It's another win for the Vancouver Whitecaps, taking down the Colorado Rapids in an entertaining 3-1 victory in their final match at BC Place before preparations begin for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Jesper Sørensen made just one change to the eleven that defeated Sporting Kansas City, as Cheikh Sabaly came in for Bruno Caicedo. On the bench, Ranko Veselinović was named on the bench ahead of Nikola Djordjevic, marking the first time the Serbian defender was in a matchday squad since July 19 last year, when he suffered an ACL injury in a 1-1 draw against San Diego.
Vancouver began on the front foot, with Sebastian Berhalter's early corner being met by Emmanuel Sabbi, who headed wide from close range.
In the 7th minute, a cross from Édier Ocampo was beautifully controlled by Thomas Müller, with his first touch perfectly setting up Cheikh Sabaly for the opening goal.
Number 7 in the 7th 😮💨💥
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 26, 2026
Cheikh Sabaly scores his second of the season and gets us on the board early!#VANvCOL | 🏔️ 1 - 0 🪨 pic.twitter.com/3JCKIQFWCI
That combination almost struck twice just five minutes later, with Sabaly sliding in to meet a Müller cross, only for the Senegalese international to hit wide.
In the 17th minute, a deep Sebastian Berhalter cross found an unmarked Tristan Blackmon at the back post, but the defender would also fire wide.
Vancouver's persistent attack would pay off six minutes later, as Andrés Cubas threaded the ball to Brian White, who calmly placed it past Zack Steffen from distance, with the goalkeeper in no man's territory.
Let him cook 🧑🍳🙂↕️
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 26, 2026
Brian White gets number 2 for us!#VANvCOL | 🏔️ 2 - 0 🪨 pic.twitter.com/0NKfdiI967
Brian White had a chance to grab a second, as a well-weighted through ball from Thomas Müller found the American, but Zack Steffen denied his attempted chip.
Colorado eventually found a way forward, as a scramble in the box saw Rafael Navarro bundle the ball over the line. Despite appeals for a handball, the goal stood, with PRO later confirming that Navarro scored with his knee.
Rafael Navarro nets it to earn his 50th regular-season goal contribution 🔥#VANvCOL pic.twitter.com/4YjCDwLDwC
— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) April 26, 2026
Thomas Müller had a chance in the 39th minute, but the German fired wide after taking a touch.
After six minutes of added time, Lorenzo Hernandez brought the first half to a close with the Whitecaps holding a narrow lead.
Jeevan Badwal replaced Emmanuel Sabbi to start the second half.
There was little attacking action early in the second half until Bruno Caicedo entered in the 68th minute in place of Sabaly.
The Ecuadorian made an immediate impact: Sebastian Berhalter found him on the left flank, and his deflected cross fell to a wide-open Brian White, who could not guide his effort into the open net.
The Whitecaps looked to have sealed the three points in the 77th minute, with Bruno Caicedo being played through on goal by Thomas Müller. After his initial shot was blocked, the Ecuadorian fired home to make it 3-1. However, the goal was disallowed following a review, with the ball deemed to have struck Caicedo’s arm after deflecting off Lucas Herrington.
After Miguel Navarro was shown the game’s first yellow card, Vancouver made a change, with Tate Johnson coming off for Mihail Gherasimencov.
Shortly after, the Whitecaps found their decisive third goal. A brilliant pass from Sebastian Berhalter picked out Bruno Caicedo, who burst past Keegan Rosenberry before squaring it for Brian White to finish, securing his second of the night on a day where he could have had several more.
BRIAN BRACE ✌️🌟
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) April 26, 2026
Bdub slots in his second of the match with beauty assist from Bruno 🔥#VANvCOL | 🏔️ 3 - 1 🪨 pic.twitter.com/LzvwgmjzK1
Yohei Takaoka was then called into action after Rafael Navarro's effort deflected off Mathías Laborda, forcing the goalkeeper into an outstanding save with his feet. He followed that up with an even better stop on the rebound to preserve Vancouver’s two-goal lead.
After nine minutes of stoppage time were added by Carly Shaw-MacLaren, Jesper Sørensen made his final changes, bringing on Oliver Larraz and Rayan Elloumi for Berhalter and White.
Bruno Caicedo was booked in the 94th minute and nearly had the final say moments later, as a counterattack allowed him to strike from distance, but Zack Steffen produced an excellent save to deny him before Lorenzo Hernandez brought the match to an end.
It caps off a perfect April for the Whitecaps, who finish the month 4-0-0 with 11 goals scored and just three conceded.
Next up is a demanding May road trip, beginning in California against a struggling LA Galaxy side, with kickoff set for 7:30 pm PT / 10:30 pm ET.
