It has been 46 years since the Vancouver Whitecaps won a league title.
The 1979 Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL captured the hearts of the city with their Soccer Bowl title. In the final, they defeated the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 thanks to two goals by Trevor Whymark. Following the Whitecaps’ victory, there was a massive parade down Robson Street, an event that would later inspire the construction of BC Place.
Now, in 2025, the MLS Whitecaps have a chance to etch their name in Vancouver sports history. Having built on the legacy of 1979, the ‘Caps will travel to Fort Lauderdale to take on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami for MLS Cup.
A lot has changed in the world and in soccer since 1979, but the city of Vancouver has fallen in love with the Whitecaps yet again. Now, they are one more win from another parade.
Whitecaps ready to take on Inter Miami
Vancouver defeated Inter Miami 2-0 and 3-1 (5-1 on aggregate) in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semi-finals back in April. However, Inter Miami has figured things out since then. They finished with a 19-8-7 record, which was third in the Eastern Conference in the regular season. Miami got by Nashville SC in three games in round one and blew out FC Cincinnati in round two, and New York City FC in round three.
Messi was on fire during the regular season as he scored 29 goals and won the MLS Golden Boot as a result. The Argentinian superstar also managed to get 20 assists in the regular season. Messi hasn’t slowed down in the playoffs as he has scored six goals and tallied seven assists in five games.
It would be wrong to say Messi is carrying Inter Miami. Winger Tadeo Allende has scored eight goals in the playoffs, tying him with the record for most goals in an MLS postseason with Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz scored eight with the LA Galaxy in 2002.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen knows that Inter Miami is not the same team from April.
“With the high quality, I think they are a more balanced team than the last time we played them,” he said to the media on Tuesday afternoon. “But they still have players that make a big impact for them. Messi obviously does have that…and (Jordi) Alba and (Sergio) Busquets. But listen, it is the MLS Cup final, there should be good players going up against you, and you should be up against a very good team. I think it is a very balanced Miami team as of now. They have been good as of late and had a very great season…they’ve done well and played a lot of competitions this year. I think Miami is the only team that has played more games than us…I think they have done very well.”
Whitecaps star midfielder Thomas Müller seemed to have dealt with some cramping in his leg after the second round win over LAFC and the Western Conference final win in San Diego. However, Sørensen said he isn’t worried about Müller’s status or any other players.
“Right now, I think we are on the positive trajectory for the fitness levels of the group as a whole,” said Sørensen. “With (Ryan) Gauld being better fit than earlier this season, with Brian (White) coming back and having a couple of games in, Tristan (Blackmon) coming back, overall the group is good. But Thomas, he’s definitely an important player for us, and he should be ready to go.”
Defender Mathias Laborda spoke about his confidence heading into the final.
“Feeling amazing, it’s been a wonderful year,” he said. “Hopefully, we can end the year with a trophy.”
Gauld was still dealing with his injury when the Whitecaps played against Inter Miami in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. But the club captain is ready to take on the league’s best players.
“It’s exciting,” said Gauld. “It’s what we worked all year for…it’s going to be a great atmosphere…we’re all excited to get down there and get going and make the most of it.”
Gauld was also asked about the threat Inter Miami brings and how to shut them down.
“The threat they bring is obvious, with the individuals that they got,” he said. “They can make a piece of magic out of nothing. They are the kind of players you can keep quiet for 89 minutes, and they just get back to life. It’s about staying switched on and doing our job for the 90 or 120 minutes, whatever it is. We just got to trust our game.”
“They are a dangerous team,” said Laborda on Inter Miami. “It will be a difficult game in their park, but we’ll do our job.”
The Whitecaps have been a tight-knit group for several seasons now. This season, their togetherness has helped them prevail in big moments. They are determined
“There are no egos in our dressing room, everyone puts the team first,” said Gauld.
Both teams are looking to make history
Both the Whitecaps and Inter Miami will be playing for their first-ever MLS Cup titles.
If Inter Miami wins, Messi would win his 46th career team trophy, adding to his extraordinary legacy. If Vancouver wins, Müller would win his 36th major trophy. The former Bayern Munich midfielder became Germany’s most decorated player after he helped the Whitecaps win the Canadian Championship in September, surpassing former teammate Toni Kroos.
The home team has often fared well in MLS Cups. Seven out of the last eight MLS Cup winners hosted the final. The last road team to win MLS Cup was NYCFC in 2021. After it ended 1-1 in 120 minutes, New York prevailed on penalties over the Portland Timbers. The last time a road team won MLS Cup in normal time was in 2015. The Timbers defeated the Columbus Crew to win their only MLS Cup to date.
While the game isn’t in Vancouver, Whitecaps fans can still pack BC Place for MLS Cup. The club will host a watch party at BC Place, and tickets are $15. Area 51 Sports Network learned on Tuesday that the Whitecaps have sold over 16,000 tickets for the watch party.
MLS Cup kicks off at 11:30 am Pacific on Saturday. It should be a classic.
