Four-Star Whitecaps trounce Austin FC

Photo: Gerrit te Hennepe

Vancouver Whitecaps 5-1 Austin FC

VANCOUVER, BC–Life is good right now for the Whitecaps. They have a Concacaf Champions Cup semifinal tie with Inter Miami coming up and they are currently top of MLS after Brian White went off for four goals in a 5-1 thrashing of Austin FC.

The fun started in the 13th minute as Edier Ocampo sent a cross into the box and Daniel Rios would flick it on to White for the first goal. The lead was doubled in the 38th minute after Brad Stuver’s errant goal kick went right to Ralph Priso, who then sent the ball to Emmanuel Sabbi, who then fed White, who got the ball beneath Stuver.

Sabbi got a goal of his own off a corner kick as he was criminally unmarked after receiving a flick-on from Pedro Vite and scoring from close range just two minutes into the second half. White completed his hat trick in the 58th minute after pouncing on a rebound following Ranko Veselinovic’s effort going off the post.

Photo: Gerrit te Hennepe

To be fair to Stuver, it could’ve been far worse for the Verde were it not for six saves. One of those was on a penalty as he denied Daniel Rios in the 72nd minute. Stuver would not be able to deny White a fourth which he would get in the 83rd minute.

White is the first Whitecap to score four in a match in the MLS era of the club. David Cross scored four in a match in 1984 during the NASL days in a 5-3 win over Tampa Bay Rowdies and Jason Jordan did it in 2005 in the USL era vs. Charleston Battery.

Austin would get a consolation goal as David Pereira scored from outside the box in the 90th minute.

Next up for the Whitecaps is a Saturday trip to St. Louis City SC. Kickoff is at 5:30pm PT.

For more of Gerrit te Hennepe’s photos from the night at BC Place, please click on the link to his gallery.