San Diego v Vancouver Whitecaps preview
Vancouver Whitecaps forward Thomas Muller does not know whether his new team will benefit from their inexperience in the latter stages of the playoffs when they visit San Diego in their first-ever MLS Western Conference final on Saturday.
“You could say ‘they were not thinking about it’,” Muller suggested the reaction might be if Vancouver win to move one match away from an MLS Cup triumph.
“What we know we can count on is our mentality. It comes down to things like our habits, our behaviour, our positioning and [avoiding] siutations where [San Diego] are strong. We want to enjoy the atmosphere and I’m excited.”
The European footballing legend said the Whitecaps were “lucky” in their epic semi-final victory at home to LAFC in front of more than 53,000 fans, spurning a 2-0 half-time lead to draw 2-2 before winning on penalties in a game they finished with nine players because of the dismissal of Tristan Blackmon and Belal Halbouni’s injury.
San Diego beat Minnesota 1-0 at home in their semi-final, Denmark winger Anders Dreyer rifling in the only goal of the game 18 minutes from time to complete a lengthy team move.
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
Head coach Mikey Varas expects the meeting with Vancouver to be “completely different.” “Right now, it’s about having this mini moment to recognize the fact that these guys continue to write history,” he said.
“Our focus will be on recovery, the two to three most important points for that game, and then going out there and just playing as hard as we possibly can.”
Dreyer called the final “a big, big thing”. “Personally, these are games where it’s fun to play,” he added. “I can’t wait to play on Saturday at home.”
San Diego v Vancouver team news
San Diego goalkeeper CJ dos Santos has been absent since fracturing a cheekbone in the opening playoff round against the Portland Timbers.
Defenders Andres Reyes and Oscar Verhoeven (both leg) and midfielder Alejandro Alvarado (knee) have missed much of the season.
On-loan Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Aiden Harangi has been sidelined by a muscular issue.
Halbouni, who had come on as a substitute, is expected to be out for between seven and 10 weeks for Vancouver with the knee injury he suffered against LAFC.
Fellow center-back Blackmon is banned after his two yellow cards in that game, with Ralph Priso likely to deputize.
Defenders Ranko Veselinovic (knee) and Sam Adekugbe and Sebastian Schonlau (both achilles) are long-term absentees.
Today: Training
Tomorrow: WCF pic.twitter.com/Tiu83s6XBt— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) November 28, 2025
San Diego v Vancouver Whitecaps predicted lineups
San Diego starting XI: Pablo Sisniega, Ian Pilcher, Christopher McVey, Manu Duah, Luca Bombino, Onni Valakari, Jeppe Tverskov, Anibal Godoy, Anders Dreyer, Corey Baird, Amahl Pellegrino
Vancouver starting XI: Yohei Takaoka, Edier Ocampo, Tristan Blackmon, Ralph Priso, Mathias Laborda, Emmanuel Sabbi, Sebastian Berhalter, Thomas Muller, Andres Cubas, Ali Ahmed, Brian White
How to watch San Diego v Vancouver: TV channel, online live stream
Kick-off on Saturday is at 21:00 ET (18:00 PT / 02:00 on Sunday BST), with live coverage available through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.
In the US, a subscription costs $14.99 a month or $69 a season. Existing Apple TV+ subscribers pay $12.99 per month or $59 a season.
San Diego v Vancouver Whitecaps stats
- Both teams finished on 63 points in the regular season, with San Diego seeded first
- Defender Ian Pilcher’s first career goal gave San Diego a 1-1 draw when they hosted Vancouver on July 19
- Varas’s side had the 18th-best home record in the regular-season MLS after winning seven and losing five of their 17 such matches, but they have won all three of their home playoff games by an aggregate score of 7-1
- They have gone more than four hours without conceding at the Snapdragon Stadium
- Dreyer produced 19 goals and 19 assists in 34 regular-season matches, directly contributing to 59% of San Diego’s goals
- Including the playoffs, San Diego have won 16 and lost one of the 18 games in which they have scored first
- Yohei Takaoka’s assist for Vancouver against LAFC made the goalkeeper the 29th Whitecaps player to have directly contributed to a goal this season across all competitions, joining all of their outfield players to have featured for at least 10 minutes during the campaign
- Vancouver won eight and lost four of their 17 away matches during the regular season, representing the fourth-best record on the road in the MLS
- Including the playoffs, Vancouver have won 16 and drawn four of the 20 games in which they have scored first
- Both teams have scored most frequently during the closing 15 minutes of either half, with 33 of Vancouver’s 71 goals this season coming during those periods, compared to 36 of 73 for San Diego
- The only 15-minute period in which either side has scored more than 17 times this season is the final 15 minutes of matches for San Diego, netting 21 times during those closing stages
