Whitecaps Impressive 3-0 Win!!

Locally soccer continues to grow in the area all due to the success of the Vancouver Whitecaps who have seen changes to the roster that has added to the strong motivation of the players notability by Thomas Müller.

Many or some were questioning the cost to bring him to the team but overall it’s money well spent considering that they continue to fill the stands noting that this contest saw the largest postseason crowd in the club’s MLS era on hand of 32,066 given their 3-0 win over FC Dallas in Game 1 of Round One in the 2025 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.

The club saw strong performance from Emmanuel Sabbi as well goals from Daniel Ríos, and Thomas Müller’s penalty kick and an impressive sliding effort from Kenji Cabrera in the Best-of-3 championship series.

Whitecaps FC head coach Jesper Sørensen made one change from the regular season finale – a 2-1 loss also against FC Dallas – on October 18. 

With centre back Mathías Laborda sitting out due to an ejection, Ralph Priso continued where he left off from the previous match to fill out the back four.

Ali Ahmed was a dynamo on the left wing. In the 11th minute, the Canadian international snuck in at the near post to draw defenders close. 

On the right side of the danger area, Müller avoided a challenge to expertly lay off for an oncoming Berhalter, who didn’t get full power on his first attempt – an 18-yard dribbler that slipped into FC Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi’s gloves.

The Blue and White were energized, as Sabbi next took a long through ball and fought off opposing centre back Osaze Urhoghide during a 20-yard sprint. Close to goal, the defender just managed to get his foot on the ball to snuff out the opportunity.

Throughout the first half, Sabbi put on a show. He brought gasps out of the record playoff faithful with a mesmerizing display of trickery. 

Add this one to the highlight reel for possession – a stutter-step, backwards pedal, and then a successful one-on-two with Müller, leaving midfielders Kaick Ferreira and Christian Cappis dumbfounded.

The 27-year-old winger kept his head up to slip the ball ahead to Müller, who put it directly back for another chance that was stopped by Collodi.

Whitecaps FC continued to feed Sabbi. Defensive midfielder Andrés Cubas looped a perfect ball into the middle of the box that Sabbi’s boots almost poked past Collodi, who had raced off his line. Even Müller was inspired to pull off a mini-bicycle kick a few minutes later that was denied.

After Dallas had a rare attacking foray – they finished the match with zero shots taken – the boys from the Village of Vancouver executed an impressive breakout that led to glory. 

Berhalter spotted Ahmed out wide; he quickly cracked a short cross in for Ríos, who nodded home with authority in the 43rd minute.

Both Ahmed, with his 11th helper across all competitions in 2025, and Berhalter, his club-leading 16th assist across all competitions, added to their career highs. In the first half, Whitecaps FC put six attempts on target.

After play resumed, Sabbi picked up where he had left off.

He took a Berhalter ball to spring loose. One-on-one with centre back Sebastien Ibeagha, Sabbi flexed his muscles in full flight, but his drive barely swerved wide of the far post.

On his next chance, Sabbi changed tactics – he darted diagonally inside the area for round two with Ibeagha. 

This time, the defender was overzealous; referee Victor Rivas pointed to the spot. Müller calmly drilled into the top corner for 2-0 at the hour. 

The German legend remains a perfect six-for-six in penalties across all competitions since he joined Whitecaps FC.

Seven minutes from time, the Blue and White added another insurance marker when substitute striker Rayan Elloumi bullied his way to the goal line. 

Before he was dragged down by defender Lalas Abubakar, the 18-year-old sent a low cross that flashed across goal to sub Kenji Cabrera, who impressively tapped the ball in while sliding on his backside for 3-0.

Before the final whistle, Belgian defender Joedrick Pupe subbed in for his first appearance with Whitecaps FC, while Takaoka faced no shots to claim the clean sheet. 

Up next, Whitecaps FC head to the Lone Star State for Game 2 of this Best-of-3 series. FC Dallas will host the Blue and White on Saturday, November 1, at 6:30 p.m. PT. 

You can cheer on the boys by watching the match on Apple TV or TSN. Fans can also listen on CKNW.com or 101.1 HD3.

If necessary, a winner-take-all Game 3 would be back at BC Place on Friday, November 7.

The winner of this series will face the winner of third seeded Los Angeles FC and sixth seeded Austin FC, which the ‘Caps would host if they advance. 

For ticket options to all matches, go to whitecapsfc.com/tickets.

MATCH DETAILS

Referee: Victor Rivas,                   Attendance: 32,066

ERDINGER Man of the Match: Emmanuel Sabbi

Scoring Summary

43’ – VAN – Daniel Ríos (Ali Ahmed, Sebastian Berhalter)

60’ – VAN – Thomas Müller (penalty kick)

83’ – VAN – Kenji Cabrera (Rayan Elloumi)

Cautions

73’ – DAL – Ramiro,                  89’ – DAL – Enes Sali

90’+4 – VAN – Tate Johnson      90’+6 – DAL – Osaze Urhoghide

Statistics

Possession: VAN 62% – DAL 38%         Shots: VAN 22 – DAL 0

Shots on Goal: VAN 10 – DAL 0,           Saves: VAN 0 – DAL 7

Fouls: VAN 18 – DAL 7,                        Offsides: VAN 2 – DAL 4

Corners: VAN 10 – DAL 1