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Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Mathias Laborda (left) and defender Edier Ocampo (right). Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

Vancouver seals MLS Western Conference Final berth; eliminates LAFC

By Alyssa Clang | Last updated Nov 23, 2025 8:30 AM ET

The Vancouver Whitecaps beat Los Angeles FC on penalties after a 2-2 draw to seal their spot in the MLS Western Conference Final. The win eliminates LAFC from the 2025 MLS postseason.

Vancouver opened the scoring with a scintillating first-half move linking goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka with winger Emmanuel Sabbi. It quickly found a second when defender Mathias Laborda slotted home a deflected Sebastian Berhalter corner kick just before halftime. LAFC surged back into the game in the second half through a stellar Son Heung-min brace and took the game to extra time. Despite ejections, injuries and a strong LAFC challenge, Vancouver held on to seal the victory.

The usual story in the opening 90...

Much of the narrative surrounding this conference semifinal centered on the big-name summer signings on both sides of the field: Thomas Muller for Vancouver and the aforementioned Son for LAFC. And indeed, the efforts of both stars wound up heavily influencing this hard-fought semifinal. Muller was electric from kickoff, clearly motivated to bring Vancouver its first MLS trophy. His tireless efforts pushed Vancouver toward its best goalscoring opportunities.

"When the ref blows the whistle, you're playing your game," Muller said before kickoff. "You're trying to get in your spots, in your sweet spots, as I already mentioned, and try to avoid that Sonny gets his shots off."

For much of the match, Muller and his Vancouver side managed Son just fine — but as the minutes ticked down and the match got spiky, Son burst through with a game-changing brace. His first goal was a messy, scrambled shot from deep within Vancouver's penalty area; his second, a pitch-perfect curling free kick to take the match to extra time. Backbone and beauty, endeavor and ingenuity; Son delivered both to keep LAFC in contention.

...begat chaos in extra time

The two 15-minute periods of extra time didn't yield a game-deciding goal, but they did provide an endless supply of drama. Vancouver entered the game down a player after defender Tristan Blackmon received a late red card; it finished the game down two after defender Belal Halbouni suffered a night-ending injury on the wrong side of Vancouver's substitution windows. With just nine men on the field, Vancouver defended doggedly — and somehow, against the odds, kept LAFC from ending the match early.

The penalty shootout began with a bang when Son fired his shot off the crossbar to start LAFC on the back foot. Vancouver sank a series of perfect penalties while LAFC continued to struggle — Mark Delgado shot his into the upper tier of BC Place — but hit a wall itself when defender Edier Ocampo saw his shot saved. It was Vancouver that kept its cool head, though, and Mathias Laborda slammed home the team's fifth penalty of the night to seal the match in Vancouver's favor.

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A win and an exorcism

Vancouver's win would've been exceptional under any circumstances; you simply don't see teams survive late comebacks, red cards, injury withdrawals and high-pressure penalty shootouts that often. But this win was about more than the chaos that transpired on the field. It was about Vancouver's history in the MLS Playoffs ... and, more specifically, its history against LAFC.

In 2023, LAFC eliminated Vancouver from the playoffs in the opening round; in 2024, it repeated the feat, this time with the added frisson of some questionable refereeing decisions. Vancouver entered this 2025 match as the higher seed and the home team, but many still viewed it as an underdog because of how comprehensively it was beaten in those last two playoff clashes.

Not anymore. Vancouver finally has it all: a decisive playoff win in its home stadium, a weight-lifting win over its thorniest rival and a spot in the MLS Western Conference Final.

Alyssa Clang

Alyssa is a Boston-born Californian with a passion for global sport. She can yell about misplaced soccer passes in five languages and rattle off the turns of Silverstone in her sleep. You can find her dormant Twitter account at @alyssaclang, but honestly, you’re probably better off finding her here

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