All five of Julian Donnery’s goals this season have been scored in the 80th minute or later.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — In The Town FC’s second-to-last home match of the regular season and final game at PayPal Park, the club prevailed over Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, 2-1, to secure its second Pacific Division title in a row.
Wednesday’s bout was head coach Dan DeGeer’s 100th match at the helm for The Town FC. TTFC led for over half the match before conceding a late Vancouver goal, but took care of business in stoppage time to win its league-leading ninth home game of the season. Goalkeeper Luca Ulrich made his third start of the season between the posts for The Town FC.
Cruz Medina opened up scoring in the 25th minute after receiving an unbelievably accurate cross from Missael Rodríguez, finding the back of the net off a curled shot to the right side.
Out of the break, The Town FC held firm until the 82nd minute, when Whitecaps 2 equalized off an accurate back-post feed. Mateo Clark tapped in the goal from within the six-yard box, giving Vancouver the chance to force a shootout.
Despite the momentum shift, The Town FC prevailed in the end thanks to its clutchest performer this season, Julian Donnery. Two minutes into second-half stoppage time, the 20-year-old forward and TTFC’s offensive attack probed Vancouver’s defense, pulling goalkeeper Max Anchor out of position. Nick Fernandez made the decisive final to Donnery, whose goal gave TTFC the 2-1 edge, just enough for a victory.
Dan DeGeer has been involved with the Earthquakes organization since 2017.
DOMINANT DONNERY:
Donnery’s game-winning, stoppage-time score was his fifth goal of the season, surpassing his previous career-high of four during his debut year in 2024. All five of his goals have arrived in the 80th minute or later — with four in added time — displaying Donnery’s clutch gene late in matches for The Town FC.
MARKSMAN MEDINA:
Medina’s goal on Wednesday tied him for the second most on TTFC — even with Rodríguez with seven — only behind Nonso Adimabua’s 13 tallies.
The San Francisco native has scored twice in the last three games, and like Donnery, has set a new career-high in single-season goals.
Starting in all but two of his appearances, Medina has become a staple of The Town FC’s gameplan.
MISSAEL MISSILES:
Rodríguez’s cerebral first-half assist marked his seventh of 2025, which leads all TTFC players. Only in his first season with the club, Rodríguez has been The Town FC’s most impactful passer, and has four assists in his last four games.
LOCKDOWN LUCA:
Ulrich made his third start of the season and first since Aug. 9. The Georgetown alum made three saves, allowing only one goal for the second time this year.
BOUNCING BACK:
After falling to Tacoma 1-0 last Sunday, The Town FC didn’t let the recent loss hinder its ability to respond three days later.
TTFC also bounced back against Vancouver, the team it decisively lost against on Sep. 13.
PLAYOFF WATCH:
The Town FC remains in second place in the Western Conference and is four points above third-place Colorado. Four points above Real Monarchs with only one match remaining, TTFC has officially clinched the Pacific Division.
The playoff field in the West is nearly finalized, with the eighth seed still up for grabs.
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF TEAMS:
- xys – St. Louis CITY2 – 62 points, 17-4-6
- xs – The Town FC – 52 points, 14-7-6
- x – Colorado Rapids 2 – 48 points, 14-8-5
- x – Real Monarchs – 48 points, 12-7-8
- x – Vancouver Whitecaps 2 – 42 points, 11-11-5
- x – Minnesota United FC 2 – 41 points, 11-10-6
- x – Ventura County FC – 41 points, 11-10-6
- North Texas SC – 40 points, 10-11-6
UP NEXT:
The Town FC will take on Austin FC II in its final regular-season match. The two teams haven’t played each other yet.
The match will be held at The Park at Saint Mary’s Stadium in Moraga on Oct. 5 at 1 p.m.
MEDIA ASSETS
Click here to download photos of the match
MATCH INFORMATION
2025 MLS NEXT Pro Season
The Town FC 2 – 1 Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
PayPal Park
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Scoring Summary:
TTFC (1-0) — C. Medina 25’
VAN (1-1) — M. Clark 82’
TTFC (2-1) — J. Donnery 90 + 2’
Misconduct Summary:
TTFC — W. Eisner (Caution) 20’
TTFC — J. Ricketts (Caution) 32’
VAN — A. Pelayo (Caution) 45’
VAN — M. Clark (Caution) 45’
VAN — C. Rassak (Caution) 53’
VAN — D. Vellios (Caution) 76’
The Town FC: L. Ulrich (GK), A. Mbumba, W. Eisner, A. Cano, R. Ibarra (K. Walwyn-Bent – 71’), E. Mendoza, N. Fernandez, C. Medina (R. Rajagopal – 63’), J. Ricketts (R. Lynch – 45’), M. Rodríguez (J. Donnery – 73’), D. Baptista (C. Cowell – 63’)
Substitutes not used: D. Sweeney, K. Spivey, A. Ling, Y. Kikuchi
SHOTS: 17; SHOTS ON GOAL: 10; FOULS: 16; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2: M. Anchor (GK), D. Russo, A. Pelayo, D. Vellios, N. Djordjevic, J. Castro, C. Rassak (Y. Tsuji – 76’), S. Deo (A. Nehme – 85’), M. Clark (R. Sewell – 85’), C. Kachwele (J. Selemani – 76’), A. Coupland
Substitutes not used: A. Peter, I. Francoeur
SHOTS: 12; SHOTS ON GOAL: 4; FOULS: 11; CORNER KICKS: 7; SAVES: 8