The Vancouver Whitecaps weren’t at their best, but they still managed to secure a 3-2 win over FC Dallas on Wednesday behind a pair of long-distance strikes from Sebastian Berhalter.

The Whitecaps conceded early in both halves, but fought back well to leave with all three points. Despite a hot, sticky night in Frisco, Vancouver went toe-to-toe with a physical FC Dallas side in what wound up being the perfect start to a grueling road trip through Texas.

Although it was a midweek affair, Jesper Sørensen largely kept things the same from last weekend’s match against San Jose. Emmanuel Sabbi re-entered the starting lineup, but Sørensen elected to keep Cheikh Sabaly and Jeevan Badwal in the attack.

Dallas opened the match on the front foot, hitting the post inside a minute. Logan Farrington latched onto a loose ball in the Whitecaps’ defensive third and played in Christian Cappis, whose shot wrong-footed Yohei Takaoka, but the upright saved the keeper.

The Whitecaps got their own look a few moments later, with Sabbi working hard to control a chipped pass from Édier Ocampo. His flick found Brian White, whose one-time shot was saved by Michael Collodi. Both White and Cappis likely rued not taking advantage of their chances.

Early disaster struck for Vancouver, however. Farrington’s pace (and a misplayed bounce) forced Tristan Blackmon into hauling down the attacker inside the penalty area. There was a brief question about whether the foul occurred outside the box, but Petar Musa ultimately made no mistake from the penalty spot, handing FC Dallas an early 1-0 lead.

Vancouver recovered well, however, generating some half-chances from set pieces and starting to smooth out the sloppy phases of play that defined the early stages of the match.

It was a brilliant strike from outside the box that drew the Whitecaps level, however. A quick free kick from Berhalter sprung the Whitecaps into the FC Dallas attacking third, with the ball winding back up at their midfield maestro’s feet. His long-range shot blistered past a helpless Collodi, adding another goal to Berhalter’s lengthy highlight reel.

The Whitecaps kept their foot on the gas in a chaotic opening half. Vancouver started looking more and more dangerous once they made it past Dallas’ counterpress, and Ocampo found himself in space in the wide channel. A great ball into the mixer forced Osaze Urhoghide into a last-ditch challenge, putting the ball into his own net in the process as the defender tried to avoid letting Brian White get the final touch.

FC Dallas tried to get a foot back into the match, looking to hit in transition through Farrington and Musa, as they have all season. The Whitecaps did a good job closing off the passing lanes and forcing some turnovers of their own to negate most of the danger.

The home side didn’t wait long before they got on the scoreboard after halftime, however. Dallas monopolized play in the early moments of the second half, but this time, they found the final ball. Ran Binyamin whipped in a cross after a patient build-up, finding Farrington in the air, with the header bouncing past Takaoka to make it 2-2.

Lightning doesn’t often strike twice, but when it does, it generally comes in the form of Berhalter goals from distance. After a long spell of possession for Vancouver, an initial chance seemed to have passed after the ball rolled out to substitute Kenji Cabrera on the outside of the penalty box. His pass back to Berhalter was met with a one-timed, curling shot, which Collodi probably should have saved. The keeper couldn’t keep it out, however, and the Whitecaps edged in front again.

Dallas made a line change to try to regain their momentum, introducing Sam Sarver, Joaquín Valiente, and Santiago Moreno to give their attack a new look. Moreno nearly made a mark moments after stepping onto the pitch, sneaking by Ocampo at the back post, but Takaoka made a sprawling save to prevent the goal.

Bruno Caicedo, who came on at halftime for Sabbi, had three chances in stoppage time alone to put the game away, thanks to some good combinations with fellow substitute Thomas Müller. But each time, he couldn’t find a way past Collodi. You wondered if it would come back to haunt the Whitecaps, but they managed to see the game out well, with few clear chances for the home side down the stretch.

Stray Thoughts

– The scoreline might make this match seem a bit more thrilling than it actually was, but the Whitecaps won’t mind. Dallas is a tricky opponent for Vancouver because of how lethal they are in transition, and we certainly saw that at times tonight. The home side couldn’t quite find the killer final ball (except on the second goal), but the Whitecaps deserve credit for closing down passing lanes and frustrating the opposition. Tristan Blackmon recovered well from conceding the penalty to command the box with 11 (!) clearances in the match, and the backline deserves credit for being well organized.

– I’m still a bit skeptical that Blackmon’s foul occurred inside the box, but I’m glad it wound up not mattering in the end.

– Brian White has gotten some flak for being largely anonymous in the last few matches, some of which is fair. But the team struggled to hold up the ball after he was subbed off, and it certainly cost the Whitecaps some control late in the second half. Hopefully, White’s service will improve now that Müller is fit again.

– Emmanuel Sabbi and Cheikh Sabaly never really made an impact on this game. This is perhaps another area where the return of Müller can help, but it is still a mild concern that the Whitecaps have yet to lock down consistent performances from any of their wide players.

– Man, Sebastian Berhalter is special. The two goals will be what make the highlight reels (and deservedly so), but he was back to his usual self in every phase of the match after an off night in San Jose. His quick free kick to start the attack that ended with the first goal was just one of many little moments from a match that Seb’s agent will be sending tape of to Mauricio Pochettino pronto.

Three Stars

3. Tate Johnson

With each week that passes, Johnson quietly keeps getting better at left back. His passing has been an underrated asset for this team, and he loves a physical battle, which served him well in his duels with Logan Farrington. I don’t think it is a given that Sam Adekugbe wins his spot back when he is fit again.

2. Tristan Blackmon/Mathías Laborda

It wasn’t a perfect performance from either of these guys (see: the penalty kick), but they recovered well from their errors to help shut down a physically demanding attack. Blackmon was dominant in the air, and Laborda read the match well to avoid getting caught out by Dallas’ speed.

1. Sebastian Berhalter

A no-brainer for man of the match, Seb was superlative in this one. From start to finish, Berhalter was the metronome that Dallas didn’t have an answer to, even when the Whitecaps couldn’t make anything of it in the final third. Somehow, the two goals might even undersell his importance in this one.