Saturday night at BC Place, the Vancouver Whitecaps finally made it past LAFC in the playoffs, grinding out a 2-2 (4-3) result through a penalty shootout to advance to their first Conference Final in the MLS era.

It was a match full of rollercoaster emotions. Vancouver cruised through the first 45 minutes, up two goals and looking untouchable. The inevitable second-half adjustments followed, and although Vancouver did a decent job limiting LAFC to low-quality looks for most of the half, the home side never quite did enough to flip the match back in their favour.

Eventually, the dam broke. In extra time, Tristan Blackmon was sent off for a second yellow, and Son Heung-min scored a world-class goal on the ensuing free kick. In that moment, Vancouver went from the verge of victory to what felt like almost certain elimination.

Despite this, Jesper Sørensen’s side did not break. They dug in and played 30 minutes of extra time down at least one man. Defender Belal Halbouni, who had come on to effectively replace Blackmon, was then forced off with a knee injury after the Whitecaps had exhausted their substitutes.

Vancouver played the remainder of extra time with nine men. Though they needed the help of the posts, and some poor LAFC finishing, to reach penalties, they found a way.

From there, the momentum felt squarely back in Vancouver’s favour in front of a home crowd. Two early LAFC misses, including the opener from Son, were enough for Vancouver to push through, as Mathias Laborda sent them to a date next weekend with either San Diego or Minnesota.

Alright, without further delay, let’s get into the player ratings:

Yohei Takaoka — 8.0

The pass on Vancouver’s opening goal is worth a high mark on its own. Interestingly, despite the beautiful assist, Takaoka was very poor with the ball at his feet in the second half, which contributed to the match getting away from the home side. Nonetheless, he did what was needed to keep Vancouver in it and can’t be blamed for either of Son’s goals.

Edier Ocampo — 7.0

LAFC really exposed the Bouanga matchup in the second half, and I thought Vancouver should have adjusted earlier. He also missed a penalty, but anyone who played the full 120 deserves some flowers for their defensive work.

Tristan Blackmon — 6.5

It was funny to see the defender of the year look more like the 2024 version of himself in this match. Last year, it was because Vanni’s system made him think too much; this past weekend, it felt more like physical limitations caused the problems.

Ralph Priso — 8.5

I can’t say enough good things about Ralph right now. His physicality and composure have been immense, and I don’t think Vancouver would have advanced without him.

Mathias Laborda — 9.0

It’s fitting that Laborda ended up the hero, because he looked way too juiced up in the opening 20 minutes, though he settled afterward. His versatility and set-piece threat are huge assets, and there was never any doubt when he stepped up fifth in the shootout.

Andrés Cubas — 10

I’m not sure a ten even does this performance justice. The amount of running and defending the double pivot put in was ridiculous, and Cubas was at his destructive best all night with countless crucial tackles.

Sebastian Berhalter — 10

The same could be said for Berhalter, especially when it came to keeping the team’s energy high even when they were under severe pressure. His work rate was insane, and scoring his penalty right after Son missed was such a lift.

Thomas Müller — 7.0

He was highly energetic in the first half, but I do think Müller contributed to the second-half issues, as he was too eager to play direct and got caught in the LAFC press multiple times. Still, his leadership is a huge reason this team is moving on.

Ali Ahmed — 8.5

Ali was very impactful in the first half and gave LAFC real problems down his side. With Vancouver more limited in the second half, he was less noticeable, but his defensive work remained a strong positive.

Emmanuel Sabbi — 8.0

Sabbi struggled to get involved early, but that changed with his brilliant run and chip to open the scoring. Vancouver needed a more possession-focused wide player after halftime, so he became an early sub.

Brian White — 7.0

White wasn’t very involved, with Vancouver emphasizing wide play and cutbacks in the first half and holding so little of the ball early in the second. I do think Vancouver really missed his hold-up play after the break; without it, there was no relief from the LAFC press.

Substitutes — 7.0

I don’t think any of the substitutes made a major impact, though Nelson’s vertical threat was useful and Gauld showed plenty of defensive hustle, playing more minutes than he has since March. Both also scored their penalties, which was crucial. Healing vibes to Belal Halbouni, who looks like he suffered an ACL injury, a really tough break. Jeevan Badwal and Rayan Elloumi survived their minutes, which is all you can really ask for in a match like that.

Alright, now we can all take a deep breath before next weekend. Those were my thoughts from the match, let me know yours in the comments!

(Image: Chaehyun Lim)