Deadspin: Whitecaps drub Sounders 5-1, completing Cascadia Cup sweep

Vancouver strikes early

The host Whitecaps took the lead 58 seconds into the match. Bruno Caicedo sent a cross from the left wing, and White headed it into the upper-right corner.

Gauld made it 2-0 before the 10-minute mark. After Edier Ocampo beat Nouhou Tolo on the right, his low cross set up Gauld’s left-footed shot from 12 yards.

Vancouver added a third in the 43rd minute. Gauld crossed from the right, and Mathias Laborda headed home from four yards with the Whitecaps leading at halftime.

White reaches a milestone

White scored again in the 53rd minute, finishing a Caicedo pass with a left-footed shot from six yards. It was his 100th career goal in all competitions for the Whitecaps, a franchise record.

Jordan Morris scored for Seattle in the 62nd minute, striking from just inside the top of the 18-yard box to make it 4-1. Aleksa Cvetkovic completed the scoring for Vancouver in the 69th minute with a shot from six yards.

Title and sweep secured

The Whitecaps improved to 18-8-7 with 61 points. They had clinched their second consecutive Western Conference title a day earlier, when second-place FC Dallas drew 1-1 with Sporting Kansas City.

Goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka made four saves as Vancouver swept the season series against both Seattle and Portland. The club became the first to achieve that in the annual three-team Cascadia competition.

Seattle faces Decision Day

Seattle fell to 11-12-10 with 43 points and has gone five matches without a win, with three losses and two draws. The Sounders stayed in the West’s ninth and final playoff position heading into Decision Day next weekend.