VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - MARCH 02: Brian White #24 of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC celebrates ... [+] after scoring the team's second goal during the MLS match between Vancouver Whitecaps FC and LA Galaxy at BC Place Stadium on March 02, 2025 in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) Getty Images Brian White isn’t likely to be included in the Starting XI for the U.S. men's national team for its Concacaf Nations League semifinal against Panama on Thursday night. But if the Americans need a goal to equalize or the game-winner late in the match, don’t be surprised if the Vancouver Whitecaps forward finds himself in the middle of things at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (Paramount+, Univision, 7 p.m. ET). With injuries to forwards Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun, and Haji Wright recently getting back in action after four months on the sidelines, head coach Mauricio Pochettino's options thinned a bit. White was the next man up, thanks to his recent production. Getting chosen to the team was a pleasant surprise to the 29-year-old forward, who has three international matches under his belt. "It's a vote of confidence, and you try and take that to heart," White told FOX Sports in a recent interview. "You know they trust you to come into camp and help the team in any way you can." He added: "Playing for the national team is the dream of every player. I was never in the youth national teams growing up. I was always on the outside looking in. But I always kept dreaming. It's something I never gave up on. "You just keep fighting, hoping to one day maybe get the chance," he added. "Obviously, 29 is kind of late. But it's never too late." In a sport where players such as Christian Pulisic made their debuts as teenagers, White, at the "ancient" age of 27, was summoned for his first U.S. camp for a friendly in January 2024. Today, he finds himself on the team for a vital competition. MORE FOR YOU ‘The Floodgates Open’—Bitcoin And Crypto Brace For A $9 Trillion Fed Price Flip Google Chrome Attack Warning—Stop Using Your Passwords ‘NYT Mini’ Clues And Answers For Wednesday, March 19 FRISCO, TEXAS - MARCH 15: Brian White #24 of Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Osaze Urhoghide #3 of FC ... [+] Dallas compete for the ball during the second half of an MLS match at Toyota Stadium on March 15, 2025 in Frisco, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) Getty Images Over the past two years, the Flemington, N.J. native has made a name for himself, giving opposing goalkeepers backaches from taking the ball out of the net when he scores a goal. In fact, for the past two months, the 5-11, 185-lb. White is one of the hottest American goal-scorers, helping to propel the Whitecaps into the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals and to a perfect 4-0-0 start for the first time in the team’s Major League Soccer history. What a start to this season He has scored five goals - three in the Champions Cup, one in the MLS regular season and another for the USMNT. Each goal he has scored has been in victories. Here is what White has accomplished in less than two months: * He tallied his first international goal and the USMNT's first score in its 3-0 friendly win over Venezuela on Jan. 22. * He struck for a brace in a 2-0 home triumph over Saprissa (Costa Rica) in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 32 on Feb. 27. * He connected for the game-winner in the 87th minute to snap a 1-1 tie en route to a 2-1 home victory over the defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy on March 2. * And as a second-half substitute, he found the net again in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16, to help Vancouver secure a 2-2 draw at five-time champion Monterrey and to win the aggregate goals series, on away goals on March 12. And what has made his production even more impressive is that White has scored 15 goals in each of his last two seasons MLS. He is the only U.S. player to have accomplished that in a league that doesn't use many Americans in attacking positions A goal in his first start While playing for New York Red Bulls II in the USL Championship in 2018, he was called into the first team in early August. In his first Red Bulls start, he scored his first MLS goal in a 1-0 home win over the Houston Dynamo that Aug. 28. “Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” White said at the time. “This is the level I’ve been dreaming of reaching and to score on my first start in front of my friends and family, I couldn’t picture a better night – especially getting three points at the end, too.” PORTLAND, OR - FEBRUARY 23: Kevin Kelsy #19 of the Portland Timbers and Brian White #24 of the ... [+] Vancouver Whitecaps FC battle for position as rain water falls during a game between Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers at Providence Park on February 23, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Albert Sermeno/ISI Photos/Getty Images) Getty Images As it turned out, there were much bigger nights ahead at Red Bull Arena (now called Sports Illustrated Stadium), but not before he was dealt by the Red Bulls to the Whitecaps for $400,000 in General Allocation Money. That could very well be one of the most one-sided trades in recent MLS history. After all, consistent goal-scorers don’t grow on trees. A memorable return to where it started On a return trip to Harrison, N.J. to play his former team, White scored and broke the Whitecaps' career scoring record in a 1-1 draw on April 27, 2024. He has 47 and counting. He had a muted celebration, which tells you much about his character. “There was a there was a lot of emotions going into the game,” White told the Vancouver Province. “Ever since I got traded, it was one that I was kind of waiting for. “There’s some pressure there because you want to put a good performance for everyone that’s showed you love and come to support you, but you had to put that in the background … and focus on doing what you can for the team. “Coming back, seeing a lot of old faces, [Red Bulls] showed me a lot of love — especially with the video before the game. I still have a lot of love for this club, this state, this city, but … [a big celebration] just didn’t feel like the right thing to do.” The right thing to do is to score goals, lots of them. Over the past few years, White has become a student of his position on "how a forward can manipulate his movement to control defenders," he told the THE SIT-DOWN podcast in Canada earlier this month. "Being able . ... to make better decisions, whether to hold the ball up or turn," he added. "These kinds of things, I think, as a player, you're always trying to learn as much as you can and try to improve it, day in, day out. And for me, it's about learning what I can add to my game. How can I improve my game? ... Maybe it's maturity. That’s where I wasn't really interested in as much when I was younger. But getting older, I really enjoy learning the position a lot more." As Brian White also has learned, it's never too late to learn or to live the dream of a lifetime. Follow me on LinkedIn. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades