It's a huge win for Jesper Sørensen's side, as the Vancouver Whitecaps clinched a ninth Cascadia Cup with a win at Lumen Field last night.
Jesper Sørensen made plenty of changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Tigres UANL. Yohei Takaoka started in net, as the back four consisted of Tate Johnson, Ralph Priso, Mathías Laborda, and Édier Ocampo. Andrés Cubas and Oliver Larraz partnered up in the midfield, while Cheikh Sabaly and Jeevan Badwal were placed on the wings. Thomas Müller captained the side and started as the attacking midfielder, with Emmanuel Sabbi receiving the start up top. Isaac Boehmer, Sam Adekugbe, Tristan Blackmon, J.C. Ngando, Ryan Gauld, Nikola Djordjevic, and Rayan Elloumi were all benched after starting on Saturday. Adrían Zendejas, Johnny Selemani, Trevor Wright, and Daniel Ittycheria were all dropped from the bench, with the latter three dropped due to their short-term agreements expiring. Liam Mackenzie was named to the bench after playing for Canada at the Concacaf U20 Championship.
The game kicked off, and both sides had a fair share of the ball. The first chance came nine minutes in, as a beautiful ball in from Mathías Laborda was controlled by Emmanuel Sabbi, whose shot went high and wide.
Vancouver would experience a scary moment early in this one, as young midfielder Jeevan Badwal got into a collision with Sounders defender Nouhou Tolo. Badwal was substituted off due to a head injury, with Rayan Elloumi entering the game, forcing Emmanuel Sabbi back to the right wing.
There wouldn't be any clear-cut chances for either side, with mainly Vancouver just looking to carve open the Seattle defence.
Seattle would get a good look, as Snyder Brunell would see his shot hit the side netting after a giveaway from Tate Johnson.
Seattle would experience their own injury problems, as Jesús Ferreira was forced off in the 36th minute due to a hamstring injury, with Sebastian Gomez entering for the hosts.
Vancouver would get the closest in the first half, as an Oliver Larraz corner was hit on the volley by Thomas Müller, only for it to be cleared off the line by Paul Rothrock.
Oliver Larraz nearly struck from distance, but his long shot narrowly went over the bar in the 43rd minute.
After four additional minutes, nothing separated the sides as they hit the dressing rooms after a first half that saw Vancouver dominate, but they didn't have a major chance to show for it.
In the 52nd minute, Danny Musovski struck Emmanuel Sabbi in the face, but no card was issued; however, you could make a strong argument that the Sounders striker should've been shown a red card.
Seattle would have its best chance in the 54th minute, with Paul Rothrock finding the left foot of Albert Rusnák, but he couldn't steer a great chance on target, as it rolled wide.
Jackson Ragen would receive the game's first yellow after taking down Thomas Müller, as Vancouver would immediately bring in club captain Ryan Gauld, who replaced Cheikh Sabaly.
Seven minutes later, Ralph Priso would be withdrawn, as reigning MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon came on for the Canadian international.
After Nouhou Tolo was finally booked for taking out Yohei Takaoka, the Whitecaps would get their opening goal, as a well-crafted pass from Emmanuel Sabbi set up 18-year-old Rayan Elloumi, who ended up finishing nicely past Andrew Thomas with composure.
Deadlock = BROKEN. 🔓
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2026
Rayan Elloumi finishes in style to put @WhitecapsFC in front! pic.twitter.com/0K6AhWAqcN
It was a much-needed second goal of the season for Elloumi, as after a terrible spot kick against Tigres UANL in the penalty shootout, Elloumi was being heavily criticized while also running low on confidence.
After that, a crazy moment occurred. After a through ball from Elloumi that was intended for Ryan Gauld was intercepted by Nouhou Tolo, Andrew Thomas inadvertently picked the ball up, which was classified as a backpass, giving the Whitecaps a rare indirect free kick in Seattle's box.
Oliver Larraz laid the ball off for Thomas Müller, who would perfectly place the shot into the bottom right corner, giving the Whitecaps a 2-0 lead.
Cheeky, cheeky.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2026
Thomas Müller buries the indirect free kick inside the box! pic.twitter.com/AnswH0c4nS
It was Müller's sixth goal of the season, and it was also goals in back-to-back MLS games for the German superstar. Surprisingly, it was Müller's second away goal as a 'Caps player, as he recorded one last year against Orlando City.
After Paul Rothrock received a yellow card for taking down Édier Ocampo, Nikola Djordjevic entered the game for Emmanuel Sabbi, who's starting to rediscover the form he had in 2025.
After four additional minutes, referee Armando Villarreal blew for full time, as the Whitecaps had grabbed their first MLS win since before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
For the fans, this result meant the Whitecaps had won their ninth Cascadia Cup, and a second in two years. The Cascadia Cup is a supporters' trophy given to the team that earns the most points from the four Cascadia rivalry games. The Whitecaps have the most with nine, while the Sounders sit with seven and Portland have held it up six times.
For the actual standings, the Whitecaps have returned to the top spot in the Western Conference, as they have a two-point gap over the Houston Dynamo with a game in hand. They also sit a point away from Inter Miami in the Supporters' Shield standings, while sitting six points behind Nashville SC.
Vancouver will return to BC Place Stadium on Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo in a crucial matchup, with kickoff set for 7:30 pm PT.
