Brian White said that the Vancouver Whitecaps are “daring to dream” about what they could achieve this season after reaching the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.
White was on target in Vancouver’s 3-1 win in their second-leg clash against Inter Miami, sealing a 5-1 aggregate victory and a date against Cruz Azul in the showpiece match.
Jesper Sorensen’s side have been in fine form this season, sitting top of the Western Conference by five points after 10 games of their campaign.
With 11 goals in 16 games in all competitions, White has been the driving force in the Whitecaps’ recent run and insisted that he had no plans of slowing down.
“The fans had a tifo that said we allowed them to dream again, and I think that was the message that the players brought as well,” White said.
“We all have this dream, and we’re thrilled that Vancouver came out to support us and that we can do this for them, and everyone who’s been around the club for so long.
“This has been quite a ride for us and quite a ride for [the fans]. The sky’s the limit to what we can achieve this year.
“Hopefully, we can stay humble, know where we come from, believe in ourselves, and continue to push forward.”
But standing in between an eighth MLS win of the season for Vancouver is Real Salt Lake, who are looking to build on their 3-1 victory over San Diego FC last time out.
Diego Luna stole the show with two goals at the Snapdragon Stadium, scoring twice, with the 21-year-old earning praise from head coach, Pablo Mastroeni.
“I don’t think we can talk about Diego developing anymore. He’s the guy,” Mastroeni told reporters.
“He’s the guy that plays with the chip on his shoulder. He’s one of our best defenders. He’s obviously the guy that’s putting the ball in the back of the net. He’s doing it all for our group.”
Luna, however, was not getting carried away by the noise around his recent performances.
“For me, it doesn’t change what I’m doing on the daily or what I’m trying to do for myself and the career I’m trying to build for myself,” Luna said of Mastroeni’s praise.
“He’s my coach, so, of course, he’s up there, right? But it’s just like anyone else talking or anyone else saying something.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Vancouver Whitecaps – Pedro Vite
Vite came off the bench to score twice in Vancouver’s win over Minnesota on Sunday.
He is the fourth Whitecaps player, and first since Blas Perez in 2016, to score multiple goals off the bench in a regular-season match.
Real Salt Lake – Diego Luna
Luna bagged a brace in Real Salt Lake’s win over San Diego, taking his tally to five MLS goals in nine appearances this season.
The American (18 goals, 15 assists) is also one of just six players in MLS history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists before turning 22.
MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN
Vancouver are the 12th team in MLS history to record at least 23 points through their first 10 matches of a season. Seven of the previous 11 have gone on to win the Supporters’ Shield.
RSL, though, have won four straight matches against Vancouver, all by 2-1 scorelines. It equals the longest winning streak by either team against the other in 33 all-time meetings (Whitecaps – four straight wins from 2014-15).
They have also lost only two of their last eight matches in Canada dating back to October 2019 (W5 D1). Prior to that, RSL had made 22 visits to Canada and recorded just two wins (D3 L17).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Vancouver Whitecaps – 53.8%
Draw – 23.7%
Real Salt Lake – 22.5%
