Sometimes the hero is unexpected, like the Whitecaps' Ralph Priso

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Patrick Johnston: It wasn’t an easy win but the Caps have won themselves an extra week of rest before the next round of the MLS Cup playoffs

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Published Nov 01, 2025 • 3 minute read

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vancouver whitecaps vs dallas Ralph Priso of Vancouver Whitecaps celebrates with Édier Ocampo and Rayan Elloumi after scoring a goal during the second half of an MLS match against FC Dallas at Toyota Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. Photo by Sam Hodde /Getty ImagesArticle content

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Every single Vancouver Whitecaps player is delighted about Saturday’s win on penalty kicks over FC Dallas, but you’ve got to believe no one is happier than Brian White.

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The Caps’ win on Saturday sealed a 2-0 MLS Cup first-round win over the Texans. That means no game next week, and with the November international break on the back of that, a total of three weeks off.

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And that means more time for recovery for the likes of White, who had hoped to have recovered from his hamstring injury in time to play in this series but who, in the end, never got there.

And this was a night where the Caps really could have used him. It took till stoppage time for Vancouver to find a finish. Ralph Priso’s goal came off a scramble in front of the Dallas goal.

But they weren’t without chances before that and it’s totally reasonable to think that White, one of Major League Soccer’s best strikers, would have found a finish earlier.

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Vancouver Whitecaps players celebrate after defeating FC Dallas in penalty kicks during the 2025 MLS Cup Playoff match between FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Toyota Stadium on Nov. 1, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. Photo by Omar Vega /Getty Images

The longer break will also give Tristan Blackmon time to recover. The MLS’s defender of the year wasn’t listed on the Whitecaps’ weekly injury declaration, travelled with the team to Texas, but then wasn’t even on the bench.

That’s why Priso was again in the lineup. Pressed in centre back duty late in the season, the young defensive midfielder has been a brilliant success in the middle and the Caps are thankful for it. He’s so rarely thought of as an offensive player and rightly so: His strengths are in taking space away from the opposition, then making smart decisions on the ball to open up space for his more offensive mates to make a difference.

On Saturday, the Whitecaps were far from their best. They struggled to dominate the wide spaces in the same way they did last week, and Thomas Müller was rather contained by the Dallas defence. Last week, he found gaps to pass through with abandon, but this week was more of a slog.

Such a slog that Priso’s goal was the Caps’ first shot on goal in the whole match, and it came in the third minute of stoppage time.

Neither Ali Ahmed nor Emmanuel Sabbi were able to break down the Dallas flanks, something they managed with abandon a week ago. Again, a game like this needs someone to make a break or find an unexpected connection: that was Priso, finding the loose ball after it had been lofted into the box from a corner kick by Sebastian Berhalter. (Speaking of non-vintage nights, Berhalter kept hitting his corners long, which is rarely a thing for him.)

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The break will now give the Caps a chance to get their best XI together again. They still won’t have Ranko Veselinovic, but they’ll surely have Blackmon back in action when play resumes the weekend of Nov. 22 against either LAFC or Austin FC. Those two teams face each other Sunday, with LAFC holding the advantage after winning the first game of their series last week.

A guy like Müller, who has played a lot of football this year, can surely do with a break as well, to give him a chance to get fresh again.

It’ll also serve captain Ryan Gauld well: The Scotsman has only been a substitute since returning from his knee injury. Will a time to get some rest mean he’ll be fitter than ever when the playoffs resume? Probably.

Bottom line, this is the best Whitecaps team of the MLS era, they’re only going to get more polished as the playoffs roll on, and fans should feel confident going into the next round, no matter who the Caps are facing. They’ll be at B.C. Place in front of what will no doubt be a massive crowd.

It’s been quite the year. It could yet still get better.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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Sometimes the hero is unexpected, like the Whitecaps’ Ralph Priso

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