A bitter taste lingers for the Vancouver Whitecaps as another Major League Soccer season comes to an end.

The 91裸聊视频楥aps were ousted from the playoffs Friday by Los Angeles FC when Vancouver dropped the decisive game of the best-of-three first-round playoff series 1-0 in California.

It was the second year in a row Los Angeles eliminated Vancouver in the first round.

91裸聊视频淒efinitely a bit of frustration,91裸聊视频� striker Brian White said of the season91裸聊视频檚 end. 91裸聊视频淵ou think back on opportunities missed, think about what could have been if you had done better this game, that game.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 always going to be that way if you don91裸聊视频檛 win the ultimate prize of the trophy.91裸聊视频�

The campaign was full of highs and lows for the Whitecaps.

The club started the 5-2-3 in MLS play and worked its way to a third straight Canadian Championship title at the end of September. But a compacted schedule and international call-ups took their toll, and the 91裸聊视频楥aps lost their last four games ahead of playoffs.

Vancouver finished eighth in the Western Conference with a 13-13-8 record and faced off against regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, in a wild-card matchup. The 91裸聊视频楥aps stunned many with an emphatic 5-0 victory that earned the squad a first-round playoff berth against top-seeded LAFC.

While Los Angeles took a 2-1 victory in the opening game, the Whitecaps won the second match 3-0 before dropping the finale.

Post-season play wasn91裸聊视频檛 a problem this year, but there were stretches during the regular season where the team missed opportunities to climb the table, said head coach Vanni Sartini.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 no shame or no problem losing against LAFC 1-0 in their stadium in a playoff game,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭he regret is that game should have been at least the conference semifinal, not the first round.91裸聊视频�

Analytics show there were areas of growth for the team between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Sartini added, with a higher expected goals rate, fewer goals conceded and improved results from set pieces.

91裸聊视频淲hen you can91裸聊视频檛 shoot for the moon, you have to at least try to do the basics and go for the sky instead of falling down,91裸聊视频� the coach said. 91裸聊视频淪o that91裸聊视频檚, I think, a good learning lesson for next year.91裸聊视频�

Vancouver was eighth in goal differential (+3) in the Western Conference over the regular season, despite captain Ryan Gauld contributing 10 goals and 15 assists in 30 appearances.

There are a lot of things to improve on as the players turn their attention to next year, said goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.

91裸聊视频淔or example, the defensive side, we need to reduce the conceded goal. We played really well when the season started. But gradually it went down,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚t can91裸聊视频檛 happen next year. We need to be in good shape the whole year.91裸聊视频�

There91裸聊视频檚 work to be done offensively, too, said White, who led the 91裸聊视频楥aps with 15 goals.

91裸聊视频淚 think as a team, we could be more aggressive, putting the game on our terms,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淚 think going into next season, I think we put the onus on us to kind of dictate more the way the game is going early.91裸聊视频�

For Sartini, the 49-game stretch across all competitions was particularly demanding.

He started the MLS season suspended for comments he made following the final playoff game of last season 91裸聊视频� an experience that held some very personal lessons.

Getting back onto the bench required Sartini to go to therapy, something he now says he91裸聊视频檚 grateful for and has continued. He also learned that coaching is a team profession.

91裸聊视频淚 learned that it91裸聊视频檚 beautiful to realize that you91裸聊视频檙e not indispensable,91裸聊视频� he said. 91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 very important, because sometimes you think you91裸聊视频檙e so important, because you think that everything here goes because you are the leader of everything. And it91裸聊视频檚 not like this.91裸聊视频�

Now the club is looking at how to get the most out of the team next season, a process that Sartini 91裸聊视频� who91裸聊视频檚 under contract for 2025 91裸聊视频� said will include evaluating his role as head coach.

The front office will make that decision, Sartini said, but he remains convinced that the Whitecaps have more to give.

91裸聊视频淚 think that this group is going to be ready to fight for top position next year,91裸聊视频� he said.