The Vancouver Whitecaps have the chance to make history.
It all comes down to Sunday, June 1 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final against Cruz Azul. The Whitecaps will be playing the biggest game of their MLS era and arguably, their entire 51-year history. This game is on the level (actually even bigger) of the 1979 Soccer Bowl. That game saw Vancouver defeat the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.
Vancouver will also look to become just the fourth MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup/League. DC United, LA Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders are the only MLS clubs to have won it.
The Whitecaps will also look to become the first Canadian club to rule over CONCACAF. Montreal Impact (then called CF Montreal) were the first to reach the final as they did so in 2015. But they lost 5-3 on aggregate to Club America. Three years later, Toronto FC, coming off a domestic treble the year before, (MLS Cup, Canadian Championship, Supporters Shield) made the final and pushed Guadalajara to the brink with a 3-3 aggregate score. However, they lost on penalties.
Unlike Toronto, Montreal and Seattle, Vancouver does not have to play two legs. It is a winner-take-all game at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City.
A look at Cruz Azul
Cruz Azul defeated Real Hope, the Sounders, Club América and Tigres UANL to reach the final. They are a team that can score goals as they outscored opponents 15-3 in this year’s Champions Cup.
Cruz Azul have not played a game since May 18 when they got knocked out of the Clausura (second half of Liga MX season) tournament in the semi-finals against Club América. Los Celestes have one last chance to win a trophy this season. They got knocked out of the Round of 16 in Leagues Cup to Mazatlán. They did finish first in the Apertura. (first half of the Liga MX season) However, Club América knocked them out of the Apertura tournament on penalties in the semi-finals. Losing the Champions Cup final to the Whitecaps would be seen as a massive failure from their perspective.
Cruz Azul also has the chance to win their seventh CONCACAF crown. They last won the Champions Cup in 2014.
So how good is this year’s Cruz Azul? They are pretty good. As mentioned, they finished first in the Apertura with 42 points and that was seven more than second-place Toluca. In the Clausura, they finished third.
According to a more thorough tactical deep dive on the final by Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic of OneSoccer, (We recommend you also read it.) Cruz Azul is a possession-based side much like the Whitecaps. But much like Vancouver, they are also a solid defensive side.
Cruz Azul head coach Vicente Sánchez took the helm in January after Martin Anselmi left to become Porto’s head coach. Both Anselmi and Sánchez have had Los Celestes play a variety of formations, including 3-4-3, 3-4-2-1, 3-5-1-1 and 3-5-2.
They have scored 93 goals across 50 games across all competitions this season and gave up 43. That is 1.86 goals scored per game and 0.86 goals conceded per game. Los Celestes also have an average possession rate of 55.82%. They are a team that plays free-flowing soccer but also maintains a solid defensive structure. In the first semi-final leg of the semi-finals against Tigres, Cruz Azul managed to have 53% possession and outshot them 10-7 and 2-1 on target. They got their win with Carlos Rotondi’s away goal. In the second leg, Cruz Azul outshot Tigres 14-11 and 6-2 on target, despite just 36% possession. Angel Sepúlveda’s 82nd-minute penalty kick booked Los Celestes a trip to the final.
Speaking of Sepúlveda, he is the big name to watch. He has 21 goals in all competitions, including seven in the Champions Cup. That puts him in the lead for the tournament’s leading goalscorer. Sepúlveda has scored in every match in the CCC for Cruz Azul.
Another name to watch is someone Whitecaps fans are familiar with: Mateusz Bogusz. The Polish attacking midfielder was a thorn in the side of the Whitecaps with LAFC last season, especially in the playoffs. It was Bogusz who scored the winning goal that ended Vancouver’s 2024 season. He joined Cruz Azul for a reported fee of nine million USD in the winter. So far, he has one goal and five assists in all competitions.
Former Atlanta United striker Giorgos Giakoumakis is a threat off the bench. He has nine goals and seven assists in all competitions. If the Whitecaps are up by a goal late in the final, they have to be careful of Giakoumakis.
A big reason why Cruz Azul have been one of the best in Mexico and in CONCACAF is their wing-backs. Jorge Sánchez and Carlos Rotondi have been vital for Los Celestes both offensively and defensively. Rotondi is an excellent passer and crosser and great at winning duels and the ball. Sánchez is also a dangerous creator and brings solid tackling ability.
This is going to be a battle of two teams that are quite similar.
A massive opportunity for the Whitecaps
Usually in soccer, a team has around a week, if not more to prepare for a final. For the Whitecaps, there will have been only three days of rest since their last game.
But the blue and white have been playing many midweek games this season. Since they defeated Inter Miami in the semi-finals on April 30, Vancouver has played six games.
First-year head coach Jesper Sørensen has done an incredible job since he took over. The Dane has a chance to immortalize his name into Whitecaps lore on Sunday. Sørensen’s controlled up-tempo and possession-based soccer has been very exciting to watch. As a result, the Whitecaps are currently second in the MLS Supporters Shield race and have the highest expected goal differential rate in the league, (12.0) according to Football Reference. The Whitecaps have also been undefeated in 15 games across all competitions.
They have only lost twice in all competitions this season. The first was Sørensen’s first official match in charge of the Whitecaps, a 2-1 away loss to Saprissa in the Champions Cup first round. The second was a 3-1 home loss to the Chicago Fire on March 22. In that game, Vancouver was missing several players due to international duty and injuries.
The Whitecaps have played in Mexico City’s Estadio Olímpico Universitario before. It was there they beat Pumas thanks to centre-back Tristan Blackmon’s stoppage-time winner. Cruz Azul also has temporarily called that stadium home because their permanent home, the Estadio Azteca is going through renovations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
But in a cup final, history doesn’t matter. But the ‘Caps know great moments are born with a great opportunity.
“We know that everybody will be ready for Sunday,” said Sørensen after Wednesday’s 0-0 draw against Minnesota United. “What will be the right formula? I don’t know. No matter what, it’s going to be very difficult for us because we also know that not only is Cruz Azul a very good team, but they are also capable of playing down there in Mexico. What the best lead-in for that game is, we don’t know. We’re here, and no matter what, we’ll be ready Sunday.”
“We’re focused on ourselves, we know what kind of team we are,” said Blackmon after the game against Minnesota on what the mindset is heading into the final. “We’re going to go down to Mexico and be confident in doing what we do and try to come out on top.”
Keys to the final and projected starting XI
The biggest key is to get off to a good start.
Given how well-rounded Cruz Azul are, giving up the first goal wouldn’t be ideal. That is especially because if they have the lead, the Whitecaps might have trouble breaching their defensive structure. If Vancouver scores the first goal, they can solidify their backline and make Cruz Azul chase them instead.
The midfield and wings are going to be key as well. Sebastian Berhalter has been having a fantastic season and has scored big goals in the Whitecaps Champions Cup run. But he will be suspended for the final due to yellow card accumulation. While Andres Cubas does the defensive duties, Pedro Vite will have to step up to provide service and creativity. With Berhalter out, either Ralph Priso or JC Ngando will have to slot in. Priso has improved significantly since last season and has shown to be solid defensively. Ngando can be solid offensively and can provide accurate progressive passes.
Whitecaps captain Ryan Gauld has been out with a knee injury since July, so the midfield and the likes of Ali Ahmed, Jayden Nelson and Emmanuel Sabbi have to be tasked with getting the ball into the box and providing service for Brian White.
The matchup between Blackmon and Ranko Veselinovic against Bogusz and Sepúlveda will be one to watch. Both Blackmon and Veselinovic have been one of the best centre-back duos in MLS over the past few years. Their abilities to clear the ball, intercept and tackle will be fundamental to stop the deadly attacking prowess of Bogusz and Sepúlveda.
Here is our projected starting lineup for the final in Sørensen’s preferred 4-3-3.
Carpe Diem
If the Whitecaps beat Cruz Azul on Sunday, they would qualify for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup as the representatives of CONCACAF. They would put themselves, Vancouver and Canadian soccer on the global stage. During a time when soccer is growing in Canada, that would be massive.
The Whitecaps would also grab the attention of the city of Vancouver. This city is primarily a Canucks town, and a win on Sunday would put more eyes on them. After all, Vancouver loves winning, mainly because the city hasn’t experienced much of it.
The Whitecaps have a chance to do something monumental, though that is an understatement. It all goes down on Sunday from Mexico City, and kickoff is at 6 pm Pacific.
