Thomas Müller, Brian White, Yohei Takaoka lead Whitecaps to 3-0 victory over Toronto

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Thomas Müller scored twice and Brian White added a goal in a 22-minute span of the first half and Yohei Takaoka finished with a second straight clean sheet in the Vancouver Whitecaps' 3-0 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday night.

Müller ignited the Whitecaps with a penalty-kick goal in the 25th minute, then made it 2-0 with a goal 12 minutes later. White capped the scoring two minutes into stoppage time with an unassisted netter. It was White's 80th career goal for Vancouver in all competitions.

Müller's PK came after Toronto's Walker Zimmerman fouled Aziel Jackson. His second goal came with assists from Mathias Laborda and Sebastian Berhalter in the 37th minute.

Takaoka finished with three saves for the Whitecaps (2-0-0) — one-week after a two-save effort led to a 1-0 victory over visiting Real Salt Lake to begin the season. Jackson scored the lone goal.

Luka Gavran saved two shots for Toronto in his 18th career start. Toronto lost 3-2 to FC Dallas in its opener, beginning with two road matches for a fourth straight season.

The Whitecaps are 5-0-4 in their last nine matchups with Toronto, which hasn't won in Vancouver since March 2017.

Vancouver: At Portland Timbers on Saturday.

Toronto: At FC Cincinnati on Sunday.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White (24) and Ralph Priso (6) celebrate White's goal against Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran (1) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran, back, watches Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller celebrate his second goal during the first half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Whitecaps' Aziel Jackson, left, and Toronto FC's Richie Laryea vie for the ball during the first half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller, left, and Edier Ocampo celebrate Muller's second goal against Toronto FC during the first half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Toronto FC goalkeeper Luka Gavran allows a goal to Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller, back right, on a penalty kick during the first half of an MLS soccer match, in Vancouver, on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A heated U.S. Senate race in Texas entered its final stretch on Sunday with candidates on both sides of the aisle making final pitches to voters ahead of Tuesday's primary, the nation’s first big contest of the 2026 midterm elections.

Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn is trying to hold on to the seat he has held since first being elected in 2002, but finds himself in the toughest race of his long career against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt.

“Complacency is a killer,” Cornyn told voters Saturday at a seafood restaurant in The Woodlands, a Houston suburb. “It kills relationships. It kills careers.”

Democrats haven’t won a Senate race in Texas since 1988, but they see an opening this year to help boost their long-shot hopes of recapturing a Senate majority, especially if Republicans nominate Paxton, who is popular with MAGA voters but has had years of legal problems.

On the Democratic side, state Rep. James Talarico, a self-described policy wonk who emphasizes his crossover appeal to Republicans, faces U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a rhetorical brawler on Capitol Hill who received a high-profile endorsement Friday from former Vice President Kamala Harris.

Candidates and political groups are pouring money into the race at a record pace, partly fueled by Talarico's fundraising and allies of Cornyn trying to save his long career.

Heading into Tuesday’s primary elections, the cost of advertising and reserved advertising time had topped $110 million, the most ever for a Senate primary, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

A late visit to Texas on Friday by President Donald Trump, who used the Port of Corpus Christi as a backdrop for a speech highlighting energy production, drew all of the top Republican U.S. Senate candidates. And while Trump said Friday he's “pretty much” decided whom to endorse, he declined to name who he'll actually support.

“We have a great attorney general, Ken Paxton. Where’s Ken? Hi, Ken,” Trump said. He continued, “And we have a great senator, John Cornyn. Hi, John.”

Noting that they’re in a “little bit of a race,” Trump added: ’It’s going to be an interesting one, right? They’re both great people.”

Despite his long career in Texas politics, Paxton has painted himself as a Washington outsider and a staunch supporter of Trump.

“I'm not going up to Washington, D.C., to join the swamp club,” Paxton said at a campaign event in Fort Worth. “I will go up there and fight for you.”

Primary candidate for U.S. Senate Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, left, poses for a photo with a supporter at a campaign stop in Dallas, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, speaks during a campaign event, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Tyler, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, left, poses for photos and visits with supporters during a campaign stop in Austin, Texas, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)