The Whitecaps continue to tap into positional versatility as MLS Cup dreams shift into focus
As the dust settles on an all-time MLS Cup Playoffs match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and LAFC, one of the big surprises wasn’t that the Whitecaps finally defeated LAFC at the fourth time of asking, but instead the manner in which they got the job done.
Having come close to beating LAFC in past playoff meetings, it felt like the Whitecaps had what it took to defeat their bogeyman, but to do so, they were going to need the perfect performance.
Because of that, it stands out that they were able to get the job done the way they did, winning on penalties despite blowing a 2-0 lead, earning a red card, and suffering an unfortunately timed injury, as a lot went wrong for them in this game.
In the past, they might’ve fallen short in a match like this, as they would’ve crumbled at the first sign of adversity, instead of persevering through until the finish line the way they did.
WE'RE OFF TO THE MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS! 🔥#VWFC x @BMO pic.twitter.com/h9dgMT50to
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 23, 2025
Of course, for those who have followed this team all season long, that wasn’t surprising to see, however. The biggest reason they’ve accomplished what they have in 2025, which includes a first-ever run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final, a top-five MLS Supporters’ Shield finish, a fourth straight Canadian Championship win and now their deepest playoff run of the MLS era, is because of the way they’ve responded to various setbacks.
For even the most optimistic of Whitecaps fans, you would’ve been hard-pressed to imagine a world where this team achieved what they did while missing the services of key players such as Ryan Gauld, Sam Adekugbe, Ranko Veselinovic and others for large chunks of this season.
Yet, that’s been the reality of the 2025 campaign, as the Whitecaps have accustomed themselves to playing without key regulars due to injuries, international duty, suspensions and more. No matter who plays, the Whitecaps have done a good job at sticking to their identity and game model, which has allowed them to overcome those absences a lot better than most would’ve expected.
There’s no better example of that in the LAFC game than the play of Ralph Priso, who was excellent en route to victory. This time last year, he was a bit-part player on this Whitecaps side, playing just eight minutes across four playoff games - this year, he’s now played every minute of all three Whitecaps’ playoff games, including all 120 minutes of this LAFC match.
While that in itself is a reflection of Priso’s growth as a player this year, that doesn’t even take into account the most remarkable part of Priso’s playoff performances - they’ve come at centre back, a position he’d never played at the professional level before this year.
Based on the way he’s been playing, you wouldn’t be able to tell he’d never set foot in that position, which is quite remarkable and a testament to both his mentality and the system around him.
“All of the principles of how we want to play are the same, no matter who's playing,” Priso said this week. “On that part, it's pretty easy. Obviously, when playing with different guys, guys have different strengths, so you have to adjust a little bit to that, but what we want to do as a whole is clear, so I think whoever plays knows what their job is.”
In a sense, though, that’s been the true secret weapon of this Whitecaps season - their depth. And not in the traditional sense.
As is hard to do in MLS, the Whitecaps don’t have a squad where they’ve got two to three quality players at each position, but they’ve got a group of players who can instead do a job across multiple spots on the field.
Priso playing both centre back and midfield is one example, and there have been several other players who have had to do a job in different positions when called upon.
Throughout a long season, that can go a long way, especially in a salary-capped league.
“That's a huge thing in a league like this, where you have the salary cap system,” Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen said. “I think this league is amazing, it’s a lot of fun, as you have to think a little bit more out of the box as a coach, and that's great.”
“Often, it’s the talent and the commitment of the players, and other small things that make a difference in football games, but in this league, you also have to really think about everything you do as (a head coach) and see possibilities and opportunities where you know you haven't really seen them before, like for us, trying to play with Ralph (Priso) as a centre back, and playing other players in position that they haven't played before.”
“It’s a lot of fun, and it’s interesting, as you have to be able to not just be focused only on what you have in front of you, but also think a little bit about what you can actually create if you try and do things a little bit differently, and that’s a good thing about this league.”
Speaking of Sørensen, however, he deserves praise for the way he’s managed to maximize this roster. There’s a reason why several players have had career years this season, as Sørensen has struck a perfect balance between employing his system and ensuring that his players are set up to succeed in this setup.
There’s no better example of that than the play of academy graduates such as Rayan Elloumi and Jeevan Badwal, who have come up from the Whitecaps second team and fit in seamlessly - both played key roles in the LAFC victory, which would’ve been unimaginable earlier in the year.
Sometimes, in the modern game, coaches can be guilty of making their system the absolute centrepiece of everything that goes on without factoring in how a team fits in said system - Sørensen has found a nice balance between believing in his ways and ensuring that his team fits in.
Perhaps, though, something has to be said about Sørensen doing what he’s done in Canada, a country where being flexible has been part of the DNA of most professional players, but that might help explain some of the method to the madness when it comes to this Whitecaps team’s ability to step outside of their comfort zones.
“That’s how you get your opportunity,” Ali Ahmed, a Canadian international, who is as flexible as any when it comes to playing different positions, said. “Anytime you're able to get on the pitch, in my first few years, it was sometimes as a #8, my first game was a wide midfielder, but anytime you get an opportunity, you’d rather get the opportunity somewhere where you’re maybe not used to playing, instead of not getting an opportunity. Sometimes, you’ve got to let those doors open.”
Just look at the way Sørensen handled the integration of Thomas Müller in midseason as another example of this team’s flexibility. Instead of shoehorning Müller into a new position somewhere in the 4-3-3 the Whitecaps used for most of the season. Sørensen shifted to a 4-2-3-1 that placed his new signing at the heartbeat of the system, a move that has paid off in a big way.
No matter if it’s Müller, Priso, or Elloumi, Sørensen’s done a great job of ensuring that his players are placed in positions that elevate their strengths, and that’s allowed him to maximize his team’s depth.
“It’s helped us throughout the season that we can do different things, that we have tactical flexibility, we can switch and change things tactically, not just in between games, but actually in games as well,” Sørensen offered. “That’s definitely been part of our success this year.” “We have some things we can do if we really need to get the game going the way we’d like to.”
“It just comes from the group,” Priso added. “I think we’re a team where you know you’ll have guys around that’ll make your life easier, and you have a coach that’ll put you in positions to succeed. So with that in mind, it’s just about taking care of my job, because I know the guys around me will take care of theirs, and that just makes it clearer and easier for me to focus on what I need to do.”
That ended up paying off against LAFC, especially in extra time. At that point, with the Whitecaps down a player, they had to get creative just to push the game to penalties, as they played winger Jayden Nelson as a lone striker in a makeshift 4-4-1.
Then, when centre back Belal Halbouni came off injured with more than 10 minutes to go, forcing the Whitecaps to play with nine players after running out of substitutes, they employed a 5-3 that somehow managed to hold on the rest of the way.
“The way we finished the game was a back five of me, Jeevan (Badwal), Mathías (Laborda), Édier (Ocampo) and Sebastian (Berhalter),” Priso reflected. “A bunch of guys in a bunch of different spots, but everyone was ready, committed, and was giving everything, and I think that that was a huge part of how we were able to pull it through.”
9 vs 11.
— X - Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) November 26, 2025
Within 140 minutes of match time, our guys did the unthinkable and held it down 10 v 11 for 33 minutes and 25 seconds, and then 9 v 11 for 11 minutes and 54 seconds, to send this match into penalties 🤯#VWFC | #OwnTheSummit pic.twitter.com/yA24n1wg4S
Now, almost lost in the subplot of the absurdity that was this LAFC game, the Whitecaps' journey continues this weekend in California, where they’ll take on expansion side San Diego FC for a spot in the MLS Cup final.
Their first time in the Western Conference Final, this is a huge opportunity for the Whitecaps, who now sit two games away from their first-ever MLS Cup.
MATHIAS LABORDA SENDS VANCOUVER TO THEIR WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL! 😱@WhitecapsFC // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/Xf7m8m9ExF
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025
If they’re to get there, however, they’ll need to once again rely on their depth. MLS Defender of the Year, Tristan Blackmon, is suspended after earning that red card, while Adekugbe and Veselinovic remain out for the season. Otherwise, players like Ahmed, Brian White and Ryan Gauld are still not quite at 100%, which is also something to monitor.
At this stage, though, the Whitecaps won’t mind that - it’s rare that any team is anything close to full strength at this stage of proceedings. Because of that, look for Sørensen, armed with what he learned from his first single-elimination knockout MLS game, to keep pushing this group, knowing that they’ll be ready to be stretched to their limits, as they’ve been all season long.
“This is like a cup final every time, everything’s at stake,” he finished. “This game we played the other day, it's a game that's going to be talked about for many years at this club and in the city of Vancouver, and being part of it is special.”
“There’s this desperation you don't play with normally. It's fun to watch, yes, and it's very hard to be part of sometimes.”
