It was a game that featured more drama than a Game of Thrones season finale.
Heck, it was right up there among the most dramatic sporting moments in Vancouver history.
Despite blowing a two-goal lead and then playing part of extra time down two players, the Vancouver Whitecaps found a way to win thrillingly.
In front of a packed BC Place with 53,957 fans in the house, Mathias Laborda booted home the game-winning goal during penalty kicks, sending Vancouver to their first-ever MLS Conference Finals.
“We are a family out there on the pitch,” Laborda said following the win. “We play with heart.”
“LAFC is a great team with a great history,” he said. “But, we want to make history too.”
Not only did the Caps win officially make this is the best season in their 15-year MLS history, but they did so by finally beating Los Angeles FC, a team that eliminated them from playoff contention the previous two seasons.
“Football is a funny game,” Jesper Sørensen said postgame. “Over the course of two hours, you can come through everything.”
That’s exactly what happened to the Whitecaps in this match.
Early on, Vancouver controlled play and looked like a team destined for the MLS Cup.
After dominating most of the first half, they were finally rewarded in the 39th minute with a goal from Emmanuel Sabbi, who celebrated emphatically with a backflip.
SHEEEESH. The pass + finish = 🤌😮💨
📺 https://t.co/6HDiRE2iYk #VWFC | #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/8OwLyIitJP
— X – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 23, 2025
Then, right before halftime, defender Mathias Laborda doubled the Whitecaps’ lead.
Laborda slots home the rebound for our ONE HUNDRETH GOAL 🔥😤
📺 https://t.co/6HDiRE2iYk #VWFC | #MLSCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/S8cKMhuarl
— X – Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 23, 2025
Everything was going well, until it wasn’t.
LAFC clawed their way back into the match, opening up space against a Whitecaps team that didn’t even concede a shot on goal until the 53rd minute.
Then, Son Heung-Min made his superstar presence felt.
He scored in the 60th minute. Then, in the 95th minute, he scored off an unreal strike to send the game to extra time.
SON HEUNG MIN FREE KICK EQUALIZER IN THE 95TH MINUTE! 😱🚨@LAFC // AUDI MLS CUP PLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/LDF3RYWXsG
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
At that point, the Whitecaps were hanging on by no more than a thread.
Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon was ejected in the 93rd minute before extra time after picking up his second yellow card of the game, leaving the Whitecaps with just 10 players on the pitch.
Then, with about 10 minutes remaining in stoppage time, defender Belal Halbouni exited the game with an injury. The Whitecaps were out of subs, meaning they had to play the rest of the game with nine players.
LAFC took advantage, controlling possession and nearly ending it before the game even got to penalty kicks.
During a wild sequence in the dying seconds of extra time, LAFC hit the post not once, not twice… but three times.
Chaos in the final minutes of extra time! 🤯
Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/FESFMO1dSI
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
Perhaps that was a sign that the Whitecaps were about to pull off something remarkable.
That feeling was magnified at BC Place when, during the first penalty kick, Heung-Min rang his shot off the crossbar.
Like every moment in this game, nothing came easy. Édier Ocampo had a chance to win it for the Whitecaps during their fourth penalty kick, but his attempt was stopped. It took until the fifth and final Whitecaps kick by Laborda to send BC Place into complete pandemonium.
LABORDA WINS IT FOR THE WHITECAPS!!#VWFC pic.twitter.com/rQZMoMli1C
— Trevor Beggs (@TrevBeggs) November 23, 2025
“We believe in ourselves,” Sørensen said. “Everybody chipped in. We have faced so much adversity this year with injuries and players away. We just focused on how we could try to survive.”
So, for an experienced soccer veteran player and coach like Sørensen, had he ever experienced something like this before?
“I really don’t think so,” he said.
“Seeing all the towels, seeing everybody cheering, what an amazing atmosphere.”
“I’m so happy for everybody in Vancouver, because I think that creating these moments together with the 54,000 people… the joy you can have with sports when you’re together. It’s an amazing feeling for everybody there, and I’m just happy for everybody. It was unbelievable.”
The vibes were so good, even Sebastian Berhalter was dancing along with the fans after the win.
Berhalter rocking out to Mr. Brightside with Whitecaps fans after the win. 😎#VWFC pic.twitter.com/54um8sSv2t
— Trevor Beggs (@TrevBeggs) November 23, 2025
The Whitecaps will look to punch their ticket to the MLS Cup for the first time in franchise history next Saturday, Nov. 29. They will face the winner of San Diego FC and Minnesota United FC.
A San Diego win would send the Whitecaps on the road next weekend, while a Minnesota victory would bring the party back to BC Place.