Brian White 4-goal fiesta leads the Whitecaps to dominate victory: Post-Match Reaction Vancouver Whitecaps vs Austin FC

“What a striker Brian White” that's what the Southside sang multiple times throughout the evening. And it's not just a song, it's the truth. The outstanding performance from Brian White propels Vancouver to a comfortable victory. Heading into this match, Austin was fourth in the Western Conference and had the best defence in MLS having conceded 3 goals through seven games in the campaign. That definitely didn't seem like the case, especially if you’re a casual MLS viewer in this match. The fact that White got four gorgeous scoring opportunities, indicates that Austin’s defence wasn't on par Saturday afternoon.

Vancouver kicked-off this game with a few slight hiccups, including Blackmon’s poor header, which was nearly detrimental if not for Uzuni’s unideal first touch and Takaoka's intelligence. Nothing that went into the back of the net in a fairly even first ten minutes of the match.

The first goal for the Whitecaps and Brian White in the afternoon came in the 13th minute. The cross from Ocampo, the flick from Rios and the finish from White. Sublime creation for this first of many, for Brian White and the Whitecaps.

After that, nothing major happened. Vancouver had a slight edge in terms of control and possession but not towards the status where it felt like they were fully overpowering Austin.

However, in the midst of not having much occuring in the match, Brian White doubled Vancouver's lead, thanks to a superb feed from Emmanuel Sabbi and a horrid goal-kick from Stuver. Sabbi set White up on a silver platter and White made no mistake squeezing that through Stuver’s legs.

Vancouver came out of the half rolling, the shot from Sabbi which Stuver deflected out for a corner, resulted in another Whitecaps goal. This time, Emmanuel Sabbi gets onto the scoresheet for the second MLS match in a row. The corner was headed on by an Austin FC defender, then fell to Sabbi in front of goal to smash it into the net. 3-0 Vancouver.

The Whitecaps just continued rolling, chance after chance, probably could have scored 4 or 5 more goals in this half if not for Stuver.

White scored another goal to make it his third hat-trick with the Whitecaps after chaos in front of the net.

Following that it's ensuing Whitecaps chaos. Rios chance from a tight angle which went wide, Berhalter’s bomb that was spectacularly saved by Stuver, White drawing a penalty from a corner, Rios getting his penalty attempt denied, White’s goal getting called back due to offside, White hits the iron, then finally Brian White scored his fourth and Vancouver's fifth in the 83rd minute. Whew, quite a mouthful, eh?

Ali Ahmed then hit the post. Austin got a consolation goal to cut the deficit to four and to remove Takaoka’s clean sheet endeavor. It was an amazing strike outside the box from Daniel Pereira, in the 90th minute.

Unfortunately for Austin, that great hit from Pereira didn't affect the outcome in any way, as the Whitecaps completely obliterated Austin FC in every shape, form or way. Final score was Vancouver Whitecaps FC 5, Austin FC 1.

What a thriller if you’re a Vancouver fan watching live at BC Place. Cheering the Whitecaps on throughout the entire game especially the second half would’ve been quite the experience. For the casual viewer, they would probably be thinking Brian White is the best in the league and the Whitecaps are the best team in the league, which is at this moment very possible. I truly didn't expect this obliteration by the Whitecaps today, I was expecting a more stingy and defensive-minded game in this one, a much lower scoreline than the reality. As mentioned before Vancouver really could have had more if not for Stuver and the woodwork. Astonishing match for the Whitecaps on Saturday afternoon, fully deserving of the credit that they are currently receiving. Once more, the Vancouver Whitecaps are truly legitimate, and it will be intriguing to observe their future endeavors both in MLS and the Champions Cup.

Brian White’s four-goal game was the first of his career and the Whitecaps’ first in the MLS era. This was the first four-goal game from a Whitecap since Jason Jordan who was the second-most recent (now following White) to score four back in May 15, 2005, nearly 20 years ago. The value that the Whitecaps are receiving from Brian White is stunning, possibly one of the best non-DP’s in the league. Pretty consistently ranking close to the top for goals in MLS, as a non-DP is no joke. 12 goals in 2021, 16 in 2023, 16 in 2024 and now six goals in seven games for the American striker, ranking atop of the MLS Golden Boot race thus far. Another impressive thing for White is his runs in behind, his way of generating opportunities for himself. His skill to seek open gaps and to receive chances in deadly positions is what makes him standout compared to everyone else, he always ranks extremely high in terms of expected goals.

After the match Sørensen commented, “Brian is a top scorer, maybe they should have looked at him a little bit more today.”

Whitecaps celebrating a goal from White

The Whitecaps s thrived on shots, shooting 27 and having 11 hit the target. 27 being their largest number of shots since who knows when? 20 shots in one half, very impressive showing especially from the second-half for the Whitecaps. Winning the possession battle 52-48, the shots battle 27-11 and most importantly the xG battle 4.76-0.88. Simply sensational from this Vancouver Whitecaps side.

Vancouver now sits four points clear in the Western Conference and maintains the top of the league position after Matchday 8. The Whitecaps do it with a +11 goal differential, five higher than anyone else in the league. This team is thriving extremely well under Jesper Sørensen they aim to continue that at St. Louis next Saturday at 5:30PM P.D.T in MLS, then Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup Semi-Finals.

Whitecaps Starting XI