It’s not every day that you finish a match against nine men. But, that was the case for the Vancouver Whitecaps Saturday night in Seattle.

The Sounders had two men sent off on Saturday and the Whitecaps put two goals by Stefan Frei to blank Seattle 2-0. It’s the first time the Whitecaps have won in Seattle since 2016. To say the power has shifted in the Cascadia Cup would be an understatement.

Already up 1-0 thanks to Ryan Gauld, and up a man thanks to Jackson Ragen’s upgraded red card, Brian White scored his Vancouver Whitecaps record tying 43rd goal in the 71st minute to double Vancouver’s lead.

White equalled Camilo Sanvezzo’s Vancouver Whitecaps MLS era record with 43 goals in all competitions, while also becoming just the sixth player in MLS history to score 50 career goals without attempting a penalty kick. Now, that is impressive.

After years of trophy collecting as a MLS powerhouse, the Sounders have given their fans, and head coach Brian Schmetzer, more than a few sleepless nights.

Ragen was shown a red card in the 43rd minute for a foul on Ryan Gauld, after a VAR review determined he should be sent off. Alex Roldan was forced to exit in the 75th for a challenge on Ali Ahmed, leaving the Sounders who were already trailing 1-0 even more shorthanded.

Gauld broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, firing a perfect left-footed shot from the center of the box, assisted by Sam Adekugbe.

It was Gauld’s third goal in the last four matches. After what looked like a slow start for Vancouver’s dynamic duo, they’re back to top form.

Jay Herdman, son of former Canadian national team and current Toronto FC head coach John Herdman, made his MLS debut on Saturday. The 19-year-old midfielder replaced Gauld in the 81st minute.

Yohei Takaoka secured his third clean sheet of the season for the Whitecaps, joining a four-way tie for the league lead in shutouts.

The Whitecaps now sit atop the Western Conference as the first team to reach five wins. A key part to the Caps’ success is that they have dominated on the road with three victories away from home. Vancouver sit one point up on Real Salt Lake and the Los Angeles Galaxy, but the Galaxy could reclaim top spot with a win over the San Jose Earthquakes on Sunday.

The Caps head east next weekend for a visit with the New York Red Bulls.