The expected happened yesterday: the Vancouver Whitecaps made light work of CF Montréal with a 2-0 win for the West Coast side!
The game kicked off in front of an empty Stade Saputo because the home side's supporter groups boycotted, with the travelling Whitecaps supporters making up most of the noise for 90 minutes.
The first shot came after 23 minutes, when Yadaly Diaby headed a shot that Samsy Keita comfortably saved before the Guinean international saw his wondergoal effort go high and wide.
That was it for chances in the first 45. Mihail Gherasimencov and Édier Ocampo were shown yellow cards for the visitors before Montréal's Victor Loturi received a caution just before half-time.
The second half began shortly after with changes on both sides; Noah Streit replaced Hennadiy Synchuk for Montréal, while Bruno Caicedo and Rui Modesto replaced Yadaly Diaby and Édier Ocampo.
Three minutes after the restart, the game was finally up to speed, and after some half-chances for Vancouver, they came closest to scoring when Cheikh Sabaly slammed the crossbar.
Montréal went on the counterattack: Noah Streit found himself through on goal, but his dink over Yohei Takaoka hit the crossbar, and Vancouver cleared it.
Still in the 48th minute, Rayan Elloumi played it in behind to Cheikh Sabaly, but the Tunisian international couldn't keep his composure against Samsy Keita, who made the save to deny the Whitecaps forward.
Finally, Vancouver's persistence would pay off when Ryan Gauld found Cheikh Sabaly, and after Keita made the initial save, Sabaly followed up on his own shot and roofed the second chance to give Vancouver the 1-0 lead.
Gauld wins it back, Sabaly buries it! 🎯🫣 From right to left foot, Cheikh makes no mistake on the rebound! #MTLvVAN https://t.co/HIt6SXkRtZ
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 7, 2026
It was a huge goal for the Senegalese international, his first for the club since the end of April, when he found the opener against the Colorado Rapids.
Later, Thomas Müller entered the game for Ryan Gauld, much to the delight of the crowd at Stade Saputo.
Ralph Priso was soon shown a yellow card before Montréal made a triple change, bringing on Brayan Ceballos, Fabian Herbers, and Alexis Sánchez for Dawid Bugaj, Olger Escobar, and Daniel Ríos.
The Whitecaps continued to push for a second goal, but they were also careful to ensure the Impact couldn't strike on the counter.
Ralph Priso would be replaced by Tristan Blackmon before Luca Petrasso was issued the game's final booking.
Yohei Takaoka would be forced into a couple of comfortable saves against Wikelman Carmona and Fabian Herbers, with none of them destined for the back of the net.
Vancouver eventually wrapped up the game when Bruno Caicedo's pass was hammered past Samsy Keita by Mihail Gherasimencov from an acute angle to make it 2-0 for Vancouver.
Mihail Gherasimencov doubles the @WhitecapsFC advantage! https://t.co/I3TmajIIGX
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 7, 2026
It was the Moldovan international's first Major League Soccer goal of his career and his second of the season, after he scored in the Canadian Championship against his former side, Cavalry FC.
The final change of the game would see Sebastián Ramírez replace Oliver Larraz, with the Colombian-American finally making his debut for the club after joining at the end of the MLS Secondary Window.
No stoppage time would be added. CF Montréal's decline continues with another disastrous season, finishing dead last in the overall league standings, while the thriving Vancouver Whitecaps enter the playoffs in good form and will hold home advantage throughout the playoffs and into the final, barring a game against Nashville SC.
Vancouver's road to the MLS Cup begins on November 22, when they host the winner of the wildcard matchup between the Seattle Sounders and Real Salt Lake.
