Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller scores on a penalty kick during the second half in Game 1 of a first round MLS Cup playoff soccer match against FC Dallas, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

By The Canadian Press

Vancouver Whitecaps aim to oust rivals Los Angeles FC in Western Conference semifinal

Nov 19, 2025 | 2:00 AM

VANCOUVER — Ryan Gauld and the Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — preparing for a playoff battle with perennial rival Los Angeles FC.

A “bitter taste” lingers for Vancouver after getting ousted from the post-season by L.A. in back-to-back years, the ‘Caps captain said.

Now there’s a hunger to write a different story when Vancouver hosts LAFC in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference semifinal on Saturday in front of a sold-out crowd of more than 53,000.

“Hopefully the thing that’s going to be different is we come away winners this time,” Gauld said.

“We’ve not had good luck against L.A. the last couple of years. We all know how good a side they are. But if you want to win the trophies, you’ve got to beat the best teams.”

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Both LAFC and the ‘Caps made crucial additions late in the regular season, with L.A. signing forward Son Heung-min in August and Vancouver bringing in German legend Thomas Muller.

The marquee players are familiar with one another, having squared off in the German Bundesliga when Muller starred for Bayern Munich and Son played for Hamburg SV and Bayer Leverkusen.

Muller remembers Son being a talented athlete, but said it was Bayern who dominated those games.

“The teams weren’t at the same level, so it’s maybe not really fair to judge or to compare the situation,” he said. “We are now two very good teams. He’s a big player there, I’m a big player here, so it’s a little bit different. … It’s not the right discussion to look too far behind.”

The matchup between Vancouver and L.A. is an interesting one, Muller said, in part because LAFC hasn’t experienced a team like the ‘Caps since bringing in their South Korean star.

“I think since (Son) came in, I think they did not play a team with our level of intensity. And I’m not sure they can deal with it,” Muller said. “It’s still a game where everything can happen, but I’m feeling quite comfortable.”

The ‘Caps and LAFC have grown to know one another well in recent years.

Saturday’s meeting will mark the 15th game between the two sides since April 2023, including playoff bouts in both 2023 and 2024 where L.A. came out on top both times.

“There’s definitely a lot of feeling that we want to put things right and make a better statement for the club that we’ve improved, we’re getting better and we’re a serious team,” Gauld said.

The Whitecaps are a different beast this year.

Under rookie head coach Jesper Sorensen, the team was a force through the regular season, finishing second in the Western Conference standings with an 18-7-9 record.

The club also made it to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, and won its fourth straight Canadian Championship title.

Vancouver earned a spot in Saturday’s semifinal by sweeping FC Dallas in a best-of-three first-round series.

“We’re in a good place as a team,” said striker Brian White. “I think we’ve had a really good year, so we’re really confident in how we play and what we could bring to the game.

“And obviously it’s a very tough test. They have some really good players, a really good team with tons of experience. So it’s going to be a big test, but we’ve got a lot of fans showing up, so it should be a good game.”

L.A. comes in after beating Austin FC twice in the first round, and going 17-8-9 in regular-season play to finish No. 3 in the West.

In addition to Son, LAFC is home to sniper Denis Bouanga, who finished the regular season with 24 goals, tied for the second-most in MLS behind Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi (29).

“It’s no secret that their biggest threat is the two up top, Bouanga and Son. Trying to keep a lid on them is a big part of the game,” Gauld said. “It’s really hard to keep good players down for 90 minutes.”

The Whitecaps, though, believe they can.

And beating L.A. to earn the club’s first-ever appearance in a Western Conference final isn’t the end of the club’s ambitions, Muller said.

“We are happy to be there, but our mission is not done yet,” he said. “We are thinking only about this game, but we have more plans.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 19, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press