The Fire briefly had a lifeline in the 84th minute when C.J. Sapong knocked the ball in after Alvaro Medran’s shot hammered off the crossbar. But, after video review, the goal was waved off for handball.

Chicago had just needed a win to move past Seattle into second place but could still have advanced with a tie or even a one-goal loss in which it scored at least once.

WATCH | Whitecaps stun Fire at MLS is Back Tournament:

San Jose had already clinched top spot in the group.

Vancouver looked anything but threatening for the first hour Thursday. Then, with the game scoreless 0-0 in the 63rd minute, the game was halted for 90 minutes as lightning threatened ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex.

A different Whitecaps team came out from the dressing room.

Less than two minutes after play resumed, Reyna broke the deadlock. Ali Adnan found Reyna behind the defence and the Peruvian international sidestepped goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm before slipping the ball in. It was Vancouver’s first shot on target.

WATCH | Vancouver advances with a little help from video review:

Dajome made it 2-0 in the 71st as the Chicago defence was carved open again. Reyna found Dajome, who slotted the ball past Kronholm with his team’s second shot on net.

Slovenian international Robert Beric had a gilt-edged chance for Chicago in the 78th minute but skied the ball from right in front on goal.

Playing their third games in eight days, the Whitecaps had shown little in the first half, outclassed and outshot 10-1 (3-0 in shots on target). Already missing nine players through injury or other reasons, Vancouver lost defender Jasser Khmiri late in the first half with a left knee injury after going down in a tangle with a Fire player near the sideline.

Vancouver coach Marc Dos Santos switched from a 4-4-2 formation to 5-3-2 with five Canadians in his starting 11, including forwards Ryan Raposo and Theo Bair. It marked the first MLS start for Raposo, a 21-year-old rookie from Hamilton.