The Vancouver Whitecaps sit on the cusp of Canadian Championship history this fall, as they continue their chase for a Voyageurs Cup four-peat.
After lifting the trophy in 2022, 2023 and 2024, they sit just three games away from making it four straight triumphs, which would put them alongside Toronto FC as the only teams to achieve such a feat in this tournament.
To make that happen, however, they must first get through the semi-finals, where a stiff test awaits. For the first time, they will take on four-time CPL North Star Cup winners, Forge, who are on the hunt for their first-ever Voyageurs Cup crown.
For a Whitecaps side favoured to win this tournament before a ball was even kicked, they feel ready to meet expectations, though, knowing that anything but a fourth straight crown will be seen as a failure for them.
Success invites pressure, and this Whitecaps team welcomes that challenge, as they’ve shown over the last few years, where they’ve conquered a tournament that once used to haunt them.
Current Form:
After a hot start under new manager Jesper Sørensen, the Whitecaps came down to earth in mid-May, enduring a 10-game stretch in MLS play where they had a record of 3W-3D-4L, which sandwiched their heartbreaking 5-0 loss to Cruz Azul in the Concacaf Champions Cup Final at the beginning of June.
Recently, however, they’ve found their feet a bit again, winning two and drawing one of their last four games since the end of that 10-game run, which has kept them in fifth place in MLS’s Supporters Shield race (six points off first with a game in hand), and second place in the Western Conference (four points behind first with a game in hand).
Plus, they’ll feel capable of finishing the year strong after having a big start to the summer transfer window, where their biggest move has been to sign 2014 World Cup winner, Thomas Müller, bringing the 13-time Bundesliga and two-time Champions League champion to Vancouver on a free transfer after a legendary stint with boyhood club, Bayern Munich.
For a Whitecaps team that already looked capable of competing to win an MLS Cup this year, that’s a move that could push them over the top, while giving them a further boost in their quest to win a fourth-straight Voyageurs Cup.
How they got here:
As the defending champions, the Whitecaps were given a bye to the quarter-finals, where they took on Valour.
In leg one, they drew 2-2 in Winnipeg thanks to a late equalizer from Ali Ahmed, before clawing out a 2-1 victory in leg two, with Bjørn Inge Utvik finding a decisive winner in the 90th minute to cancel out a late equalizer from Valour’s Jevontae Layne that almost sent the game to penalties.
CanChamp History:
Best-ever finish: Winners (2015, 2022, 2023, 2024)
The Whitecaps are one of three sides to have participated in this tournament since the modern iteration was launched in 2008, along with Toronto FC and CF Montréal (then known as the Impact). However, until this decade, they had struggled to replicate the success of the other two sides.
After winning just one Voyageurs Cup between 2008 and 2021 - a span in which Toronto won eight and Montréal five - this Whitecaps three-peat has them just one away from tying Montréal’s Canadian Championship haul, which will give them added motivation to chase a fourth straight crown, given the longstanding rivalry those two sides carry from the 2000s.
Three Players to Watch:
Here are three players to keep an eye out for during this tie.
Brian White (Forward)
As the team’s leading scorer with 16 goals across all competitions, White has played a big role in the Whitecaps' success this season, so look for him to step up once again in this tournament.
He’s yet to score in this year’s Canadian Championship, but when he finds the net in this tournament, it tends to be important - he scored twice in the 2022 semi-finals, and scored in each of the 2022 and 2023 finals.
Sebastian Berhalter (Midfielder)
A big reason for the Whitecaps' success this year has been the breakout performances of several youngsters, and Berhalter might be the best example of what that looks like, as the midfielder has gone from a solid starter to one of the best in his position in MLS. Already a workhorse on both sides of the ball, he’s added more final product to his game this year, scoring five goals and adding seven assists, playing a big role in the Whitecaps' attack.
Also, the emotional heartbeat of this team, he seems to step up the biggest in these sorts of matches - the Whitecaps will long lament his suspension for the Champions Cup final due to yellow card accumulation for that very reason, as he was the Whitecaps player of the tournament in the earlier rounds, helping carry the side through some tough ties.
Jayden Nelson (Winger)
Acquired as a reclamation project, Nelson has proven to be a key contributor on these Whitecaps, already up to two goals and eight assists in 2025, even earning a call-up back to the CanMNT off the back of his play this season.
A speedy winger who can drift wide or cut inside, he’s proven to be a tough player for opposing full backs to deal with, and that 1v1 ability has added an important dimension to the Whitecaps' attacking play, which otherwise relies on controlled possession and methodical build-up play.
Why can they win the tournament?
While their status as three-time defending champions speaks for itself, a big reason why they’ll expect to win again in 2025 is that they value this tournament quite highly and are taking it quite seriously.
Not only will winning this tournament give them a chance to hoist silverware, but it’s their most direct route back to the Champions Cup, too, where they’ll feel they’ve got some unfinished business to take care of in 2026.
The biggest challenge they face in winning this tournament comes due to their success in MLS, which means that they’ll have to juggle a push for the Supporters Shield with their journey for their fourth straight Voyageurs Cup, especially when September comes around, but they’ll feel capable of handling that challenge after finding that balance between league and cup play during their deep Concacaf run.
