The Vancouver Whitecaps came up short in their bid to climb to the top of the MLS table this weekend.
But Saturday’s come-from-behind effort in a 1-1 draw away to the San Jose Earthquakes was another example of the Whitecaps’ extraordinary ability to grind out results in very trying circumstances and why they have to be considered as a legitimate MLS Cup contender this season.
San Jose entered the match at PayPal Park as the top team in MLS with 28 points, just three points better than second-place Vancouver. A victory would have vaulted the Whitecaps into first place and allowed them to gain a measure of revenge on the Earthquakes, who earned a 1-0 win at BC Place on March 21, Vancouver’s lone loss through its first 11 games.
The Earthquakes had other ideas and got off to a fast start with a goal in the fourth minute. San Jose broke through Vancouver’s lines to spring Paul Marie down the right side and his pass played in Preston Judd, who capped off the free-flowing sequence by drilling his shot by goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. It was only the third time this season the Whitecaps had trailed in a match.
The visitors dominated possession and dictated terms after that early gut punch but struggled to break down a resolute and physical San Jose side that was constantly on top of them and limited their touches inside the penalty area.
“San Jose is a very strong, physical team, a very good team. ... On top of that, it’s a team that’s very relentless in their own way — they want to fight for every ball. They want to get into all duels with full force,” Vancouver coach Jesper Sørensen said.
The Whitecaps wouldn’t be denied, though. The Earthquakes had to deal with constant waves of attacking pressure from the Whitecaps, who finally broke through and levelled the score in the 76th minute.
The hosts failed to clear the danger inside their penalty area after Emmanuel Sabbi’s original attempt on goal, and the ball fell to unmarked U.S. international Sebastian Berhalter, who hammered home his shot from six yards out. Berhalter now has eight goal contributions (three goals, five assists) in his last seven starts.
Berhalter’s goal was just reward for Vancouver, which bossed the best team in the league at their home stadium for large stretches of the contest. The draw allowed Vancouver (8-1-2) to extend its unbeaten run to six consecutive games (four wins) and kept it within touching distance of first place in MLS.
Saturday’s result and performance by the Whitecaps was all the more impressive in light of what’s going on off the field.
The club has been up for sale since 2024, with ownership citing ongoing issues tied to stadium control and revenue at BC Place, which is owned and operated by the province. The owners have received a formal offer by a U.S. group to buy and relocate the team to Las Vegas, while a local group is also interested in tabling a formal bid to keep the Whitecaps in town.
It’s a very messy situation that under normal circumstances would serve as a major distraction and derail a club’s campaign. But the Whitecaps have shown incredible resolve and resilience throughout the uncertainty over their future, as evidenced by Saturday’s showing against a tough San Jose side.
“We knew they were a good team. Obviously, it was a top battle in (MLS). So, I think going into it we had a good game plan. It’s never fun to concede an early goal like that, so battling back during the game, I thought we did well to give ourselves opportunities — obviously able to tie it, and then opportunities to go and try to win the game,” Vancouver fullback Tate Johnson said.
Elsewhere in MLS this weekend:
• Toronto FC kept a lid on Lionel Messi for the opening 45 minutes before the Argentinian scored a goal and tallied two assists in the second half to guide Inter Miami to a 4-2 win on Saturday at BMO Field before a record crowd of 44,824. The loss extended TFC’s winless streak to seven games across all competitions.
• CF Montreal made it three wins from four games under interim coach Philippe Eullaffroy with a 2-0 shutout decision over Orlando City at Stade Saputo on Saturday. The game looked to be headed for a draw before Montreal got goals from Daniel Ríos and Dagur Thorhallsson to take three points.
• The Portland Timbers rolled to a 6-0 home win over Sporting Kansas City at Providence Park on Saturday in the most lopsided match of the weekend. The Timbers scored four times inside the opening half hour and added two more goals in the second half to record their first clean sheet of the season.
• Colombian international James Rodriguez came off the bench to collect the first two assists of his MLS stint to help Minnesota United earn a come-from behind 2-2 draw vs. Austin FC at Allianz Field on Sunday.
• Austrian winger Hannes Wolf recorded his first career hat trick to guide New York City FC to a 3-0 win over the Columbus Crew at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. The result snapped New York’s seven-match winless run and was its first win since March 14.
• The New England Revolution are a perfect 6-0-0 at home following Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 comeback win over the Philadelphia Union at Gillette Stadium. Spanish playmaker Carles Gil scored and assisted for New England, which set a club record for the best-ever home start to a season.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 27 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer.