VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Daniel Ríos found the net in the first half, while Thomas Müller and Kenji Cabrera scored in the second as the Vancouver Whitecaps blanked FC Dallas 3-0 on Sunday in the best-of-three first-round opener of the MLS Cup playoffs.
Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka did not have to make a save, earning his third clean sheet in seven postseason starts for the Whitecaps, who enter as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
The match remained scoreless until the 43rd minute when Ríos opened the scoring, giving Vancouver a 1-0 lead at halftime. Ali Ahmed collected his first playoff assist in his sixth appearance on Ríos’ second career postseason goal, while Sebastian Berhalter earned his second assist in six playoff games.
In the 60th minute, Müller extended the lead with a penalty kick. The German forward took the shot after Emmanuel Sabbi drew a foul from Dallas defender Osaze Urhoghide. Since joining from Germany’s Bayern München in August, Müller has scored seven goals in seven regular-season appearances.
Kenji Cabrera made his first postseason appearance when he came on as a substitute for Sabbi in the 76th minute and scored in the 83rd minute to seal a 3-0 lead. Rayan Elloumi, an 18-year-old forward, provided his first assist after entering the game for Ríos in the 66th minute. Elloumi had two goals in seven regular-season appearances.
For Dallas, rookie goalkeeper Michael Collodi made seven saves in his first postseason start but could not prevent the shutout.
The series now shifts to Dallas on Saturday, where the Whitecaps posted a 1-0 victory back in mid-March.
Dallas secured a 2-1 win over Vancouver in Vancouver for the first time since 2018 on Decision Day, clinching a postseason spot and wrapping up the seventh seed, which allowed them to avoid the wild-card match.
FC Dallas has made the playoffs in 21 of its 30 seasons, while the Vancouver Whitecaps are making their eighth postseason appearance since joining MLS in 2011. Neither club has yet won the MLS Cup.
https://wtop.com/sports/2025/10/whitecaps-overwhelm-dallas-3-0-in-first-round-opener-of-mls-cup-playoffs/