Vancouver Whitecaps fall 1-0 to San Jose Earthquakes in first loss of MLS season

VANCOUVER – Ralph Priso had two words to describe the Vancouver Whitecaps’ first loss of the season. 

“Really disappointing,” he said. 

A goal from Beau Leroux in first-half injury time was the difference maker Saturday as the San Jose Earthquakes blanked the ‘Caps 1-0. 

The Quakes weren’t really the problem, though, Priso said. 

“I think it’s a game where it’s more about us, not the opponent. I don’t think they beat us today,” said the Canadian centre back. “Credit to them, they take the three points. But I think we more did it to ourselves. Really disappointing.” 

The ‘Caps (4-1-0) controlled play through much of the game and outshot the visitors 11-7 with a 6-2 edge in on-target shots, but couldn’t beat Daniel De Sousa Britto in the San Jose net.

The Earthquakes improved to 4-1-0 on the season, with their lone loss coming at the hands of the Seattle Sounders last week.

The Whitecaps had ample chances to open the scoring across the first half on Saturday. 

Edier Ocampo floated a cross in to Brian White in the 22nd minute and the ‘Caps striker put a header on target, only to see the Brazilian ‘keeper make the stop. 

Eight minutes later, White got his head on another ball at the side of the six-yard box, ticking a shot on target. Britto dove, stretched out and got a hand in the ball’s path to make another save.

San Jose opened the scoring in the second minute of first-half injury time off a corner kick. Vancouver ‘keeper Yohei Takaoka couldn’t grab the ball and it popped out to the top of the penalty area, where Leroux quickly nabbed it before Whitecaps midfielder Cheikh Sabaly could get a foot on it. 

Leroux then blasted a right-footed rocket into the Vancouver net.

“We made a big mistake,” said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen. “Yohei should have had the ball and then it got out and then (Sabaly) should have not lost it right there and then they scored.”

The ‘Caps went into the locker room down 1-0. It was the first time this season they’ve trailed in MLS play.

The home side continued to press in the second half but had trouble getting through San Jose’s high-pressure defence. 

Sorensen tinkered with his lineup in a bid to spark more offence, bringing German legend Thomas Muller in out of the break, then adding playmaking midfielder Sebastian Berhalter off the bench in the 75th minute. 

“This was our fourth game in nine days, we are very early in the season,” Sorensen said. “We needed to also make sure we don’t overuse players this early in the season. We can’t do that, that’s too risky. So I think that we got a lot of good play from some of the players who haven’t started that much.”

Vancouver got several solid shots in the game’s dying minutes, including a blast from Kenji Cabrera in the second minute of stoppage time that sailed just wide of the post. 

The announced crowd of 21,261 at B.C. Place expressed their displeasure with the officiating several times across Saturday’s match. 

Hearty boos rang out midway through the first half when Dejuan Jones collided with Sabaly as he steamed toward the San Jose net. A replay appeared to show the Quakes’ left back shoving Sabaly just above the penalty area, but no foul was called. 

Sorensen acknowledged that there may have been questions with referee Chris Penso’s decisions during the game. 

“Maybe if you have an issue with the time consuming then you can give a yellow card,” he said. “And if there’s a foul in the box, then sometimes it’s a penalty and sometimes it’s not. I think people, for most parts, maybe saw a penalty. And it was not called. I don’t really go into the officiating part of it.” 

It’s been a difficult week for Vancouver, which was eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions Cup Thursday after falling 5-1 to the Sounders on aggregate over a two-game, round-of-16 series. 

Just over a month into the 2026 campaign, the Whitecaps have already played nine games across all competitions. Saturday marked the team’s fourth game in nine days. 

The packed schedule isn’t to blame for the loss, Priso said. 

“As players we want to be playing,” he said. “If we had moved on in the Champions Cup, I don’t think anybody would be saying there that there were too many games. So I don’t think it has anything to do with how many games we’ve been playing.” 

NOTES

Former Germany teammates Muller and Timo Werner faced each other for the first time in MLS in the second half. The two came into the game having faced each other 13 times in Bundesliga play, with Muller holding a 8-4-1 record in those matchups. … San Jose’s Jones suffered a game-ending injury in the 52nd minute. The American defender was running up field solo with the ball when he fell. He lay on the turf for several minutes before being helped off by trainers. Earthquakes head coach Bruce Arena said it was “a bad injury” and that tests would be done to determine the extent. 

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps will return from the March international break on April 4 when they host their regional rivals, the Portland Timbers. The Earthquakes face San Diego FC in San Jose the same day.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2026.