The Vancouver Whitecaps have just finished the best regular season of their MLS era.
The blue and white had an 18-9-7 record with 63 points (a MLS era record for the club) and finished second in the Western Conference. Vancouver also finished fifth in the overall MLS standings. With 66 goals scored during the regular season, the Whitecaps scored the third most in MLS behind Inter Miami and the Chicago Fire. They also conceded 38 goals, which was the second least in MLS behind the Philadelphia Union.
The Whitecaps also won their fourth straight Canadian Championship and went all the way to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final. While the loss to Cruz Azul was painful, the run was something to be proud of.
The season has brought major challenges and key turning points. From painful defeats—like the 5-0 loss to Cruz Azul and dropped points against the LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids—to dealing with officiating controversy, injuries, and depleted rosters, the Whitecaps have faced obstacles that tested their character and highlighted what it would take to contend for an MLS title.
But there were plenty of memorable moments. The Whitecaps stunning Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the two-legged CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-final will live in the memory of ‘Caps fans forever. Fans will also remember the big 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Union in September, Jayden Nelson’s opening day masterclass in Portland, and of course, the signing of Thomas Müller.
First-year head coach Jesper Sørensen has done an excellent job with this squad, and it is no surprise has been nominated for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award. Just about every player has stepped up when needed.
But the Whitecaps are still trying to write the story of their 2025 season. And they don’t want it to end any time soon.
First up: FC Dallas
Vancouver will face the same time they lost to on Decision Day: FC Dallas. Hopefully, this time it will be a game that will be 11 vs 11.
Dallas finished the regular season with an 11-11-12 record and 44 points. Due to goal differential, they avoided the play-in game with their win against the Whitecaps last weekend.
FC Dallas has been in and around the play-in and final playoff spot for most of the season. They head into the season in good form with five wins, four draws and one loss in their last 10 regular-season games. From July 25 to October 11, they did not lose a single game.
Dallas scored 52 goals in the regular season, and that tied them with FC Cincinnati for 14th in MLS. They gave up 55 goals, which had them tied for 12th with Inter Miami. The club known as Los Toros is also 16th in expected goals according to FotMob (48), whereas the Whitecaps are second. (64.2) In terms of xG conceded, Dallas is tied for 16th with Inter Miami and Atlanta United. (50.2) Vancouver is also second in the least xG conceded. (38)
So the data pretty much says FC Dallas are a team in the mushy middle, which is accurate. However, what stands out about them is that they are the team in MLS with the second-lowest average possession at 40.8%. The Whitecaps have the sixth-most average possession with 53.6%.
Dallas is a team that relies more on counter-attacking than possession. First-year head coach Eric Quill experimented with several formations in the first half of the season, including 4-2-3-1, 4-1-2-1-2, 4-2-3-1, and 4-3-3 according to Football Reference. However, beginning with a 2-2 away draw against the San Jose Earthquakes on July 16, Quill had FC Dallas play in a 3-4-3. Since then, Dallas has only lost twice.
According to Buzz Carrick of 3rddegree.Net, Quill’s 3-4-3 has the wingers play narrow and the team defends in a low-block, as evident in their win at BC Place last Saturday. In a low-block, Dallas is in a 5-4-1 formation. Their counterattacks are quick and aggressive as the wing-backs and wingers run quickly behind the striker.
The one player the Whitecaps have to watch out for is striker Peter Musa. The Croatian has led Dallas with 18 goals, and that put him in a three-way tie for fifth in MLS with Dejan Jovelic of Sporting Kansas City and Evander of FC Cincinnati. Musa and fellow FC Dallas striker Logan Farrington were suspended last weekend.
Can the Whitecaps go on a deep playoff run?
The Whitecaps seem like the overwhelming favourites against FC Dallas in the first round best-of-three series. Of course, anything can happen in the playoffs, and upsets have happened.
Despite the loss on Decision Day to FC Dallas, Müller and the Whitecaps are ready to face them again.
“I wish them all the confidence,” said Müller on facing FC Dallas in the playoffs after he and the ‘Caps lost to them on Decision Day. “They should have a lot of confidence to come here. I focus more on our team. I focus more on how to get this game sorted in the players’ minds, because they’re now used to a 10-game unbeaten streak. So we’re not used to this result, and we have so many young players. I saw the disappointment after the final whistle. Some players were just in their own world, not satisfied with their game or the result. But we have to look at the bigger picture, and I think the group is very strong together, so we will give our best next week. Then we will see what kind of result we get. But I’m looking forward to it.”
The Whitecaps are looking to get into the second round of the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017. That was the only year they made it that far.
This year’s Whitecaps looked poised to go on a deep run and maybe win MLS Cup. Of course, they have to stay healthy as much as possible. At the time of this writing, striker Brian White and defender of the year nominee Tristan Blackmon are still recovering from their injuries, and their statuses are still unknown.
For the most part, Vancouver has gotten healthy. Captain Ryan Gauld is back and has been getting minutes off the bench. One of the new signings, Joedrick Pupe, is healthy but hasn’t seen minutes yet.
Unlike 2023 and 2024, when they lost to LAFC in the first round, this Whitecaps team is a contender. Players such as Gauld, White, Blackmon, Yohei Takaoka, Ali Ahmed, and Sebastian Berhalter have been together for quite some time and have playoff experience from those defeats against LAFC. Now they have young and talented players that helped them all season in Tate Johnson, Edier Ocampo, Jayden Nelson, and Jeevan Badwal. And of course, one of the greatest to ever play the game of soccer, and a serial winner in Müller.
“I think there’s excitement around the Whitecaps and I’m very happy for that, I think the players deserve it,” said Sørensen after last Saturday’s game against Dallas. “It’s been a season with a lot of highs and a couple of lows, but a season that I think has been very good so far. We’re not over, and we’re looking forward to the last part of it.”
Sørensen has had Vancouver play very exciting soccer and fans have put the Whitecaps have noticed. They don’t draw the attention like the Canucks do, but a deep playoff run would put the Whitecaps in the sports spotlight in Vancouver. There is buzz around the club as Sunday’s Game 1 against Dallas will have the upper bowl open at BC Place.
The 2025 season has shown this isn’t the same Whitecaps of old. Gone are the days of Carl Robinson, Marc Dos Santos as coaches and players such as Lucas Cavallini, Jasser Khmiri, Jon Erice, Deybi Flores, and Efrain Juarez. Now the Whitecaps have a likable and tight-knit team that has a mixture of legit MLS stars, promising young players, solid depth, and a certain German World Cup winner.
The Whitecaps can go on a deep playoff run, but it will be easier said than done. FC Dallas is not a team to be underestimated, and having Mathias Laborda out due to his Decision Day red card will be a tough hurdle.
It is the Whitecaps time to shine, but they need to prove they can handle the bright lights.
