Are the Vancouver Whitecaps an MLS Cup Contender After Dream Start? | OneFootball

Vancouver Whitecaps FC couldn’t have dreamt up a better start to their new era under Jesper Sørensen.

As fans carried out a display saying “Here we are and here we’ll stay” ahead of their home opener, the worries of a team actively for sale subsided, albeit briefly, as they beat the defending MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy 2-1 for their third win in eight days.

Sam Adekugbe scored three minutes in, and Brian White scored the 87th-minute winner, as the upstart Whitecaps built on a 4–1 win over the 10-man Portland Timbers and midweek Concacaf Champions Cup victory against Costa Rica’s Saprissa.

In every respect, 2025 is a massive year for the club, and there are few ways it could be starting better on the pitch. The home opener win was their first since 2018, and they haven’t had two marks to start a season since that same year.

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“Everyone has bought into the new philosophy, the game plan, a little bit of a change of pace,” White said, scoring the winner after a brace against Saprissa. “Everyone feels energized, and I think you’re seeing a good product on the field.”

But how good could things get... could the Whitecaps dare dream of an MLS Cup this early?

Sørensen’s Whitecaps unlike any other era

Vancouver Whitecaps defender, Sam Adekugbe, had to leave the match against the LA Galaxy with an injury. / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

Fast starts are a relatively foreign concept for Vancouver. While they’ve had some successful MLS seasons, many have peaked in the summer months before eventually dipping down the stretch and ending in disappointment in the MLS Cup playoffs.

Yet, there’s never been a time when they’ve played as they have under Sørensen.

Under their last two coaches, Vanni Sartini and Carl Robinson, the Whitecaps often surrendered possession and opted to hit on the counter-attack. In 2025, they’re holding onto the ball and linking together patient plays through key players.

Against Saprissa, they put together a goal after a 17-pass sequence. Against LA, they won the possession battle to rely on strong crossing play from Jayden Nelson and Pedro Vite, setting up White and other attackers in the box.

“First and foremost, I came in and inherited a team that was well-structured and in good shape,” Sørensen said.

“I would say that the team has looked great. They’ve done well in pre-season. Everybody has chipped in and been ready for the new ideas I brought in. I can only be happy with what I’ve seen so far and hope it’s only the beginning.”

Still led by the key partnership of White and Scottish international Ryan Gauld, the 2025 Whitecaps have also adopted a mix of defensive systems, quickly shifting from zonal marking to man marking to neutralize skilled attacking threats on both Portland and LA.

While Gabriel Pec sneaked past for the Galaxy’s first goal of the season, Vancouver held LA to just 0.41 expected goals and controlled the midfield, even as former Bundesliga legend Marco Reus came on as a substitute.

There’s little doubt the Galaxy could be better, but Sorensen’s Whitecaps are slowly building and were able to match the Galaxy’s approach, something they wouldn’t likely have adapted to in past years.

“It’s normal also that [momentum] goes up and down over 100 minutes,” Sørensen added. “I would love it to be, but we are not a team yet where we can say, ‘Okay, we go and dominate the Galaxy just straight out.”

Vancouver's Strong Spine Thriving

Andres Cubas has been critical to the spine of the Vancouver Whitecaps under Sørensen / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

After Jayden Nelson starred with three assists and a goal on the opening weekend, players have continued to thrive in their defined roles in Sørensen’s system.

Although Gauld hasn’t had the same role as a transitional piece, he’s taken on a quieter organizational role in midfield, while the club harnesses power on the wings with Pedro Vite, Nelson and Ali Ahmed.

At the same time, the spine of Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinovic, and Andres Cubas has allowed Vancouver to clog the middle of the pitch for opponents.

It’s an adjusted, multi-threat lineup elevated by star players, something the Whitecaps have seldom experienced since joining MLS in 2011.

Added Sørensen: “You have to trust and rely on the way you would like to play.”

The season is still young, and injury-prone fullback Adekugbe may be out for “a while” after picking up what Sørensen said is a quad injury against LA.

Yet, there’s positivity on the pitch, and the run could continue with struggling CF Montréal, Chicago Fire, FC Dallas and Toronto FC coming up in MLS, and a testing Champions Cup opponent in Liga MX giants, CF Monterrey.

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