Brian White scored his 100th MLS goal as the Vancouver Whitecaps beat San Diego 4-1, extending their Western Conference lead and setting a club record of 67 goals in a season.
Brian White scored his 100th MLS goal as the Vancouver Whitecaps beat San Diego 4-1 at BC Place on Wednesday night, strengthening their hold on first place in the Western Conference. Aleksa Cvetkovic opened the scoring in the 24th minute with his first MLS goal, White headed home in the 41st for his 18th goal of the season, Ryan Gauld added a diving header in the 66th, and Bruno Caicedo finished a fast break in the 76th for 4-0 before Onni Valakari pulled one back in the 83rd.
White, 30, became the 17th player in MLS history to score 100 goals, and has 98 goals across all competitions since joining Vancouver in 2021. The four goals took the Whitecaps to 67 for the season, a club record with two games still to play, a year after the club reached both the MLS Cup and Concacaf Champions Cup finals. The win put Vancouver on 58 points and extended their lead in the West to four points over second-place Dallas, who lost to Columbus earlier.
Thomas Muller, the club's star designated player, was introduced in the second half in his return from injury after almost a month out, adding to an attack that head coach Jesper Sorensen said he was pleased with for how it played rather than for the standings alone. White said afterwards that reaching 100 goals was something he had always wanted, but that winning MLS Cup comes first.
The score, the milestone and the club record are reported by both MLS itself and the Associated Press, which agree on the 4-1 result, White's 100th goal and the record 67-goal season. The Associated Press adds the four-point lead over Dallas, which the MLS report supports by putting Vancouver on 58 points and closing in on the top seed.
One more win secures the top seed in the West, which brings home-field advantage through the playoffs and possibly the final on 18 December, and also secures qualification for the 2027 Champions Cup. Vancouver have two chances: away to Seattle on Sunday and at home to CF Montreal on Decision Day.
Those two games will decide whether a record-breaking regular season ends with the top seed, or whether last year's finish, when Vancouver lost their final game and came second, repeats itself.