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Relive our coverage of the Vancouver Whitecaps’ win vs. San Diego FC in the MLS Western Conference final
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Published Nov 29, 2025  • Last updated 31 minutes ago  • 10 minute read
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Thomas Müller and Ryan Gauld of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC celebrate after winning the Audi 2025 MLS Cup western conference final match between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Kevork Djansezian /Getty ImagesArticle content
Welcome to the 2025 MLS Western Conference final. It’s the second-biggest game of the Whitecaps’ Major League Soccer era.
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The biggest, obviously, was last June’s CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
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The game is on Apple TV+ — no longer do you need MLS Game Pass — but if you don’t have access, keep checking in here to see how the game goes. Be sure to hit the refresh button to read the latest updates. If you want to start reading from the opening kick off, scroll to the bottom and work your way backup.
FULL TIME
THE WHITECAPS ARE OFF TO THE FINAL!
To put emphasis on the night, Yohei Takaoka makes a point-blank save on Jeppe Tverskov, stinking his right leg out to block the SD attacker’s effort.
The referee’s whistle goes and Tverskov sinks to the ground with a look of disbelief in his eyes. A remarkable season for the expansion team ends with them being out-footballed by the Vancouver Whitecaps.
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90th minute + 2
The referee ended up calling a foul on San Diego so, technically ,it never happened, but let’s note it anyway: What a remarkable save on the goal line by Takaoka. Legendary goalie will be missed by Vancouver next season if he does indeed go back to Japan, as we’re expecting.
Off a corner, SD’s Manu Duah gets his head on the ball and Takaoka dives to his right to knock the ball off the line.
89th minute
Triple subs for Vancouver, as the Caps bring off their two players on yellow cards — Edier Ocampo and Andres Cubas, who have both been absolutely immense — and Ali Ahmed, who has a strong claim for player of the game.
On for Ocampo is Giuseppe Bovalina, for Cubas is Jeevan Badwal. Jayden Nelson comes on for Ahmed.
83rd minute
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Nearly a fourth for Vancouver! Kenji Cabrera is so fun. He plays a perfect ball around his man. Finds Brian White on an angled run into the box. White makes a lovely touch which looks to set him up to finish a hat trick but Ryan Gauld actually gets to it first and hammers the ball … into the post.
Ahmed can’t find the handle on the rebounding ball and San Diego survives again.
Pablo Sisniega of the San Diego FC reacts after being shown a red card during the Audi 2025 MLS Cup western conference final match between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Kevork Djansezian /Getty Images
79th minute RED CARD
SD keeper Pablo Sisniega has been sent off. SD loosely played a ball back under heavy press by Vancouver. Ryan Gauld is set to intercept the ball and Sisniega has almost no choice but to kick out White’s leg and that’s it for the keeper.
San Diego has to use its final sub, sacrificing Amahl Pellegrino for 19-year-old backup keeper Duran Ferree.
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Gotta be lights out for SD here, who have been so impressive this season, their first in Major League Soccer.
75th minute
Cabrera immediately springs into action, coming back to win a ball at the top of the Vancouver box that was rattling around a bit after Tate Johnson tried to recover the ball himself.
Cabrera is down after being fouled by Lozano, who is shown a yellow.
There’s a VAR check for Andres Dreyer kicking out at the ball on the ground: He caught Mathias Laborda in the back and there’s consideration for foul play. Dreyer is cleared.
Dreyer has been totally invisible in the second half by the way.
74th minute
Just here to note how good Edier Ocampo has been tonight. Adds so much zip going forward and he’s so calm in defence.
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Also Andres Cubas giving nothing away here in the second half.
Second sub for Vancouver: Kenji Cabrera on for Emmanuel Sabbi. He’ll play a little deeper than Sabbi, which means even less turf for SD to attack into.
72nd minute
SD have made their fourth sub, Marcus Ingvartsen coming into midfield for Onni Valakari.
Home team just have no flow any more. Look out of ideas. Caps controlling the pace of everything.
66th minute
More Sabbi drama as the speedy winger is chasing after the ball down the touchline only to see Duah coming across at the last minute. Sabbi leaps for safety, nearly clears Duah but still takes a big hit and looks to be winded on the ground.
Duah sees a yellow and the game takes a while to come back to life.
Meanwhile there have been *two* goals called back for offside challenges in the Canucks game. It’s 0-0 in LA.
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63rd minute
What drama! Emmanuel Sabbi gets the ball wide right, cuts into towards the net, hits a perfect curling shot that eludes Sisniega but the SD goalie is bailed out by Manu Duah, who manages to deflect the shot over the goal.
Vancouver is pressing hard. SD not showing much after their goal.
61st minute
There’s the expected sub. Muller is off. Gauld is on.
Scottish Messi makes an almost immediate impact, leading an attack into the SD area that just needed a better touch from Brian White of all people.
60th minute GOAL!!
And there’s Hirving Lozano finally finding the net for SD. It’s 3-1 Vancouver after the striker’s shot deflects off Tate Johnson and screws over Yohei Takaoka head. The keeper had no chance.
52nd minute
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It’s been a much more controlled pace by the Caps so far. SD may have their best player on but we’ve yet to see much of his influence.
SD do win a free kick in the Caps half, get play down near the Vancouver goal. The ball bounces back to Jeppe Tverskov but the SD midfielder skies a shot from about 20 metres out.
46th minute
We’re off to the second half: San Diego have made three changes at the half. Off is right back Ian Pilcher, who was turned into mincemeat by Ali Ahmed that whole first half. Also on are SD DP Hirving Lozano, who started on the bench in a coach’s decision. He’s on at striker for Corey Baird. Might SD head coach Mike Varas regret sitting his best player? Also off is right midfielder Anibal Godoy, who also struggled to find connection with his mates; on is Luca de la Torre.
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Vancouve stays with the same XI, though my eye is on how long until Ryan Gauld is brought on for Thomas Muller, who looked slow at times in the first half. Also wonder if they’ll bring on a specialist centre back in Joedrick Pupe around 60 minutes. That said Tate Johnson has been electric at left back and Mathias Laborda has been steady at centre back, which is no surprise.
HALFTIME
Last week, head coach Jesper Sorensen admitted post-game he should have managed his bench better; will he apply that lesson in the second half here?
Ali Ahmed, by the way, is my man of the match so far. Some wonderful touches to help create two goals and it was his strike that bounced in for the second goal.
Andres Cubas has been a dynamo in defensive midfield. Apple TV+ called the Caps’ double pivot of Cubas and Berhalter perhaps the MLS’a best. What we’ve seen tonight is why.
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Brian White of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC scores his team’s first goal during the Audi 2025 MLS Cup western conference final match between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Snapdragon Stadium on November 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Kevork Djansezian /Getty Images
45th minute + 2 GOAL!!!
And like that it’s 3-nil Vancouver!
The Caps had been mounting some nice counter strikes over the past 10 minutes or so, but were lacking a final pass.
Ali Ahmed solves the problem this time. First he gets the ball wide and, as he loves to do, cuts inside before cutting back out. SD right back Ian Pilcher is left spinning, Ahmed is in space and he threads a beautiful low cross over to White at the back post, who just lets the ball hit him and it bounces in.
For all the stress San Diego put on the Caps in the half, it’s Vancouver in a deserved, commanding lead. The visitors have three times found a finish and that’s the true story: They’ve defended far better than their hosts.
45th minute
Game’s got a little sloppy. Müller surprisingly dithers on the ball at the top of the SD area and loses possession. Amahl Pellegrino leads the counter attack, but after SD moves the ball all the way across the pitch to their superstar Andres Dreyer, they give it away cheaply. The ball rattles around midfield, then Ali Ahmed is whistled for a foul, which feels a little unfair.
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But again SD puts a ball into the backdoor of the goal, but the Caps have been keeping things tidy in the middle and there’s no connection for the home team.
40th minute
A foul at midfield to Brian White that sums up how the Caps have lost focus to their game: He’s slow pivoting and loses possession, kicking out the legs of Manu Duah in the process.
Just a little slow in possession over the last 20 minutes or so.
35th minute
All hands on deck for the Caps as SD is absolutely swarming the final third. They get a whole series of corners and nearly see a goal after the ball deflects off a couple Caps legs and then squeezes through the legs of the out of position Takaoka … the ball then bounces off the post and rolls dead.
Caps struggling to retain the ball.
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33rd minute
SD really starting to take control. Dominating possession the last 15 minutes or so.
Caps finally get some possession up the pitch. Thomas Müller draws a foul off Chris McVey in a tricky spot. Berhalter gets the ball played back to him after the indirect kick and tries a low skidding shot along the ground, but it just goes wide of the net. Sisniega probably would have stopped that anyway.
23rd minute
An appeal from SD for VAR on a tight play in the box, but we can see that Berhalter just simply headed the ball away under tight pressure.
There was a bicycle kick attempt in the build up and we can see how tightly SD plays on top of the defence, it’s why they’ve had so much success this year, but so far Caps are holding on.
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20th minute
Very nearly 3-0 for Vancouver. Ali Ahmed uses his speed out wide, then lays the ball off to the overlapping Tate Johnson.
The rookie makes a nice cutback to the top of the box, where it’s Berhalter running on to the ball, but he scuffs his hit and the ball bounces weakly to Sisniega.
19th minute
Finally, SD get some possession back and it’s Seb Berhalter committing a wide foul. SD’s free kick floats into the box, it’s headed away but SD’s teenage sensation Luca Bombino gets the ball on his foot at the top of the box, but screws his shot to the right of the net.
Brian White of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC controls the ball during the Audi 2025 MLS Cup western conference final match between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Orlando Ramirez /Getty Images
11th minute GOAL!!!
The Whitecaps keep pressing. They clearly smell blood in the water. Last week they did score twice against LAFC but probably should have been up 3-0 or 4-0 even given all the first half possession.
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Well, they’re up 2-0 already and we’re not even a dozen minutes into the game.
Once again, the Caps’ wide speed causing trouble for SD, as Emmanuel Sabbi tears into the box and hammers a shot that SD keeper Pablo Sisniega makes a nice stop but the ball goes flying right into the middle of the six-yard box, no SD player is near it while a trio of Caps line up to take the hit; Ahmed gets on the ball, his shot is blocked by SD centre back Manu Duah but then the ball deflects off Sisinega and bounces into the net.
It’s scored an own-goal and SD is in disbelief.
8th minute GOAL!!!
Brian White is a true star, ready to finish at all times.
The Whitecaps lose possession just outside the box but a hard press wins the ball back and bing bang boom it’s White tapping the ball in as it’s Andres Cubas of all people who sprang past the SD back line to burst the gap and deliver a lovely ball over to White.
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5th minute
Like the Caps, San Diego likes to play fast and keep the ball while they’re at it.
They force the Caps into a series of fouls; Ralph Priso maybe lucky not to see yellow for a loose foul in midfield. But it’s Edier Ocampo who draws the first caution for allowing his loose left hand to smack his marker in the face.
But SD can’t do anything and the Caps move the ball backup the field.
1st minute
Emmanuel Sabbi saw a loose ball in front of him outside the box, accelerated hard and was fouled hard by Anibal Godoy.
Seb Berhalter steps up to take the free kick, puts a tricky indirect ball into the box which ping pongs around but the Caps never get on the end of it.
Kickoff
It’s 6:15 p.m. and we’re off. Vancouver is in their customary all-white and San Diego is in their all-navy kit.
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MLS’s computer says SD is a slight favourite.
I do wonder how rest will factor in here: Vancouver has been off two days longer, even if they played a whole extra 30 minutes.
Thomas Müller of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC looks on prior to the Audi 2025 MLS Cup western conference final match between San Diego FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Snapdragon Stadium on Nov. 29, 2025 in San Diego, California. Photo by Orlando Ramirez /Getty ImagesPre game
Kickoff is just after 6 p.m. PT.
Inter Miami is going to host next weekend’s MLS Cup final after they trounced NYC FC 5-1.
The Whitecaps’ lineup is out and it’s as expected: Mathias Laborda will start at centre back with Ralph Priso. That’s down to Belal Halbounis injuring his right knee and Tristan Blackmon being suspended.
The Whitecaps’ XI to face San Diego FC in the western conference final. Photo by Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Hugo Lloris’ criticism of the B.C. Place surface was even funnier on Monday, when SD hosted Minnesota United at Snapdragon Stadium, two days after a college-football game beat the grass surface into a pulp. There were gridiron lines still visible on the surface on Monday. It was not a pretty sight.
Tonight’s there’s a new surface, laid mid-week. Surely it will cut up some.
If you want to criticize B.C. Place’s surface, shouldn’t you be criticizing the overall pitch standard across the league?
Also, a playoff game was delayed two days, giving your best team a short rest before tonight’s game, because you’re not the primary tenant? Isn’t that the kind of thing MLS commissioner Don Garber likes to rip.
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