The Vancouver Whitecaps secured a thrilling victory against FC Dallas in the Major League Soccer Cup playoffs on Saturday night. Ralph Priso netted the equalizer in stoppage time, and Belal Halbouni sealed the win in a penalty shootout, allowing the Whitecaps to sweep the best-of-three first-round series.
Following a 1-1 draw in regular time, Vancouver will host the Western Conference semifinal at B.C. Place stadium on Nov. 22. As the second seed in the Western Conference, the Whitecaps will face either Los Angeles FC or Austin in the upcoming conference semifinals.
FC Dallas took the lead with Petar Musa’s first career goal in the 25th minute, but Priso’s header in stoppage time leveled the score. The Whitecaps eventually prevailed in the penalty shootout, with Halbouni scoring the decisive goal after a series of successful conversions and misses from both teams.
Nolan Norris missed the final penalty for Dallas, securing the Whitecaps’ victory. Vancouver had previously dominated with a 3-0 win in Game 1 of the series, with goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka making crucial saves to secure the team’s advancement.