The Vancouver Whitecaps have already made club history by making it to the MLS Western Conference Final.
They’ll make more history if they can beat San Diego FC on the road on Saturday.
Müller and White seem good to go
Thomas Müller and Brian White were both substituted out of the Whitecaps’ win over LAFC. Müller departed the match before extra time began and appeared to be bothered by his hamstring.
The news appears positive with both players.
Müller was in good spirits as he did some light jogging during the Whitecaps’ recovery session on Tuesday.
#VWFC training / recovery on a rather wet November afternoon in Vancouver.
Müller, Blackmon, Gauld running laps. Several Caps working in the gym today. #MLS pic.twitter.com/HvJ5kEpwFf
— Har Journalist (@HarJournalist) November 25, 2025
White said his early departure was about managing his minutes.
“I think it was something planned to manage the minutes there,” White told Daily Hive earlier this week. “Feel good, recovered well and I’m looking forward to the next game.”
The Whitecaps’ leading goal-scorer feels like he has progressed to the stage where he can play more than an hour, and if extra time should be required again, White will be ready.
“Yeah, I think we’re at that point where we’ve got to go at this point,” White said.
Injuries and suspensions
The Whitecaps’ depth at centre back has been tested all year long, and that will continue against San Diego. Tristan Blackmon will not be available due to the red card he was shown vs. LAFC. In order to win a successful appeal, there needs to be convincing evidence that either of the yellow cards should be overturned.
“We won’t be appealing one of the yellow cards,” Jesper Sørensen told reporters.
Belal Halbouni will also not be an option for Sørensen on Saturday, after the Whitecaps centre back left BC Place on crutches.
THE VANCOUVER WHITESCAPS ARE MOVING ON!
The celebration starts but Thomas Müller makes sure no one takes it in alone. 🤝 @WhitecapsFC // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/vFdYZBlVvu
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster was a guest on Sekeres and Price earlier this week and shared that Halbouni had suffered an ACL injury.
“Belal has a knee injury,” Sørensen said. “We need further examination to say something certain. It was obviously terrible for him. We really feel for him; he’s been doing so well for a long time now. It’s so unfortunate.”
Mathias Laborda
Mathias Laborda will have a crucial role vs. San Diego FC, but it remains to be seen where that might be.
The MLS Player of the Matchday has been playing phenomenally at left full-back at both ends of the pitch. But with Blackmon and Halbouni unavailable, Laborda could be an option to play at centre back alongside midfielder Ralph Priso. If that happens, rookie left-back Tate Johnson could slide into Laborda’s current position.
Goal and the game winning PK. 🥶
Mathías Laborda is your Player of the Matchday pres. by @MichelobULTRA. pic.twitter.com/jSMwjs1UBl
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
Joedrick Pupe, Sebastian Schonlau, and Giuseppe Bovalina are also candidates to jump into the starting eleven at centre back if Sørensen elects to keep Laborda where he is.
“We will see what we think and believe is the best for the team,” Sørensen said. “Mathias has played both positions throughout the season and done very well at both positions. I think we’ll figure it out. We have good options. We have options, and then all the options you haven’t even seen yet.”
Cubas can travel
After a laundry mishap damaged his passport and prevented Andres Cubas from playing internationally for Paraguay earlier this month, sources can confirm that the Whitecaps midfielder has the necessary paperwork to be able to fly with his teammates to play in San Diego on Saturday.
Pitch please
Two nights after the San Diego State Aztecs trounced San Jose State, the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium was an absolute mess when San Diego beat Minnesota 1-0.
San Diego goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega slipped while trying to track down a loose ball.
The lousy pitch conditions didn’t go unnoticed.
“The football team played there a few days before,” White said. “Obviously it was a bit beat up. Hopefully they have a week to prepare, and it could be in a little bit of a better state.”
Tverskov again talking about the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium. Says it's the worst its been all season. Luckily it will be much better by Saturday and for the potential final. Will definitely not get any worse. #SDFC https://t.co/OCmHUS9kiK
— Francisco Velasco (@FranciscoEfV) November 25, 2025
The Whitecaps don’t want to get into a situation where they’re changing the way they play because the pitch might be in bad shape. Sørensen isn’t about to make any assumptions.
“Speculating and doing things a certain way due to the surface and stuff like that on the pitch because it didn’t look like the way it looked when we played down there last time is a little bit dangerous,” Sørensen said. “We have to figure it out when we see it.”