Brian White scored his 100th Major League Soccer goal as the Vancouver Whitecaps beat San Diego FC 4-1 on Wednesday night at BC Place. White became the 17th player in MLS history to reach the milestone, with 98 of them coming since he joined Vancouver in 2021. His 42nd-minute header from Oliver Larraz's pass was his 18th MLS goal of the season and ended a five-game scoring drought.

What the win means for the West

Aleksa Cvetkovic opened the scoring in the 24th minute with his first MLS goal, from a Mathias Laborda pass. Ryan Gauld gave Vancouver a 3-0 lead in the 66th minute with a diving header, the club's 67th goal of the regular season and a new team record. Bruno Caicedo added the fourth in the 76th minute before Onni Valakari headed a late consolation for San Diego in the 83rd minute. Thomas Muller returned as a 74th-minute substitute after a hamstring injury.

White keeps his eyes on the bigger prize

The Whitecaps improved to 17 wins, 8 losses and 7 draws, moving to 58 points at the top of the Western Conference. They lead second-placed Dallas by four points after Dallas lost 2-0 to Columbus, and can clinch top spot at home on Sunday against Seattle.

San Diego (8-13-11) were eliminated from playoff contention and stretched their winless run to ten games.

White called the milestone a nice achievement he had always wanted, but stressed that winning the MLS Cup mattered more. Coach Jesper Sorensen praised an aggressive, front-foot performance. Vancouver reached last season's MLS Cup final, and White said momentum matters heading into the playoffs.

Sources: TSN and Canadian Soccer Daily.