‘The most important thing is three points’: White aims to keep Whitecaps atop MLS

VANCOUVER — It was a frustrating start to the season for Vancouver Whitecaps striker Brian White.

The American attacker was getting plenty of prime chances, but they weren’t going in.

A goal against Toronto FC on Feb. 28 opened the floodgates. He added a brace against the Portland Timbers the following week, then tallied two more against Minnesota United.

Now White has five goals on the season, tied with Petar Musa of FC Dallas for the most in Major League Soccer through the first four games of the year.

“For me, it’s all about scoring goals to help the team win. At the end of the day, three points is what’s most important,” the 30-year-old forward said Friday. “So if I can score goals and put myself on that list, yeah, that obviously means a lot to me personally. But like I said, the most important thing is three points.”

Even when White was struggling to find his scoring touch, he was contributing to the team, said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen.

“He started out not scoring the first couple of games. … But we never doubted that Brian would score again,” he said. “It’s normal for a striker to be measured upon his goals and it just goes up and down and throughout the season.”

White has logged seven starts across all competitions this season and came off the bench for the only other game Vancouver has played. He also leads the club in several categories, including expected goals (3.59) and on-target shots (seven).

“Brian is a player where we know that he will be contributing with goals, but also with a very strong physical effort all the time,” Sorensen said. “I also look at other things than just goal scoring, and I think Brian has been good for us.”

White and his teammates will look to continue a stellar start to the season on Saturday when they host the San Jose Earthquakes.

The matchup will pit Vancouver star Thomas Muller against his countryman, Timo Meir. The duo played 23 games together with the German national team and previously faced off in the Bundesliga.

The ‘Caps (4-0-0) come in as the top team in the league, while the Quakes (3-1-0) sit fourth in the Western Conference.

Both clubs come in having conceded a single goal over their first four MLS games.

“We have been able to not give that many chances away, open chances. And that’s also due to the players who played well in the defensive lines,” Sorensen said.

“But we haven’t played that close to our own goal either, right? So it’s also been the pressure in front of them, and the way we have been able to put the pressure out the pitch that made a difference for us as well.”

Defence has been a total team effort, said centre back Ralph Priso, with everyone from goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka to White stepping up to do their part.

“Guys all over the pitch are willing to run hard and put in the effort to help stop attacks from even starting,” Priso said. “So I think it’s just a commitment from everyone to defend and to keep zeros on the board.”

It’s been a busy month for the Whitecaps, with eight games across all competitions over 29 days. Most of the group will get a break after Saturday’s matchup, thanks to the March international window.

Priso, however, won’t be resting. Instead, he’s joining the Canadian men’s team in Toronto for a pair of friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia.

Finishing the first stretch of the season on a high is crucial, he said.

“I want to be able to go to camp and be able to say that we’re 5-0-0. So it’s very important,” he said. “Definitely will be a point of emphasis tomorrow.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 206.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press