White has chance to make Caps history against his old team
VANCOUVER AT N.Y. RED BULLS, 4:30 P.M.
Striker Brian White isn’t sure how he will celebrate if he makes Vancouver Whitecaps history by scoring against his old New York Red Bulls team.
White’s next goal will be his 44th across all competitions, the most of any Whitecap in the Major League Soccer era.
“I’ll see how the moment takes me,” the 28-year-old, who grew up in Flemington, New Jersey, said as the Whitecaps prepared to face the Red Bulls today in New Jersey.
“You try not to think about these kinds of things because they kind of take you out of the rhythm. For me, it’s about how I can help the team win. That’s no different this weekend.”
White, who played his college soccer at Duke, was drafted by the Red Bulls in the first round of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. He made 47 appearances with the team, scoring 15 goals, before being traded to Vancouver in 2021.
“Every time you leave a team, you kind of want to go back and maybe prove a point,” White said after a Whitecaps practice this week. “For me, it’s about [the chance] of doing it in front of friends and family and having that experience with them. Hopefully we can make that happen.”
White is currently tied with Camilo Sanvezzo, a Brazilian who played with Vancouver from 2011-13. He said setting the record “would mean a lot.”
“When I came into the club I was kind of seen as a backup,” said White, who leads Vancouver this season with four goals in seven MLS games. “Through hard work and through the trust of the coach and the club, I’ve been able to flourish. I feel mutual love. To put my name in the record book means a lot. Hopefully, it’s something I can achieve this weekend.”
The Whitecaps beat the Seattle Sounders 2-0 last Saturday to improve to 5-2-1. Vancouver sat second in the Western Conference, two points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy and one ahead of Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids, heading into the weekend.
The Red Bulls are coming off a 2-2 draw with Los Angeles FC last weekend. They began the weekend second in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Inter Miami and three points ahead of FC Cincinnati.
Today’s match will mark the first meeting between the two sides since May 2019, when White scored once for New York in a 2-2 draw.
Vancouver head coach Vanni Sartini said playing the Red Bulls at home, where they have not lost in three matches this season, will be a test for his club.
“It’s going to be a hard game,” said Sartini. “It’s really hard to break them down. We need to be on our top behaviour. We need to go with no fear.”
Sartini said the Whitecaps will need to keep the ball out wide to beat Red Bulls compact defence.
“It’s more play from side to side, be patient with the ball in front of them.”
Sartini isn’t worried White will feel any extra pressure from the chance to set a record against his old team.
“He’s going to be really very excited to play this game,” said the coach. “There is no need to load more of the importance of the game on him.”