Whitecaps beat San Diego 3-1 to win Western Conference, will play Inter Miami for MLS Cup

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brian White scored twice in the first half and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat expansion side San Diego FC 3-1 on Saturday night to win the Western Conference for the first time.

Jesper Sørensen’s Whitecaps will head to Florida to play Lionel Messi and Inter Miami for the MLS Cup on Dec. 6. Inter Miami won the Eastern Conference with a 5-1 victory over visiting New York City FC earlier Saturday. Both clubs are playing in the final for the first time.

White staked Vancouver to a 1-0 lead in the 8th minute and the Whitecaps took a two-goal lead three minutes later on an own goal by San Diego keeper Pablo Sisniega

Andrés Cubas and Ali Ahmed collected assists on White’s first netter this postseason.

Ahmed sent a shot on goal that Sisniega saved, but Manu Duah tried to clear it and instead sent the ball off Sisniega’s back and into the net for the 2-0 lead.

White again used assists from Cubas and Ahmed to score two minutes into stoppage time for a three-goal advantage at halftime.

White has five career goals in 12 playoff appearances. Cubas collected his first two postseason assists in his 10th appearance. All three of Ahmed’s assists in nine career playoff appearances have come this season.

Hirving “Chucky” Lozano subbed in to begin the second half for San Diego and used an assist from Jeppe Tverskov to score in the 60th minute when his shot deflected over the head of Yohei Takaoka to cut it to 3-1. It was Lozano’s first goal in his first MLS postseason. Tverskov earned his second assist in his first postseason.

San Diego was forced to play a man down from the 79th minute on after Sisniega picked up a red card for a foul on Ryan Gauld.

Takaoka finished with three saves in his 10th postseason start in the last three seasons for the Whitecaps. He allowed 12 goals through his first nine.

Pablo Sisniega saved four shots in his third postseason start for San Diego. He had clean sheets in his first two.

Mikey Varas’ San Diego squad became the second expansion team to advance to a conference final, joining the 1998 Chicago Fire. Chicago went on to beat two-time defending champion D.C. United 2-0 to win the MLS Cup before 50,000 fans at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

San Diego beat Vancouver 5-3 on the road and drew 1-1 with the Whitecaps at home during the regular season.

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