MLS Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps

Hooligan Soccer

·21 Februari 2025

MLS Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps

Club History

There has been a Whitecaps franchise in Vancouver since 1973, when the club played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) until its folding in 1984. A second iteration of the club (which started as “the 86ers”) played in five different professional leagues between 1986 and 2010, the final league being the USSF Division 2 Pro League. This club voluntarily disbanded to make way for the third, and current, edition of the Whitecaps franchise, which has been in the MLS since the 2011 season.

It’s fair to say that Vancouver has never been a poor team, but neither have they been a great team. Despite “winning” the Wooden Spoon in their debut season (entirely forgivable for an expansion team) they’ve only finished last in the Western Conference one additional time (2019). On the other foot, their best finish ever was second in the West in 2015 (third overall), and a third place West Conference finish in 2017. In every other season postseason qualification been a case of “Whew, we just made it,” or “Damn, we were so close.”

Video OneFootball

What they have done in the past three years is dominate the Canadian Championship, with three consecutive trophies. Add to this an earlier win in 2015 and five runners-up accolades, and you’ve got a small dynasty going. In Canada.

Ownership

There are four owners: Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash. Kerfoot purchased his majority share back in 2002 when the club was in the USL. Luczo worked with Kerfoot and came on board for the 2009 MLS bid. Mallet & Nash are both Victoria, BC natives, and joined the ownership group after they unsuccessfully tried to take a minority stake in Tottenham Hotspur. Nash’s younger brother once played midfield for the Whitecaps.

Significant Players

Pedro Morales (Chile) – Midfielder The club’s third designated player. Won the 2014 MLS Newcomer of the Year Award.
Camilo Sanvezzo (Brazil) – Forward MLS Golden Boot winner in 2013. Former record goal-scorer (43).
Alphonso Davies (Canada) – Winger A homegrown talent from the Whitecaps academy. Moved to Bayern Munich in 2018.
Ryan Gauld (Scotland) – Midfielder [DP] Current team captain and key playmaker since transferring mid-season in 2021. Has 89 contributions (45 goals; 44 assists) in 135 games.

Other Facts

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Their home field is the 54,500-seat BC Place (pictured above). Constructed in 1983 and is the only dual-use Canadian football / soccer stadium in the MLS. For Whitecaps games, a system of white sails is used to reduce capacity to around 22,500.
During COVID, the team was forced to train and play in the United States due to limitations on cross-border traffic.
The club’s mascot is a belted kingfisher (a bird common to the area) named Spike.
Their regional rivalry with the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers predates all three clubs being in the MLS. These three clubs compete annually for the Cascadia Cup trophy.

2024 Season Recap

13W – 8D – 13L for 47 points. Finished 8th in the Western Conference; 14th overall.
In the wild-card match, they decimated rivals Portland 5-0. That had to feel good.
Unfortunately, they fell in Round One to LAFC in three games, losing both away fixtures.

Who to Watch 2025

The biggest offseason move was hiring new coach Jesper Sørensen in January. The transfer of DP Stuart Armstrong to Sheffield Wednesday three weeks didn’t give the club much time to find a replacement, and they’ll probably give this open for a mid-season move.

Brian White (United States) – Forward Duke University grad and former New York Red Bull Joined the ‘Caps in 2021 and has since set the all-time goal scoring record (55).
Daniel Ríos (Mexico) – Forward This dude is a perennial MLS club-hopper, having played a single season with Nashville, Charlotte and Atlanta United while remaining with his Liga MX parent Chivas. The fact that none of these clubs spent the dough to keep him should give a hint that he’s not quite all that. Regardless, he’s a one-year loanee and if he bags some goals would be useful.
Andrés Cubas (Paraguay) – Midfielder [DP] Only five contributions (1 goal; 4 assists) in 95 games isn’t great, though to be fair Cubas mainly sits on the defensive end.