Vancouver is in Danger of Losing the Lead in West Facing St. Louis SC

Written By Jason Green | Published at October 14, 2026

Vancouver is in danger of losing the lead in Western Conference in their next match. They next face St. Louis SC, who is only one point back of the Whitecaps. — Sep 26, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Brian White (24) reacts during the first half against the D.C. United at BC Place. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

Vancouver is in danger of losing its Western Conference lead as it faces St. Louis SC on the road tonight. The Whitecaps' lead has dwindled to a single point over a red-hot St. Louis squad.

Streaking St. Louis

St. Louis SC is riding a 20-match unbeaten streak and has won their last five matches, outscoring their opponents 19-5. In their last match, they won 6-2 at home against the L.A. Galaxy, with Carlo Holse scoring a hat trick within 21 minutes of the opening whistle.

At the start of September in Vancouver, the Whitecaps suffered a bad 3-1 loss to St. Louis. After scoring in only the second minute, Vancouver then gave up three unanswered goals in the first half in what may have been the worst first half of the season. In the match, the Whitecaps had only three shots on goal, and at home they lost the time-of-possession battle (53% to 47%).

Fading Whitecaps

While St. Louis is on a streak, the Whitecaps are fading, and a loss tonight will drop them out of the top spot in the West, which they have held for most of the season. In their last three matches, they have bagged only two points, with two draws and a loss.

While Vancouver has shown flashes since losing all three matches in the Leagues Cup with five clean-sheet wins, they also have three losses and two draws. The club has been inconsistent and has lately played down to the competition. In three of their last five matches, they drew with LAFC (9th in the West) and DC United (12th in the East) and lost to Austin FC (13th in the West).

Falling Down

With their recent play, the Whitecaps have fallen from third to sixth in the latest ESPN MLS Power Rankings. On the other side of the coin, St. Louis SC jumped to second in those rankings, and it stated, “Right now, St. Louis looks like the class of the West -- and it doesn't look close.” Ouch.

Hope is Not Lost

While Vancouver has been inconsistent and hasn't won its last three matches, hope is not lost. Despite a tough match tonight against St. Louis SC, they will make the playoffs, and their remaining schedule is pretty weak. After tonight, they have five more matches against three teams from the 11 in their respective conferences, plus Seattle and Colorado, who are seventh and eighth, respectively, in the Western Conference.