Brian White insisted his focus was not on winning the MLS Golden Ball, but helping the Vancouver Whitecaps continue their fine start to the campaign. 

White was on target once again in the Whitecaps' 3-2 win over Real Salt Lake, netting a brace in five first-half minutes to take his tally to 10 for the season already. 

Only the Philadelphia Union's Tai Baribo (13) has netted more in the league this campaign, though White was not worried about personal accolades. 

"I mean, what striker doesn't want to win a Golden Boot, you know what I mean," remarked White with a smile. "But it's not what I focus on.

"I focus on what can I do to help this team win and taking the chances when I get them.

"It's one of those things that everyone talks about, but for me, I focus on how well can I play for the Whitecaps and how can I help this team win."

Vancouver head coach Jesper Sorensen was also full of praise for his in-form forward, who propelled his team four points clear at the Western Conference summit. 

"Brian is always dangerous, he's always a threat in the box," Sorensen said. "You also saw him have two big opportunities apart from the two goals.

"He's always involved. He's also good at helping us build up. He's also good at taking the duels in mid-pitch.

"He helps the team a lot, and he's just growing day by day. He has a lot of confidence, and it helps him relax in the game."

And White will be confident of adding to his tally against Minnesota United in midweek, who endured another frustrating outing as they drew 1-1 with Austin FC last weekend. 

Michael Boxall's opener was cancelled out by Zan Kolmanic in the first half, but the Loons were forced to rue a plethora of missed opportunities at Allianz Field. 

They ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 1.71 from their 15 shots to Austin's 0.8 from their eight shots, leaving head coach Olof Mellberg scratching his head. 

"I think the guys felt that we had a good chance of getting the three points today," Mellberg said. "Unfortunately, it wasn't to be. I think the guys felt it was an opportunity wasted."

"We had a couple of really big (chances), especially the Cedi one in the first half.

"I didn’t think it was a poor finish - it was a really good save. That goal would obviously have made a big difference to the game.

"On these really big chances, I don't think there's anything mental. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't.

"I think we can improve on the final pass, the final cross, positioning in there, so the moment before, we create those big chances so we can get more of them.

"I think a game like this, we could have created even more. Creating more of those chances obviously gives us a better chance of scoring more goals."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Vancouver Whitecaps – Brian White

White wrote himself into club history with his brace against Salt Lake, becoming the first Whitecaps player to score 15 or more goals across all competitions in three consecutive seasons.

Following his goal from the spot, White also became the third player in MLS history to reach 70 career regular-season goals without attempting a single penalty kick (non-shootouts). Edson Buddle reached 70 goals in 2009 and Will Bruin scored his 70th in 2019.

Minnesota United – Joaquin Pereyra

Pereyra has been Minnesota's chief creator this season, registering six assists from 15 league appearances this season while also netting two goals. 

Indeed, against Austin, he ended with team-high totals for shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (five), while also creating one chance. 

MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN

The Opta supercomputer favours the Whitecaps to continue their fine start to the season against Minnesota, and this week's hosts have had the better of this fixture. 

They have won 17 of the 35 overall meetings between the two sides, with Sorensen's side winning 3-2 in the match between the two teams back in April. 

But Minnesota have been impressive on the road. Three of their seven wins this season have come away from home, losing just twice, against Los Angeles FC and the Houston Dynamo. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Vancouver Whitecaps – 53.7%

Draw – 23.7%

Minnesota United – 22.5%