Brian White scores four goals as Whitecaps best Austin FC 5-1

Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White (24) celebrates his goal against the Austin FC during the second half of an MLS soccer match in Vancouver, on Saturday, April 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Brian White wrote himself into Vancouver Whitecaps history.

White became the first Whitecap player to score four goals in a Major League Soccer match in a 5-1 win over Austin FC Saturday afternoon.

“It was just one of those games where you find a good rhythm,” said White, who leads the Whitecaps with six goals during the MLS season and nine across all competitions.

“When you score four, you kind of feel a little bit of a flow, a bit like every shot is going to go in. You try to take more and more shots.”

White, playing in his fifth season in Vancouver, has 64 goals leaving him fifth in all-time Whitecap scoring, one behind Carl Valentine. Domenic Mobilio leads all Whitecap players with 170 goals.

“It’s special when you get to be associated with the Ring of Honour names, guys that have cemented what this club means on and off the field,” White said. “It means a lot. Hopefully I can continue to perform well for this club.”

Winger Emmanuel Sabbi also had a goal and an assist for Vancouver, which won for the sixth time in eight MLS matches. Winger Daniel Rios added an assist and had a penalty kick stopped in the 72nd minute.

Midfielder Dani Pereira scored for Austin in the 90th minute.

Austin came into the match having allowed just three goals in its first seven games.

The Whitecaps (6-1-1) lead the MLS Western Conference with 19 points, four ahead of Minnesota, which finished in a 0-0 draw with Toronto earlier in the day.

The loss left Austin (4-3-1) with 13 points and ended a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1). Austin had not allowed a goal in its previous two games.

A crowd of 17,931 at BC Place Stadium watched White score in the 13th, 38th, 59th and 83rd minutes.

His first goal came after right back Edier Ocampo sent a long pass into the box. Rios flicked the ball to White who scored with a right-footed shot.

White made it 2-0 after Sabbi threaded a pretty ball between a couple of Austin defenders. White scored with a left-footed shot from the side of the box.

White’s third goal came during a wild scramble. Centre back Ranko Veselinovic took a shot that hit the post. The rebound rolled to White who blasted a shot that hit Austin defender Brendan Hines-Ike in the face and went into the goal.

He scored again in the 77th minute but the goal was called off on an offside call.

His fourth goal came when defender Ali Ahmed fed him a pass and he scored with a right-footed shot from the side of the box.

Jason Jordan scored four goals for the Whitecaps when they played in the USL in a game against Charlotte in May 2005.

White becomes the 16th MSL player to score four goals in a game.

White’s goal celebrations included doing the chicken dance, casting a fishing rod and doing The Griddy.

“A couple of kids wanted me to do The Griddy,” he said. “It’s not really in my wheelhouse. I got a couple of texts I should never do it again.”

Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen praised White for a “great, great performance.”

“You see players have breakout games and extraordinary games,” he said. “Brian had one today. “

The win over Austin came as the Whitecaps were still riding the high of a 2-2 draw with LIGA MX side Pumas UNAM Wednesday night that put them into the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Vancouver will host Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in the first leg of the two-game aggregate series on April 24.

“It says a lot about the kind of group that we have, the amount of talent we have,” said White. “Guys are really enjoying being a part of this group and you can see that on the filed.”

There was a slight delay early in the first half when Austin goalkeeper Brad Stuver picked up a mouse near centre field and carried it to the sideline for officials to deal with.

The Whitecaps are off to their best-ever MLS start. White believes the team can continue the momentum.

“I think as a team, we showed how dangerous we can be going forward,” he said. “The dynamic players that we have, the style that we play, can create a lot of chances.

“I think we showed how good a team it could be tonight.”

NOTES: The Whitecaps played their fifth game in 15 days, including trips to Toronto and Mexico City. … Vancouver’s next MLS game is on the road against St. Louis City SC next Saturday … The Whitecaps have got goals from 10 different players in league play … ot dressed for Vancouver was defenders Sam Adekuge (knee), striker Ryan Gault (knee), midfielder Jayden Nelson (hamstring) and defender Mathias Laborda (hamstring).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2025.

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press