Vancouver Whitecaps, expansion side San Diego FC to battle for top of the West
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps were the team to watch through the first half of the Major League Soccer season, earning gutsy, offensively dominant victories against some of the continent's top teams.
And the 'Caps (10-2-5) know their journey is far from over as the second half of the campaign begins Wednesday.
'It's been amazing, the first part of the season,' said veteran defender Ranko Veselinovic. 'We know we did a good job, but also we know that that's passed. Now we cannot look at that any more. That's done.
'New games are coming, and only the next game is the most important, so we need to keep going. Because if you don't continue like in the first part, no one's going to care about the first part of the season.'
Outside expectations for the Whitecaps are higher heading into the second half of the season, said head coach Jesper Sorensen, but the team remains realistic and focused.
'What I think this team needs to do going forward is we need to be even more disciplined in how we want to play,' he said. 'If we want success, we have to be very clean in how we want to play the game, how we want to approach the game, and the style of play. We just have to continue work getting there.'
Vancouver's next matchup will be a crucial one. The Whitecaps head into Wednesday's home game against expansion side San Diego FC (10-5-3) sitting atop the Western Conference standings — but San Diego could steal that mantle with a win.
'Big game for us. We want to stay there in the first spot, fight for the supporters shield,' Veselinovic said. 'So we need a good performance on Wednesday. They're a really good team.'
Anders Dreyer has been key to San Diego's early success. The 27-year-old Danish midfielder has eight goals and a league-leading nine assists in 18 games this season.
'We know he has a good left foot, he likes to come inside and play the switches that can hurt the teams,' Veselinovic said. 'He's really good player, but we faced already this season pretty good players on a lot of teams, and we know how to handle them. We don't focus just on one player, we need to focus on all their team because they can hurt you from many aspects.'
While the MLS international break has come to an end, the Whitecaps will still be without some of their top talent for Wednesday's matchup.
The team's leading scorer, Brian White, is still playing for the United States in the Gold Cup alongside 'Caps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. Canadian midfielder Jayden Nelson is taking part in the same tournament, while teammate Ali Ahmed was sent back to Vancouver on Tuesday for further evaluation of the ankle injury he suffered in Canada's 1-1 draw with Curaçao on Saturday.
The absences could be an opportunity for Emmanuel Sabbi.
The 27-year-old forward joined the Whitecaps in February from French side Le Havre AC and has two goals and two assists in 12 MLS games. But Sabbi feels his personal performance 'could be better, definitely.'
He knows this week is an opportunity to show he deserves a permanent spot in Vancouver's starting 11.
'Every player wants to be a starter, and I just need to show more what I can do,' Sabbi said. 'It's just day by day, day by day in training.'
While everyone is vying for minutes, the sense of unity among the Whitecaps' players overrides each player's individual goals, he added.
'I feel like this is the first team I've been on where everyone seems at the same level mentally,' he said. 'And of course, we all have our personal goals, but we never let that affect the team's effort, and all of us go 100 for each other. It's very unique.'
SAN DIEGO FC (10-5-3) AT VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (10-2-5)
Thursdays
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Wednesday, B.C. Place
LAST TIME OUT: Both teams are coming off a week-and-a-half long international break. San Diego's last game was a 4-2 road win over Minnesota United on June 14. Vancouver played the same day, falling 2-1 to Columbus Crew for their first away loss of the season.
DEEP OFFENCE: Seventeen players have scored for Vancouver across all competitions this season, while 15 have assists.
SUMMER ROAD TRIP: Following Wednesday's game, the 'Caps play their next five league games on the road. The club is schedule to play just two matches at B.C. Place next month — a Canadian Championship quarterfinal against Canadian Premier League side Valour FC on July 9, and a regular-season fixture against Sporting Kansas City on July 26.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 24, 2025.
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