Whitecaps' Brian White deserves MLS MVP consideration

In all likelihood, Lionel Messi will collect an unprecedented third consecutive MVP award at the end of the 2026 Major League Soccer season. 

The Argentinian legend and World Cup winner is the top scorer in MLS this season and also leads the league with 33 goal contributions (20 goals and 13 assists).

Last week, he scored his 100th goal in all competitions for Inter Miami as it beat Mexican club Cruz Azul for the Campeones Cup. The Herons could very well repeat as MLS Cup champions, which would further boost Messi’s MVP candidacy. 

But spare a thought for Brian White who, very quietly, is having an MVP-calibre season for the Vancouver Whitecaps.  

White opened the scoring and had a hand in creating another goal as the Whitecaps posted a 3-0 road win over Real Salt Lake on Saturday. White showed great awareness and impeccable timing in peeling away from his defensive marker deep inside Real Salt Lake’s penalty area to get on the end of Oliver Larraz’s diagonal ball and deflect it home.  

“When you talk about the [player salary] for output, Brian White has to be up there with the best in Major League Soccer,” said commentator Brian Dunseth, who was in the broadcast booth for Apple TV during Saturday’s match. 

“Since coming over from New York, [he now has] 96 goals scored in all competitions for Vancouver. Call him a pure goal scorer. Call him a pure poacher. I don’t think he cares. I don’t think it matters, because time and time again Brian White is on the money for creating goal scoring opportunities.” 

Indeed, White provides great value for his relatively modest wages (he’s earning $1.065 million this season) and his goal-scoring record is a big reason why the Whitecaps boast the second-best attacking record in MLS in 2026 – 56 goals, behind only Miami (63) – and why they’re considered one of the favourites to win the MLS Cup after losing to Miami in last year’s final. 

The goal in Utah marked the third straight match in which the 30-year-old New Jersey native found the back of the net, helping the Whitecaps keep a firm grip on top spot in the Western Conference by putting them five points clear of the Houston Dynamo – Vancouver sits second in the overall MLS table behind Nashville. 

The goal in Salt Lake also White’s team-leading 16th of the season, which ranks him third in the league’s Golden Boot race (tied with Nashville’s Sam Surridge), just two behind FC Dallas’ Petar Musa, and four behind Messi. 

The mild-mannered American striker has been a model of consistency since being traded to Vancouver from the New York Red Bulls in 2021. White scored 15 goals in the 2023 and 2024 campaigns and followed that up with a 16-goal showing last year. He has eight more games in 2026 to set a new career high for goals in a single season.  

White is just four goals away from becoming the first Whitecaps player in the MLS era to hit the 100-goal mark. 

Yet, for all of his scoring consistency, White doesn’t get the accolades he deserves. He’s been to only one MLS All Star Game (in 2025) and never has cracked the annual MLS Best 11 roster. 

Part of the problem is that White doesn’t score a lot of highlight-reel goals like Messi. His goals tend to be the product of him being in the right place at the right time. And playing in Vancouver doesn’t help his cause either – the Whitecaps are largely overlooked because they’re a Canadian team playing on the West Coast. 

But White truly is one of the best strikers in MLS and is making a very strong case to win this year’s MVP honour. 

Elsewhere in MLS this weekend…  

• Toronto FC’s playoff hopes took a hit with a 3-1 road loss to St. Louis City SC.  Saturday’s defeat means Toronto has now gone 10 consecutive games without a clean sheet – the last of its three shutouts this season came on July 22. During that same 10-game stretch, TFC has conceded a whopping 20 goals.   

With the three teams directly above them dropping points, TFC wasted an opportunity to put themselves within touching distance of the playoff line in the Eastern Conference. Instead, TFC remains in 12th, four points and three spots below FC Cincinnati, who occupy the ninth and final playoff spot.

• It’s pretty much all over for CF Montreal. Although not officially eliminated from contention, Montreal has little hope of making the playoffs following a 2-0 home defeat to the Columbus Crew. Once again, new star signing Alexis Sánchez was a non-factor as he has failed to score in seven games since joining Montreal.

The loss was Montreal’s fifth in a row (winless in six) and kept the team glued to the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. Montreal sits six spots and 12 points below the playoff line in the East with eight games remaining in the season. 

• A rabbit invaded the pitch at Toyota Park in the 76th minute on Saturday, bringing a halt to the Texas Derby between FC Dallas and Austin FC. His lung-busting run across the full length of the field was the highlight of a drab 0-0 draw between the two clubs.

• Nashville SC cemented its status as the best team in MLS with a convincing 3-0 home win over the Chicago Fire. In doing so, Nashville became the first club in the league to officially clinch a playoff berth. The team from Music City sits atop the overall league table with an eight-point gap over Vancouver and looks a good bet to win its first Supporters’ Shield as the top team in the regular season.

• Lionel Messi keeps piling up records in MLS. The World Cup winner scored his league-leading 20th goal of the season in Inter Miami’s 2-2 home draw vs. San Diego FC. Messi is only the second player in MLS history to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive seasons, joining LAFC's Denis Bouanga (2023-25).

• There’s no stopping Cavan Sullivan. The 16-year-old midfielder has six goals in his last six games, with his latest strike coming in the Philadelphia Union’s come-from-behind 4-3 win over Sporting Kansas City. The American teenager also had an assist, giving him an impressive 19 goal contributions (seven goals, 12 assists) in MLS this season.