Vancouver Whitecaps beat San Diego FC to earn spot in MLS Cup final

SAN DIEGO – The Vancouver Whitecaps know their work is not done. 

The team downed expansion side San Diego FC 3-1 to earn the title of Western Conference champions Saturday. 

Even as they raised the trophy in the air, confetti falling around them, the players were already turning their minds toward their next task: the MLS Cup final against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Dec. 6.

“Obviously winning the conference and getting a trophy is nice. And we’ll enjoy that,” said striker Brian White. “But the ultimate goal is to win an MLS Cup. And we know how hard that will be in Miami.”

The ‘Caps finished the regular season second in the West with an 18-7-9 record and eliminated FC Dallas and Los Angeles FC before taking on San Diego in Saturday’s conference final.

Vancouver was dominant from the outset, with White poking a ball from teammate Andres Cubas into the San Diego goal in the eighth minute. 

The visitors doubled their lead in the 11th off an own goal by ‘keeper Pablo Sisniega. 

Emmanuel Sabbi collected a ball from Whitecaps superstar Thomas Muller and launched a shot, but Sisniega turned it away. The rebound popped out to Vancouver’s Ali Ahmed, who sent it flying back toward the net, where it pinged in off the netminder. 

Ahmed set up another striker in the second minute of first-half injury time, slicing a ball across the six-yard box to White, who chested it in for his second goal of the night. 

Vancouver took a 3-0 cushion into the locker room. 

San Diego made a trio of changes out of the half in a bid to spark its offence, including bringing Mexican forward Hirving Lozano on for Corey Baird. 

The move paid off in the 60th minute when Lozano lobbed a right-footed shot up and into the Vancouver net from above the penalty area, cutting his team’s deficit to 3-1.

San Diego’s bid for a comeback took a hit in the 79th minute when Sisniega was sent off after coming up out of the penalty area to challenge attacking midfielder Ryan Gauld. The ‘keeper sent Gauld flying and was quickly shown the red card, leaving the home side down a man for the rest of the game. 

While the two sides were even in shots across the match at 12-12, Vancouver had the better chances with an 8-4 edge in on-target chances. 

“We played with conviction in the way we wanted to play,” said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen. “And we played with pace on the ball but still with good movements and with some patience, so we didn’t attack too fast. We waited until the openings were there. 

“I think it was a great game from the players.”

The victory marks Vancouver’s first MLS conference title. Next week, the club will make its first appearance in the league’s championship game. 

The Whitecaps know Saturday’s win was a big achievement, Muller said, but the team is staying level-headed. 

“The boys are calm,” he said. “We know that there’s one more step to go. And that’s a really good feeling, to be with them.”

Vancouver has already faced Miami twice this year, taking a pair of wins to advance to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, where the ‘Caps ultimately fell to LIGA MX side Cruz Azul. 

Next week’s battle at Chase Stadium will feature a matchup of global superstars. Miami has Messi, while Vancouver’s Muller is a German soccer legend. 

Despite the big names, the game will be about more than two players, Muller said. 

“It’s not about Messi against Thomas Muller. It’s about Miami against the Whitecaps,” said the star attacking midfielder. “Maybe they rely a little bit more on him than we do on me because we are such a good group.”

The Whitecaps have lost just once since Muller joined the team in mid-August. 

“Since August, it’s like a Cinderella story. And I try to keep on dancing,” he said. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2025.