Brian White scored twice and Sebastian Berhalter added one goal and two assists as the Vancouver Whitecaps defeated Minnesota United 6-0 on Sunday, marking the MLS debut of James Rodriguez.
Emmanuel Sabbi and Mathias Laborda also scored, with each contributing an assist. Cheikh Sabaly added another goal for Vancouver (4-0-0, 12 points), tying for first place in the Western Conference alongside Los Angeles FC. Yohei Takaoka made four saves, achieving his third shutout of the season.
Drake Callender had two saves for Minnesota (1-2-1, 4 points). Minnesota, missing captain Michael Boxall due to an adductor injury, struggled defensively against the Whitecaps, who raced to a 4-0 lead in the first 43 minutes.
Berhalter opened the scoring in the eighth minute with a penalty kick that found the middle of the net as Callender dived to his right, following a foul by Loons defender Kyle Duncan on Jeevan Badwal in the box.
White made it 2-0 in the 13th minute, redirecting a shot from Sabbi inside the right post.
Laborda extended the lead to 3-0 in the 22nd minute, deflecting Berhalter’s free kick into the near left post.
Minnesota’s Nectarios Triantis nearly reduced the lead in the 38th minute, but his shot hit the left post, marking the team’s first attempt of the match. Sabbi then scored to make it 4-0 in the 43rd minute, connecting with a through pass from Berhalter and shooting into the far left side of the net.
White completed his brace in the 54th minute with another penalty kick, placing it into the left corner for a 5-0 lead.
Rodriguez, a former Golden Boot winner, made his debut for the Loons in the 64th minute and created a scoring opportunity five minutes later with a curling corner, which led to a header by Kelvin Yeboah, saved by Takaoka.
Sabaly capped the scoring in the 74th minute with a left-footed shot from within the six-yard box, deflecting off Morris Duggan as he attempted a clearance, bringing the score to 6-0.
Vancouver then brought in Thomas Muller, a former teammate of Rodriguez at Bayern Munich, in the 77th minute, marking the first time in MLS history that two former World Cup Golden Boot winners appeared in the same match.