Vancouver beats LAFC 4-3 on penalties to reach first conference final

VIDEO SHOWS: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FACE LOS ANGELES FOOTBALL CLUB IN THE MLS CUP PLAYOFFS WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMI-FINALS AT BC PLACE COMPLETE SHOTLIST TO FOLLOW SHOWS: (SOCCER UNITED MARKETING – Editorial use only. No more than 30 seconds per match. Must on screen courtesy 'MLS on Apple'. No use after December 31, 2025. No resales. No sublicensing. No monetisation) STORY: Mathias Laborda scored the decisive penalty and a pivotal first-half goal as the nine-man Vancouver Whitecaps edged past Los Angeles FC 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday (November 22) following a 2-2 draw. Sebastian Berhalter, Jayden Nelson, and Ryan Gauld also converted in the shootout to propel Vancouver to its first Western Conference Final in the club's 15-season Major League Soccer stint, overcoming a second-half comeback from LAFC. The No. 2-seeded Whitecaps will face the winner of Monday's semifinal between top-seeded San Diego and No. 4 Minnesota. Emmanuel Sabbi opened the scoring for Vancouver in the 39th minute, looping a chip over LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris following a precision longball from Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka. Laborda doubled the lead just before halftime, reacting first to a rebound after Lloris parried Thomas Muller's header. LAFC's Son Heung-min led a resurgence for the visitors after the interval, scoring in the 60th minute on a third effort through a crowded Whitecaps defense and then curling a spectacular stoppage-time free kick into the top corner to force extra time. The dramatic equalizer came after Vancouver's Tristan Blackmon was sent off for a second yellow card, awarded for a foul on Denis Bouanga that set up Son's free kick. Vancouver went down to nine men during extra time after defender Belal Halbouni exited injured with all substitutions already used. LAFC pressed for a winner but was held at bay despite hitting the goalframe three times in quick succession, including two strikes by Bouanga and one by David Martinez. In the penalty shootout, Son hit the post with LAFC's opening attempt, and Mark Delgado fired wide late on. The result marked the final match under outgoing LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo. Vancouver controlled much of the first half, outshooting LAFC 7-1 overall and 5-0 on target. Sabbi and Laborda capitalized on that dominance with their goals, but LAFC recovered momentum after halftime with Son's efforts. Still, the Whitecaps held firm under immense pressure to secure their place in the conference final. (Production: Suramya Kaushik)

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