The Vancouver Whitecaps 2024 season ended the same way as 2023: A loss to LAFC in the first round.
This time, they pushed LAFC to the brink in the three-game first-round series. Game Three saw them battling well in the first half with LAFC but they got outplayed and ran out of gas in the second half. It was much closer this time around and one could argue that the gap between Vancouver and LAFC is closing.
LAFC simply had more depth than the Whitecaps. Depth is something that should be addressed in the offseason. It seems they are a few pieces away from truly being an MLS Cup contender but we did the same thing at the end of last season.
With the likes of Ryan Gauld and Andres Cubas locked up long-term and in their primes, 2025 is a great year to go all in. But the same was said about 2024.
There are a lot of questions heading into another big offseason for the club. The hardest part of ending is starting again.
Whitecaps rollercoaster season
First of all, we need to talk about the season that was. 2024 was a season that had a lot of promise heading into it. It was the 50th anniversary season of the club. There were also many new season ticket holders and fans at the games.
Vancouver had the sixth-highest average attendance in MLS this season. But that was mainly due to the four-game pack that included the Inter Miami game on May 25.
Speaking of that game, the Whitecaps were in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets decided to stay in Miami and rest. Fans who paid big money for that game were disappointed.
Vancouver did not play well at BC Place and had a 6-4-7 home record. There were losses to big opponents such as Inter Miami, Seattle Sounders, Real Salt Lake, LA Galaxy and LAFC. But they were better away from BC Place with a 7-4-6 record.
The Whitecaps started the season well with four wins, a draw and one loss until mid-April. But after the 3-1 home loss to LA Galaxy, they struggled with just two wins, three draws and three losses. The 2-1 loss to Inter Miami in front of a big crowd felt like a low point.
However, they had six wins, three losses and a draw before Leagues Cup. After the in-season tournament, Vancouver managed only two wins, three draws and lost five times. That included four straight losses to end the regular season.
The Whitecaps did manage to get the three-peat in the Canadian Championship. However, they only beat Cavalry on away goals in the quarterfinals and struggled in the final against Toronto FC and won on penalties.
They also got knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions Cup first round against Tigres. Vancouver also did manage to win their group in Leagues Cup. But like in 2023, they lost in the Round of 32, this time to Pumas UNAM.
In some games, the Whitecaps looked like a fun and exciting team that scored in bunches and showed solid defensive structure. But in others, there were huge defensive mistakes and they struggled to score and create chances.
The Whitecaps scored 61 goals in 2024 and that was 10th in MLS. They conceded 52 goals which was tied for 16th in the league.
Now for the underlying numbers. They were 15th in expected goals (49.4) and 12th in non-penalty expected goals. (47.1) Vancouver also led the league in crosses into the penalty area with 105. The second highest was the Philadephia Union with 86. However, despite all the crosses they finished 19th in goal-creating actions.
To say the 2024 season was a rollercoaster is an understatement.
Was 2024 a success?
Vancouver finished eighth in the Western Conference and 14th in the Supporters Shield standings.
In years past it would have been. But the Marc Dos Santos days are long gone. Given how the standards are higher than they have ever been in the Whitecaps MLS era, 2024 was not a success.
Sure they did win the Canadian Championship and won two playoff games, (if you count the wild card game against Portland) but they failed the early season objectives. That was to finish in the top four and get past the first round.
Sure you can blame injuries, international call-ups, Leagues Cup ruining the momentum and Stuart Armstrong getting up to match fitness to the end-of-season slide. But it was unacceptable that the Whitecaps let top four slip away like that. The games against the Sounders and Minnesota United come to mind as they lacked the fundamentals.
Consistency was an issue in 2024 and it led them to not achieving what they hoped to achieve. However, the wild card win over Portland and the fact the series against LAFC was tight showed that the club is moving in the right direction. After all, a full season of Gauld, Armstrong and Cubas does bring some excitement.
Who stays and who goes?
There will be new faces in 2025 and the Whitecaps will have to say goodbye to some players this offseason.
Many players have club options for 2025. Fafa Picault proved to be a difference-maker this season and he is one of the players with a club option.
In an ideal world, he would get his option picked up in a heartbeat. But there is a catch. Picault will be 34 on February 23. Will he have enough left in the tank for one more year or will Father Time finally catch up to him?
Then there are the goalkeepers. Both Yohei Takaoka and Isaac Boehmer have club options. It seems like a no-brainer for the Whitecaps to pick up Boehmer’s option. After all, he helped them win the Canadian Championship and is seen as the goalkeeper of the future.
There is an interesting case with Takaoka. He did have a better 2024 than 2023. He wasn’t letting in easy goals as much as 2023 but he posted numbers that were just above the middle ground of MLS. Takaoka hasn’t been elite but he has proven to be a good goalkeeper.
There is a risk with letting Boehmer become the starter net season. He will be 23 starting next season and could be ready to be the Whitecaps number one. However, it is clear that there are still things he needs to work on and he lacks Takaoka’s ball-playing abilities.
If the Whitecaps choose to move on from Takaoka, they could also bring in another goalkeeper to be the starter. But that should only happen f they see one that could be a good fit or an upgrade on Takaoka. Whatever option they choose, it is clear that Boehmer needs more starts in MLS play next season.
It would also be interesting to see what happens with Deiber Caicedo. The Colombian international came back from Junior in his homeland on loan in August. He has impressed in his limited minutes. What could be the plans for him? If he gets his option picked up, he could be used next season or be sold for a profit.
Other players with options include Levonte Johnson and Alessandro Schöpf. Johnson has impressed in Canadian Championship games but not in MLS. With Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau signed to a first-team contract, you have to wonder if Johnson will come back next season. As for Schöpf, he makes a base salary of $900,000. As the season went by, the Austrian midfielder mostly came off the bench. It isn’t ideal for a player who is making close to a Designated Player salary to be a bench player, perhaps it’s best to cut ties.
Ali Ahmed has impressed with the Canadian men’s national team but his performances with the Whitecaps have been less than stellar. He hasn’t been bad but he was not the same player he was with Vancouver in 2023. The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke reported back in October that teams in Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A, England’s Championship and France’s Ligue 1 have their eyes on Ahmed. Ahmed could potentially go for a big fee to Europe and the Whitecaps would be tempted to accept the offer but he could stick around for one more year to further develop his game.
The same could be said for Pedro Vite. The 22-year-old Ecuadorian displayed good underlying numbers in terms of passing but not defence. However, the eye test showed he did well despite starting slow. Vite could get offers from Europe but like Ahmed, he could stick around for another year to develop.
It would be interesting to see if the Whitecaps sell any players under contract to create more cap space.
What needs to be brought in?
Brian White once again led the Whitecaps in goals with 15. However, the goals were lacking when he and Gauld weren’t in the lineup and the chances White missed in the road matches against LAFC still hurt.
Other than Damir Kreilach (who was sparsely used as the season went on and is also another player who could be moved) and Johnson, there wasn’t much striker depth. So another striker should be brought in to compete with White. That striker ideally would be someone with size and aerial ability given the fact the Whitecaps love to cross. He doesn’t have to be an everyday starter but ideally, would be reliable to come off the bench and start occasionally.
If Picault and/or Caicedo do not return, another attacker will be needed. There is also the option of paying down Cubas or Armstrong to make room for another attacker who would be a DP.
Depth will also be key for next season. The Whitecaps should look to improve depth in all areas of the pitch. Sure players such as Chateau, Jeevan Badwal, Belal Halbouni and Ralph Priso will provide some depth. But there also needs to be experienced depth to complement them and the other players on the roster.
It will be another pivotal winter in the history of the Whitecaps and for Sporting Director and CEO Axel Schuster. Will the team be ready to take a big step forward in 2025? We shall see.
