I suppose it was always going to come down to the final game against Seattle.
But the 1-1 tie with LAFC felt like a rehearsal for that game for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Because this game was the difference between the freedom of trying to get into the playoff places and the tension of clinching a playoff place.
And the early Dajome goal simply convinced Vancouver that hanging on to what they had for the rest of the game was a sensible tactic.
It wasn’t.
But, on the positive side, they were much better defensively in the second half. Less inclined to invite pressure and more inclined to keep the ball whenever they could.
It wasn’t pretty, but they worked for what they had and, in the end, just about deserved what they got.
Hopefully this game will have exorcised the playoff jitters from their collective consciousness and they can play the Sounders with a degree of freedom they lacked in Los Angeles.
The playoffs effectively start on Sunday afternoon.
Go big or go home.
Time for the Soccer Shorts player ratings!
Crepeau-6.5*, Gaspar-5, Brown-4.5, Nerwinski-4.5, Godoy-5, Jungwirth-5, Teibert-4.5, Owusu-5, Dajome-5.5, Gauld-5.5, White-5 (Guttierez-5.5)
Soccer Shorts (The Director's Cut) 