Vancouver, B.C. — The Vancouver Whitecaps, riding a scorching five-game unbeaten streak, faced a gut-check moment on May 3 at BC Place. Their leading scorer, Brian White, was sidelined with a hamstring injury, leaving a gaping hole in the attack. But the Whitecaps, fueled by a scrappy counter-attacking style and a clutch finish, edged out Real Salt Lake 2-1 in a match that proved their depth and resolve.
The game started cagey, with both sides probing but neither landing a real punch. Vancouver, leaning on their trademark speed, found their moment just before halftime. Midfielder Alessandro Schöpf sparked a lightning-fast break, threading a pass to forward Levonte Nelson. The 22-year-old, in only his third start this season, weaved through a tangle of RSL defenders like a man dodging rush-hour traffic. Twelve yards out, he fired a low, stinging shot that slipped just past the outstretched glove of Salt Lake’s keeper, Rafael Cabral. The crowd of 22,178 erupted, sensing their team’s grit was about to shine.
Real Salt Lake, no strangers to road battles, pushed back hard in the second half. Their captain, Chicho Arango, nearly leveled things with a curling free kick that forced a sprawling save from Whitecaps keeper Yohei Takaoka. But Vancouver’s defense, anchored by center-back Ranko Veselinović, held firm, snuffing out crosses and clogging passing lanes. Then, in the 70th minute, the Whitecaps struck again. A corner kick from Ryan Gauld—himself playing through a nagging ankle issue—found defender Tristan Blackmon unmarked at the back post. Blackmon’s header wasn’t pretty, but it was effective, bulging the net for a 2-0 lead.
RSL clawed one back late, in the 82nd minute, when midfielder Diego Luna slotted home a rebound after Takaoka parried a long-range shot. The final minutes were tense, with Salt Lake throwing bodies forward, but Vancouver’s backline stood tall, sealing a victory that stretched their unbeaten run to six matches. The result lifted the Whitecaps to 8 wins from 11 games in the 2025 MLS season, a pace that has them atop the Western Conference.
Nelson’s goal, his second of the campaign, underscored the team’s ability to adapt without White, who’s bagged 7 goals this year. Blackmon’s header, meanwhile, was his first since joining Vancouver in 2022, a timely reminder of the squad’s set-piece threat. For RSL, the loss snapped a three-game unbeaten streak, leaving them with 5 wins from 12 matches.