MLS playoffs line-ups, stats, stream

Summary of the San Diego and Vancouver Whitecaps match

Vancouver Whitecaps forward Thomas Muller doesn’t know if his new team will benefit from their inexperience in the latter stages of the playoffs when they visit San Diego in their first-ever NBA Finals on Saturday.

“You could say they didn’t think about it,” Muller suggested the reaction might be if Vancouver won to move one game away from winning the MLS Cup.

“What we know we can rely on is our mindset. It has to do with things like our habits, our behavior, our locations and [avoiding] Cases where [San Diego] Strong. “We want to enjoy the atmosphere and I am excited.”

The European football legend said the Whitecaps were “lucky” in their epic semi-final win at home to Los Angeles in front of more than 53,000 fans, squandering a 2-0 half-time lead to draw level at 2-2 before winning on penalties in a game they finished with nine men due to Tristan Blackmon’s sending off and Bilal Halbouni’s injury.

San Diego beat Minnesota 1-0 at home in the semifinals, with Danish winger Anders Dreyer scoring the only goal of the game with 18 minutes remaining to complete the team’s long drive.

Vancouver Whitecaps advance!

The celebration begins but Thomas Müller makes sure no one celebrates alone. 🤝 @WhitecapsFC // Audi MLS Cup Playoffs pic.twitter.com/vFdYZBlVvu

— Major League soccer (@MLS) November 23, 2025

Coach Mickey Varas expects the meeting with Vancouver to be “completely different.” “Right now, it’s about having this little moment to acknowledge the fact that these people continue to write history,” he said.

“Our focus will be on recovering, the two or three most important points in that game, and then going out there and playing as hard as we can.”

Dreyer described the final as “something very big”. “On a personal level, these are fun games to play,” he added. “I can’t wait to play Saturday at home.”

San Diego vs Vancouver team news

San Diego goaltender CJ dos Santos has been out since suffering a broken cheekbone in the opening round against the Portland Timbers.

Defenders Andres Reyes and Oscar Verhoeven (both legs) and midfielder Alejandro Alvarado (knee) missed most of the season.

On-loan Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Eden Harangi has been sidelined with a muscle problem.

Al-Halbouni, who appeared as a substitute, is expected to miss Vancouver for between seven and ten weeks due to a knee injury he suffered against Los Angeles FC.

Fellow centre-back Blackmon was banned after picking up two yellow cards in that match, and is likely to be replaced by Ralph Brissot.

Defenders Ranko Veselinovic (knee), Sam Adekugbe and Sebastian Schonlau (both Achilles tendon) are long-term absentees.

Today: training
Tomorrow: Global Capital Fund pic.twitter.com/Tiu83s6XBt

— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) November 28, 2025

The expected lineup for the San Diego vs. Vancouver Whitecaps match

San Diego starting lineup: Pablo Sisniega, Ian Belcher, Christopher McVie, Manu Duah, Luca Bombino, Oni Valacari, Jeppe Tverskov, Anibal Godoy, Anders Dreyer, Corey Bird, Amahl Pellegrino.

Vancouver starting lineup: Yuhei Takaoka, Eder Ocampo, Tristan Blackmon, Ralph Briso, Mathias Laborda, Emanuele Sabpe, Sebastian Berhalter, Thomas Müller, Andres Cubas, Ali Ahmed, Brian White.

How to watch San Diego vs. Vancouver: TV channel, live stream online

The match will kick off on Saturday at 21:00 ET (18:00 PT / 02:00 Sunday GMT), with live coverage available through the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV+.

In the US, the subscription costs $14.99 per month or $69 for the season. Existing Apple TV+ subscribers pay $12.99 per month or $59 for the season.

San Diego and Vancouver Whitecaps match statistics

• Both teams finished the regular season with 63 points, with San Diego the top seed
• Defender Ian Belcher’s first career goal gave San Diego a 1-1 draw when they hosted Vancouver on July 19.
• The Varas had an MLS regular season best of 18 at home after winning seven and losing five of their 17 games, but won all three of their home games by an overall score of 7-1.
• They have gone more than four hours without conceding a goal at Snapdragon Stadium
• Drayer scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 34 regular season games, directly contributing to 59% of San Diego’s goals.
• Including the playoffs, San Diego has won 16 games and lost one of the 18 in which it scored the first goal.
• Yuhei Takaoka’s assist for Vancouver against Los Angeles made the goalkeeper the 29th Whitecaps player to have a direct contribution to a goal this season in all competitions, joining all the team’s players who played at least 10 minutes during the season.
• Vancouver won eight and lost four of its 17 away games during the regular season, representing the fourth-best road record in MLS.
• Including the playoffs, Vancouver has won 16 and tied four of the 20 games in which they have scored their first goals.
• Both teams scored frequently during the final 15 minutes of halves, with 33 of Vancouver’s 71 goals this season coming during those periods, compared to 36 of San Diego’s 73.
• The only 15-minute period in which either team has scored more than 17 goals this season is the final 15 minutes of San Diego’s games, with 21 goals scored during those closing stages.