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Whitecaps Host LAFC in Sold-Out Western Conference Semifinal

Formidable attacking threats meet a healthier host side after a rare three-week break.

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LAFC’s Son Heung-min, left, and the Vancouver Whitecaps’ Thomas Müller, right, have delivered for their teams since arriving in the summer. The internationally beloved game-changers are among many reasons that Saturday night’s Western Conference semifinal in Canada is so intriguing. (Photos by The Associated Press and Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The winner advances to the Western Conference final in a single-elimination matchup.
  • Both teams swept their first-round series and had nearly three weeks off before this game, with Vancouver boosted by Brian White’s availability and improved fitness for Ryan Gauld and Tristan Blackmon.
  • Vancouver’s summer signing Thomas Müller made an immediate impact, recording seven goals and three assists in his first seven league matches.
  • LAFC leans on the prolific duo of Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-min, with Bouanga owning nine career goals against Vancouver, including four in five playoff meetings.
  • LAFC has knocked Vancouver out of multiple recent competitions, yet the Whitecaps reached the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final and won this year’s regular-season series between the clubs.