The Vancouver Whitecaps triumphed over FC Dallas in a thrilling playoff match on Saturday night, with Ralph Priso scoring the equalizing goal in stoppage time and Belal Halbouni securing the victory in a penalty shootout. This win, following a 1-1 draw in regular time, allowed the Whitecaps to sweep the best-of-three first-round series in the Major League Soccer Cup playoffs.
As a result of this victory, the Whitecaps will host the Western Conference semifinal at B.C. Place stadium on Nov. 22. Vancouver, seeded second in the Western Conference, will face either Los Angeles FC or Austin in the upcoming one-game conference semifinals.
FC Dallas forward Petar Musa scored his first career playoff goal in the 25th minute, giving Dallas a 1-0 lead. However, Ralph Priso’s late header, which was initially saved by rookie goalkeeper Michael Collodi, allowed Priso to score on the rebound, leveling the score at 1-1.
In the penalty shootout, Vancouver’s Thomas Müller and Sebastian Berhalter scored, while Dallas’ Musa and Patrickson Delgago found the net. Ultimately, Halbouni’s decisive penalty secured the win after Nolan Norris missed for Dallas.
The Whitecaps had previously dominated with a 3-0 victory in Game 1. Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka made two crucial saves for Vancouver during the match.
