo Bair getting a nice cross to Lucas Cavallini in deep but the Canadian striker's close-range strike was blocked.
Instead, Wright-Phillips took advantage of some holes in the Vancouver defence, sneaking into the penalty box and burying the ball with a high spinning kick in the fifth minute to put L.A. up 2-0.
The 35-year-old Englishman struck again in the 11th minute when a shot from Rossi bounced off a Whitecaps defender. The ball landed directly on the feet of Wright-Phillips, who put a bicycle kick in past Meredith.
Three minutes later, Brian Rodriguez turned 'Caps defender Cristian Gutierrez inside out and got a nice shot off. Veselinovic tried to stop the blast but instead tapped the ball into his own goal to put L.A. up 4-0.
A nice give-and-go between Rossi and Canadian Mark-Anthony Kaye widened the lead yet again the 33rd minute.
The goal was Rossi's 11th of the season. The Uruguayan international leads Major League Soccer in scoring this season.
The tally also marked the fastest five goals in MLS history, narrowly beating a record set by Seattle less than two weeks ago in the Sounders 7-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
By the end of the first half Wednesday, L.A. was up 5-0. The home team dominated 67 per cent of possession and blocked all four of Vancouver's shots through the first 45 minutes.
The Whitecaps were able to halt some of the bleeding in the second frame, thanks in part to substitutions that brought a more defensive framework to the field.
L.A. continued pressing, however, forcing Meredith to make some key stops.
A header from Danny Musovski in the 64th minute compelling the 'Caps netminder to fully stretch out in order to make the save.
But Meredith wasn't able to stop another instance of friendly fire in the 69th minute, when a boot from Rodriguez near the goal line caught Rose's foot, tipping the ball into the Vancouver net.
The Whitecaps were set to fly back to Portland — their temporary home due to COVID-19 border restrictions — late Wednesday night. They will play the Portland Timbers on Sunday
NOTES: Both LAFC and the Whitecaps used all five subs. ... Vancouver was without midfielder Russell Teibert, who suffered an undisclosed injury in the team's 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
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