Tilt with Los Angeles FC ‘a good test’ for soaring Vancouver Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps' Tristan Blackmon (33) celebrates his goal with Tate Johnson, left to right, Edier Ocampo, J.C. Ngando and Bjorn Inge Utvik during the second half of an MLS soccer match against Real Salt Lake, in Vancouver, on Saturday, May 3, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

VANCOUVER — If familiarity breeds contempt, there’s little wonder the Vancouver Whitecaps and Los Angeles FC have grown into bitter rivals.

The two sides have battled a dozen times over the last two years across various competitions. They’ll face off yet again on Sunday when the surging Whitecaps (8-1-2) host Los Angeles FC (5-4-2) in Major League Soccer play.

“We’ve been going at it with them the last couple of years. And honestly speaking, I think they were kind of the big dogs of the West,” said Vancouver midfielder Ali Ahmed. ”I think we’ve learned a lot from our challenges with them.

“But this Sunday, we’re looking at it a different way. Because we’re a different team this year. We’re confident. … You could say we’re maybe the team with the upper hand.”

The ‘Caps head into Sunday’s matchup riding a 10-game (6-0-4) unbeaten streak across all competitions after topping Real Salt Lake 2-1 on Saturday. Vancouver has 20 goals and four clean sheets across the stretch.

The club sits atop the MLS standings and have rocketed up the CONCACAF club ranking index to the No. 2 spot.

This iteration of the Whitecaps is different than those that have faced LAFC in recent years, Ahmed said.

“We’re more polished, a lot more experienced, a lot more battle tested,” he said. “We’ve failed a couple times, we’ve gone through the lows that you have to go through to get to the highs.

“I think we’ve experienced that together the last two years. And I think this year now, with all those lows and failures that we’ve experienced, I think we’re a smarter and more confident group.”

L.A. holds a 6-5-4 edge in regular-season meetings between the two teams, and has been post-season kryptonite for Vancouver two years in a row.

That doesn’t mean much heading into Sunday, said ‘Caps striker Brian White.

“We’re a much different team,” he said. “We’ve added some new players and a bit of a different style. I think we’re definitely a different team than we were last year, so hopefully we present them a bigger challenge than we have before.”

The two clubs last met in November when LAFC ousted the ‘Caps from the playoffs in a three-game first-round series.

The result stung, but it isn’t on players’ minds as they prepare for Sunday, White said.

“It’s just another game. Nothing in the past really influences the future,” he said. “So I think it’s going to be a good game against a good team. They’re finding a bit of a groove now, so it’s probably a good test for us.”

LAFC is undefeated in its last four MLS games (2-0-2) and blanked the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on Saturday.

The results are no surprise from a that team includes marquee striker Denis Bouanga and an up-and-coming talent in midfielder David Martinez, said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen.

“I think it’s one of the better teams that I’ve seen so far,” he said. “I know they have some mixed results, but they have a good combination of experience and individual quality. I think they play well and I think you can see now they’re picking up results consistently after a difficult start.”

Hired to lead the ‘Caps in mid-January, Sorensen has coached just 11 MLS games and Sunday will mark his first against LAFC. That doesn’t mean he’s planning to throw something unexpected at the Black and Gold this weekend.

“I think that when two teams meet each other and they know each other that well, there’s not that many surprises that you can bring on the pitch,” he said.

LOS ANGELES FC (5-4-2) AT VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (8-1-2)

Sunday, B.C. Place

TABLE TOPPERS: A seven-point cushion separates the Whitecaps (26) from second-place Minnesota United (19) in the Western Conference standings.

BIG GOALS: The ‘Caps lead the league in goal differential (+14) and have the highest expected goals in MLS (27.59).

SCORING BY COMMITTEE: Offensive depth has crucial to Vancouver’s early season success and 18 players on the roster have contributed either a goal or an assist this season. The club got goal contributions from 20 players across the entire 2024 campaign.

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.