Welcome back to another episode of the Third Sub Podcast!

In this episode, Alex and Sam are back, as usual, this time to chat all things Vancouver Whitecaps ahead of their massive matchup against LAFC in the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs. 

The third straight postseason in which they'll face off against LAFC, it's worth noting that this Whitecaps team is quite different from the one that was eliminated in both years, however, and the regular season proved that. 

Of course, though, things are a lot different in the playoffs, so it'll be interesting to see how the Whitecaps can build off what they showed in a dominant Round #1 win vs. FC Dallas, against an LAFC side that also cruised to victory in Round #1 against Austin FC. 

While this has naturally been billed as a revenge opportunity for the Whitecaps and a matchup between superstars Thomas Müller and Heung-Min Son, it's worth noting that this game has a lot more layers to it - in fact, it has the potential to be one of the best-ever MLS playoff matches, period, and they dive into why that is the case. 

From there, they take time to dive into the two teams and how they play, seeing where the game could be won and lost, given the significant stylistic differences between these two sides. 

Lastly, they give a shout out to the Vancouver Rise, who won the inaugural NSL playoffs this past weekend, setting the tone for soccer in the city of Vancouver at a good time. 

Make sure to check out The Third Sub Podcast on Twitter, @thirdsubpod, as well as on Instagram, @the3rdsub_.