Whitecaps use ability to find late goals to set up LAFC rematch in Western Conference semi-finals
It’s been the story of the 2025 Vancouver Whitecaps - you can’t let them hang around late in games.
Therefore, while it might’ve felt like ‘déjà vú’ for Whitecaps fans to see their team trail by a goal late in game #2 of their first-round best-of-three MLS Cup Playoffs series vs FC Dallas, they knew that all they needed was a moment of magic, and that things would quickly flip on their head from there.
After a dominant game #1 win - one that saw the Whitecaps steamroll Dallas en route to a 3-0 victory - it was hoped they could cruise similarly in game #2.
Unsurprisingly, though, that didn’t end up being the case, as Dallas came out swinging and seemed to catch the Whitecaps by surprise early on.
Not only did Dallas draw first blood in the second game, scoring through a deft Petar Musa chip after a Whitecaps mistake in midfield in the 25th minute, but they looked a lot more dangerous offensively - they had eight shots worth 1.7 xG in the first half, after not generating a single shot in game #1.
All of a sudden, they looked like they had a chance of dragging this series out and forcing a third game, when just a week earlier, they looked lucky just to be in this series in the first place.
To their credit, Dallas made two big changes that paid off in a big way: firstly, they changed their formation from a 3-4-3 to a 4-4-2, which allowed them to press the Whitecaps a lot more naturally off the ball, while offering more support to their midfield.
Then, secondly, they were a lot more physical off the ball, which limited time and space for the Whitecaps to play through them in possession - the Whitecaps, uncharacteristically, completed just 79% of their passes in the first half. 
Unfortunately, Dallas made a big mistake in that first half - the problem, however, is that they didn’t know it when they went through the tunnel back to their dressing room.
That mistake, of course, was that they didn’t capitalize on a few other of their opportunities to add to Musa’s goal, as they missed two big chances, something that proved to be costly as the game wore on.
One big strength of this 2025 Whitecaps team is that they tend to make great in-game adjustments, as they’re not afraid to make big tactical tweaks to try and change the tide of a match.
In this game, feeling that Dallas was controlling play, they inserted Mathías Laborda for a hobbling Tate Johnson at half time, and then things started to slowly swing in the Whitecaps' favour from there.
All of a sudden, the Whitecaps started to be a bit cleaner on the ball, and then the chances started to flow - they went from three shots (worth 0.25 xG) in the first half, to 12 shots (worth 1.57 xG), and that pressure eventually paid off in the form of Ralph Priso’s equalizer in the third minute of second half stoppage time.
RALPH PRISO CAME IN CLUTCH! 😤#VWFC | #DALvVAN pic.twitter.com/9rOrJsgV6I
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 2, 2025
Considering the players the Whitecaps had on the pitch at the time of Priso’s goal, such as Thomas Müller, Ryan Gauld, Kenji Cabrera, Jayden Nelson and Sebastian Berhalter, it’s a bit surprising that it was someone with two career goals to his name (and none since 2022) who found the net, although it’s befitting of this Whitecaps season.
There’s a reason that they have now had 24 different goal scorers this year, and a big one is their ability to wear down teams with a relentless offensive game - they aren't called the 'Cardiac Caps' for nothing - and that’s led to a high number of late goals, which have sometimes come from a variety of different sources.
GOAL 🏔️🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 10, 2025
THE WHITECAPS SCORE AGAIN! 🤯
Tristan Blackmon finds the in-game equalizer, the 3-3 aggregate AND the away goals advantage and #VWFC have minutes to go before clinching a semi-final berth in #ConcaChampions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/bfDTvI6XDl
In this case, Priso’s late goal allowed them to drag this second game of the Dallas series to penalties, and there, they were flawless, converting all four of their penalties in the shootout to cruise to the Western Conference semi-finals for just the third time in their history (2015 and 2017 were the last times they did that, and the league was much smaller then).
That late Priso goal was no accident, though - when looking at the stats, the Whitecaps are most productive in the last 15 minutes of matches (plus stoppage time), where they average 0.53 goals and 0.43 xG per 90 minutes, which is by far their most productive 15-minute slice of the game.
Part of that comes down from the fact that it is typically a lot longer than a lot of slices due to the ridiculous amount of stoppage time that gets added, yes, but given that it is also the slice where teams tend to waste the most time, that also balances things out.
Stood our ground and advanced. Onto the next. 🏔️🔥#VWFC | #OwnTheSummit pic.twitter.com/rEfXjQbcw0
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 3, 2025
Ultimately, though, no matter if they’re leading or trailing, the Whitecaps have a knack for either sealing a game or getting back into a match late, and they showed that in this series, as they also scored their crucial 3-0 insurance goal in the 83rd minute of game #1 to seal that game.
“We talked about it in the break that we played bad halves before,” head coach Jesper Sørensen said after game #2. “We've been behind before, and we managed to come back. And even though we didn't really find our rhythm in the first half, and also because others were very good, we still believe that they will break after maybe 15 minutes in second half, because they used a lot of energy, and I think that we saw that we just kept playing the way we would like to, and also had some very good players coming in from the bench.”
“I think the guys coming in, they really stepped up and helped a lot, getting the momentum in the end and also playing with the quality.”
Because of that, look for the Whitecaps to use their ability to finish games strongly as they now get set for their next big test, which comes in the form of LAFC in the Western Conference semi-finals, as LAFC also cruised through their first round matchup over an opponent from Texas (Austin FC) in two straight games.
The third straight year in which the Whitecaps have met LAFC in the playoffs, as they were eliminated by them in the first round in both 2023 and 2024, this is a big chance for revenge for the Whitecaps, who will be happy to get a crack at them in a one-game elimination match at home, instead of in the best-of-three series they had to play in both playoff losses in 2023 and 2024.
They had a good record against LAFC this year, drawing one game and winning the other, but everyone knows that the playoffs are a different beast, especially against a side that has had a history of making deep runs in the postseason, and is led by two superstars in Heung-Min Son and Denis Bouanga.
We meet again.
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 3, 2025
Our opponent is set. Let's bring the energy and pack the place 'Caps fans 🔥
🗓️ Sat Nov 22 (time TBD)
🏟️ BC Place
🆚 @lafc
🎟️ https://t.co/5b2gbP9f7R#VWFC | #OwnTheSummit pic.twitter.com/TO9tUceNSD
Of course, this Whitecaps is pretty star-studded in its own right, and has proven to be a pretty formidable unit (one that could get even stronger with Tristan Blackmon and potentially Brian White battling to get fit for this next round), so it feels like it’ll be a great battle, regardless.
With a great crowd set to fill BC Place for that match, which comes on November 22nd, it could be a matchup to remember - with the Whitecaps hoping they’ll come out on top on that day.
As they showed in this Dallas series, though, they can win games in multiple ways, and one big area of success is the way they were down teams, which certainly paid off in game #2.
MÜLLER SAVES US AT THE DEATH 🤯#VWFC | #ORLvVAN pic.twitter.com/nhvl8lxuHZ
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) October 12, 2025
Perhaps, given some of the old legs on LAFC, and their reliance on a physically-demanding, counter-attacking style of play, the Whitecaps will hope they can wear them down in a similar fashion in that match, opening the door for more late heroics at BC Place on November 22nd - although they’d love nothing more for a comfortable victory filled with early goals, too.
“I think it wasn't our best start, but after their goal, we just had to get to halftime, sort some things out, and then in the second half, we were much better, had more control, especially with the ball pinning them in, not allowing the game to be as hectic,” Priso said.
“We fought til the end and found a goal, and almost scored a second one too. So good fight. Now we just get ready for the next round.”
