San Diego FC 1-3 Vancouver Whitecaps: White brace settles Western Conference final
Brian White scored twice in the Western Conference final as the Vancouver Whitecaps beat San Diego FC to tee up a clash with Inter Miami.
The Vancouver Whitecaps will face Inter Miami in the MLS Cup final after a rampant first-half display saw them beat San Diego FC 3-1.
Vancouver captain Thomas Muller was not among the goals in the Western Conference final, but the Bayern Munich great will face Lionel Messi and company for the title after Brian White's double helped the Whitecaps over the line.
White slid Anibal Godoy's centre home at the far post following neat play from Ali Ahmed in the build-up after seven minutes, and only three minutes later, the visitors struck again.
Ahmed's shot was blocked on the line, but the ball rebounded in off the back of goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega to stun the home fans at the Snapdragon Stadium into silence.
White had his second on the stroke of half-time, diverting Ahmed's left-wing cross over the line with his chest, though San Diego pulled one back on the hour mark through a deflected effort from Hirving Lozano.
However, the hosts' hopes of a fightback were over when Sisniega came outside his area and wiped out Ryan Gauld, receiving a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Gauld hit the foot of the post as Vancouver cruised from there, but they did not need a fourth goal to get the job done.
Data Debrief: Whitecaps break new ground
Going into Saturday's game, San Diego had won all three of their home playoff matches and were looking to become just the second expansion team to reach the MLS Cup final in their debut campaign, after the Chicago Fire in 1998.
Instead, Vancouver will play in the MLS Cup final for the first time, having blown their opponents away in the opening 45 minutes.
Vancouver ended the game with 2.88 expected goals (xG) to San Diego's 1, despite both sides attempting 11 shots. The Whitecaps created 2.11 xG before the half-time whistle.
They can take heart from their previous results against Miami, too, having beaten the Herons 5-1 on aggregate in the CONCACAF Champions Cup earlier this year (2-0 home, 3-1 away). Their only previous MLS meeting was a 2-1 win for Miami in May.
