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.
Echo your thoughts re: the penalty but, as suggested by others, it is best to take the penalty than lose a valuable player to a red so early on. Must also share kudos for Johnson. That people seem excited for Sam’s return astounds me somewhat. To me, Tate is putting in consistent Player of the Season performances week in, week out. While I wish Sam well and want him back to playing status, to dump Tate to the bench simply because Sam is back to health could be a risky move. Remember last year’s CONCACAF Final?
At his best and healthy, Sam is still a better player than Tate … it’s just that simple. It’s not about dumping Tate and it’s not like he won’t get playing time, but the VWFC best 11 includes Ranko, Sam, and Gauld irrespective of who winds up sitting. Does it mean Laborda to RB and Ocampo to the bench? Maybe … that’s a tougher argument for me than Sam over Tate at this point in Tate’s career.
Got to disagree. Tate recently got called up to the USA u-21 or u-23 team. With his belief and confidence he’s getting better and better. It would be foolish to sabotage that trajectory by making him Sam’s sub. I don’t know for sure but my gut feeling is Sam going the other way
What justification is there for a red in the Blackmon jostling? This baffles me; most DOGSO calls are when the defender completely removes the opportunity, not when the defender makes it a bit harder with a foul. Farrington was never significantly ahead of TB on the play and they were headed for the corner of the box; there were probably other defenders who might have intervened. This just doesn’t come close to a red except in the biased minds of Apple TV homers.
Interesting. Everything you’ve said is wrong
I’d agree with you about Tate. He’s better than Sam right now. The only advantage Sam has is his heading ability. I’ll admit it’s a bit unfair to judge Sam because most of his time was under Sartini’s infamous Christmas formation that benefitted none of our players, except Gauld and White. But I’d judge Sam to have lost half a step since his fine play leading up to WC 2022 but that was what 5,6,7 years ago. Tate impressed me right from the get go in the 2025 training camp games in Spain. Tate’s backup looks pretty good as well. The future is now.
Not sure how one of your stray thoughts is not the return of Ranko. Worth a mention, in particular, given out bad the MLS on Apple TV crew undersold the importance.
it was good to see him return- we will need all players heathy as Jesper will have to do squad rotations to keep every player involved, energized and injury-free
Ranko’s return right now is not a big deal. His playing time will probably be limited up to the WC. He’s not going to become an automatic starter as Blackmon and Laborda have played extremely well in his absence. Case in point: look how well we did without him. But I’m glad he’s back. We need depth in every position
The highlight on Apple TV showed contact began well outside the box and Blackmon fully released before the attacker went into the box and pulled Blackmon down. This has consistently been called a free kick and no penalty in other games, but Vancouver is a special case, I guess, since the Save The Caps movement jeopardizes Garber’s under the table Vegas cut, so PK it is. Not even a look at the video requested of the referee. Some of the comments said it might have been a red for DOGSO if not a PK, indicating the slope of the tilt in what Caps need to do to get a call compared to their opponents. Then later Farrington, whose one skill is in going to the ground, rolling, and coming up with the right hand in the “give him a card for that” pose, got a second stern talking to from the referee and still no card; scoring the 2-2 goal minutes later. Later in the second half, Ocampo was carded for a collision and the replay clearly showed that unless he had extra eyes in the back of his head, the referee did not see it, yet turned around and immediately carded Ocampo based only on the fact that there was a Dallas player on the ground and assuming the rest. MLS, let’s just get it over with and assign Tim Ford to all of our games, you know that’s what the league office desperately wants.
the only cut MLS will get is when they award the next expansion team and i am not even sure its going to be LV as they dont have a stadium or plan to build one
the LV interest is a ruse to put pressure on the governments to get a deal done IN VANCOUVER
Don’t know what replay you were watching but Blackmon may have released the attacker’s jersey before he entered the penalty area but once the player was in the penalty area Blackmon then grabbed his shoulder and spun him to the ground. I’m going to have to watch MLS Instant Replay on this one. It could have been a red and a penalty. Glad it wasn’t and just the yellow and yes, just the PK. To go down a player we would have never won this game
The win/loss record is getting to be reminiscent of the 1978 and 79 squads that dominated the NASL.
and those were 2 of the best years attending Whitecap games- lots of talent, exciting games and the crowds were terrific
Not a lot of data this early in the season, and comparison is difficult, but in 78 the Caps were 24-6/199 points, in 79 they were 20-10/172 points, out of a possible 270, so 73.7% and 63.7% of the maximum 9 points per match (6 for a regulation or OT win plus a maximum of 3 bonus points, one for each goal scored — yes, it was a different time…). Some of these 70s results would have been overtime or shootout results that would be ties today.
By contrast the 2026 Caps have 9W 2D 1L so far, 29 points of a possible 36, which is 80.6%. By the 70s system they would have 86/108, counting the ties as 3 each and removing four of their goals from bonus points (6 against MIN, 4 against POR, maximum 3 per match), which is 79.6%.
Going by GF/GA per match (again, with the note that in the 70s a shootout win or loss was counted as a single additional GF or GA credited to nobody): 78: 2.27GF / 0.96GA; 79: 1.80GF / 1.13GA; 2026 so far: 2.50GF / 0.75GA.
By any objective measure the ’26 Caps are a bit better so far than either of the big 70s crews. But, we’re only a third of the way in and there is a case to be made for the Caps early schedule to have been a bit easy, with many lower-ranked teams and a predominance of home matches to make up for BC Place’s unavailability later on.
Subjectively, there is much to like about the current squad: a good solid defensive structure and a fine goalkeeper getting better each year, a ball-moving, possession-keeping/winning-back midfield, and an offense that scores goals in many different ways and is relentless in finding them. The 78 and 79 teams did their best to play a similar style but the rules favored defensive tactics more, stifling a lot of free-flowing play. And however we criticize today’s officiating, it was far worse a half-century ago, especially for teams trying to play positively. I recall sitting in a goal line seat at Empire and watching a corner kick curve out to a Caps player 16 yards out in the box, who one-timed it past the unobstructed GK a few feet off the line, and a defender on the goal line, into the goal. Called back for …. offside! Still wondering how this is possible nearly fifty years later….
Berhalter will not only attract attention for the USA WC team, but also from some quality euro league teams- we will know during the WC- will he stay and sign a new contract in the +$1 mill range, or head across the pond? if he does go, its going to be really hard to replace him- his grit in defence and MF and his offensive skills have made him the Team leader – he is a total field player and its rare to find that range of player
a concern is that the Caps are falling into the trap of starting games and after the half slowly, giving up goals
When White falters with down streaks, we need a replacment- i dont see that Elloumi is ready, so what can Axel do to fill in that gap?
2 ties and a win has made this a successful road trip- Houston next- expect some player rotation
Salty
At this rate, I’m willing to DP tag Sebastian. What is the chances of us getting a DP who performs better than him – 5%? If he is willing to stay here for a few more years (where he is obviously balling), I’d splash the cash.
i am with you- but he might have personal ambitions to try Europe – he is in the prime of his career
Berhalter is gone. Across the pond at the end of the season. That is what he wants, that is what his dad has always valued. The best hope for the Whitecaps is to figure out a deal for some money in the summer window to at least make some of revenue and not see him leave as a free agent.
a Euro team that is willing to pay the price will want Seba in July- not sure we will see him on August 1
If he takes the DP that would be amazing but I feel like he is going to want to try a new challenge. His personality is all about pushing himself to get better. I’m sure Jesper has planned for it. Hopefully he pays us back for giving him such a great experience by signing something so we can earn a little. Also he can always come back to Vancouver later on in his career. I love the guy though so it’s a huge hole to fill.
the Caps would get in the $6-8 mill range for Seba- good chunk of money to find 1-2 players to bolster the Team– but finding another like him will be very difficult
If I was Jesper I would be going bonkers over the early goals conceded. This is 100% a result of the paucity of the competition in this league – Whitecaps feel that they can start the game in a doze with impunity. They flushed 4 points down the crapper already this road trip by giving away breakaways when all they needed to do was start running sooner. Nobody is too tired 3 minutes into a match! Or into a half, for further frinstances.
They are learning the wrong thing. In the first ten minutes of a half, nobody beats you to a long ball over the top, you keep it clean, keep it simple, and give your skill a chance to win out. unlike in some leaner years, this team is not getting outskilled by anybody (except maybe in the drama skills department, thinking about last year’s final with Miami.)
Eventually there has got to be a good team out there who can not only capitalise on an early gift-goal but also get the game over the finish line. Is that what San Jose did in Vancouver’s only loss?
The teams in this league all seem to specialise in “physical” play (ie everything is on the edge of being a foul, grabbing, tugging and “body checking” until the ref gets tired (or intimidated out) of calling it.) They are overjoyed when a team with more skills gives them a gift like that!
Berhalter: well done, Lad! The rest of you: bag skates for the rest of the week, get out and push the bus over the bridge, and don’t let a f**king early goal in next game!
you should be in the pre-game locker room– light a fire under their arses
They do really doze at the beginning. Not sure why they aren’t coming out firing. They should be coming out like it’s the last 5 minutes and they need to get a goal then settle in.
The Caps did, but so did Dallas. Both teams had glorious chances within about 3 minutes. I was thinking this is going to be an exciting game, and it was.
Are you complaining about Blackmon tugging the jersey or the numerous times Sabaly tugged a jersey and was finally booked for his efforts. Laborda is pretty good at it (gets away with it). Seb does it too. What concerns me most is, again, the give aways when playing in tight spaces out of the back. We gave up 3 glorious chances, which thankfully Dallas squandered. I think our opponents know now that we’re a bit shaky with this play sometimes