Sam Adekugbe, Brian White spark Whitecaps to 2-1 victory over Galaxy

By Canadian Press on March 2, 2025.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Defender Sam Adekugbe scored early, Brian White scored late and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 on Sunday, handing the defending MLS Cup champions a second straight defeat to begin the season.

Adekugbe scored unassisted in the 3rd minute to give the Whitecaps (2-0-0) the lead. It was his second goal of the season and his third in 44 appearances with the club.

L.A. pulled even in the 39th minute when Gabriel Pec used assists from Miguel Berry and 21-year-old rookie midfielder Elijah Wynder to score the Galaxy’s first goal of the season. Pec had 16 goals and 14 assists as a rookie last season in the championship run. The Galaxy lost 2-0 to San Diego FC — an expansion team — in their home opener.

White’s winner came in the 87th minute when he used his head to score off a long pass from Pedro Vite. It was the first goal for White, who is coming off back-to-back 15-goal seasons. Vite’s helper was his first of the season and the ninth of his career.

Yohei Takaoka finished with one save for the Whitecaps.

Novak Micovic saved two shots in his sixth career start for the Galaxy.

Vancouver rolled to a 4-1 road victory over the Portland Timbers last week in the debut of head coach Jesper Sørensen. Newcomer Jayden Nelson stole the show in the match when he joined Alphonso Davis (2018) as the only Whitecaps to have a goal and three assists. He was the fourth player in club history with four goal contributions in a single match.

The Whitecaps will host CF Montreal on Saturday. The Galaxy return home to play St. Louis City on Sunday.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

The Associated Press