Thomas Muller scored and notched an assist, but his Vancouver Whitecaps had to settle for a 3-3 draw with D.C. United on Saturday.
Kimito Nono had a brace for a D.C. side that took the lead in the 16th minute, fell behind twice but refused to relent across the game.
Lucas Bartlett also scored for United (6-8-12) and Sean Johnson provided six saves.
The ‘Caps (15-6-5) got goals from Muller, striker Brian White and winger Bruno Caicedo, while goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka registered four stops.
Vancouver remains atop Major League Soccer’s Western Conference standings with eight games left on the team’s regular-season schedule, three points ahead of second-place side FC Dallas.
Both sides were missing stars who were away playing for their national teams on Saturday.
The Whitecaps had six players out on international duty, including defensive midfielder Andres Cubas and midfielder Edier Ocampo, and four others absent due to injuries and illness.
D.C. was without three players who had been called up to represent their countries, including Tai Baribo, and one who missed the game due to injury.
Vancouver bolstered its ranks with a pair of signings on Saturday, inking Canadian forward Johnny Selemani to a contract through the 2029-30 MLS season and bringing midfielder Valter Sedin up from MLS NEXT Pro side Whitecaps FC 2 on a short-term MLS deal.
A scramble in front of the Vancouver net off a D.C. corner put United on the board in the 16th minute.
With Takaoka tied up at the other post, defender Mathias Laborda stepped in and, lying on the turf, stopped Nono’s initial attempt from fully crossing the goal line, but Nono ran in and booted a second shot in to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
A rebound at the other end of the field saw the Whitecaps equalize nine minutes later.
Johnson stopped White’s first shot but the rebound popped back out to the top of the six-yard box and the striker blasted his second try into the top of the net.
White’s goal — his team-leading 17th of the MLS season — set a new career high for the 30-year-old American forward.
Vancouver took the lead in final minutes of the first half off a give-and-go play inside the penalty area.
Caicedo slipped a ball to Muller at the top of the area, then took a few quick steps toward the D.C. net. Muller sent it back to the foot of the Ecuadorean winger and he tapped it in to put the ‘Caps up 2-1 in the third minute of stoppage first-half stoppage time
The Whitecaps controlled 62.3 per cent of possession across the first half, but were outshot 11-8 by United. The home side was more clinical in its chances, though, and held a 6-4 edge in on-target shots.
Vancouver Whitecaps’ Tristan Blackmon (left) and D.C. United’s Joao Peglow (7) vie for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacob Mallari
D.C. evened the score once again in the 65th minute off another set play.
Keisuke Kurokawa floated a ball in off a corner kick and Bartlett headed it in over Takaoka to make it 2-2.
Vancouver struck back in the 72nd minute when Muller collected a ball from defender Aleksa Cvetkovic and fired a rolling shot from just above the penalty area. The blast ticked off Johnson’s outstretched fingertips and into the D.C. net to put the ‘Caps up 3-2.
The strike drew animated cheers from the announced crowd of 26,080 at BC Place.
D.C. refused to relent late, though.
Hosei Kijima sent Nono a ball in the 77th minute and the Japanese right back popped it in for his second goal of the game.
The Whitecaps came within inches of a win late into injury time when Laborda sent a screamer soaring just wide of the post.
UP NEXT
Whitecaps: Visit the Chicago Fire on Oct. 6.
United: Visit Inter Miami on Oct. 10.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2026.
By Gemma Karstens-Smith | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
