As Whitecaps chase CanChamp four-peat, lessons from 2022 triumph loom large: 'It was a turning point'
The Vancouver Whitecaps stand on the precipice of history this week, as they get set to take on neighbours Vancouver FC in the 2025 Canadian Championship final, where they can become just the second team ever to win this tournament four times in a row.
Plus, not only would they match Toronto FC’s record of four Canadian Championships in a row (which they achieved between 2009 and 2012), but they’d also match CF Montréal’s haul of five Canadian Championship wins, too, while finding themselves just three behind Toronto FC’s total of eight.
At this stage, with how this Whitecaps team is trending, it certainly feels like they could push for Toronto’s mark within this decade - which is pretty remarkable for a team that entered the 2020s with just one Canadian Championship title to their name.
Yet, it’s important to remember that there was a time not long ago when it felt like the Whitecaps might never win this trophy again, leaving their 2015 triumph as their lone victory.
Just four years ago, they crashed out of the 2021 tournament in the preliminary round, falling 4-3 to Pacific FC in a thrilling ‘Ferryside Derby’ match that will forever live on in tournament lore. Given that they’d also lost to CPL side Cavalry FC in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Canadian Championship, it was a big gut punch for a ‘Caps side that was still undergoing a significant rebuild at the time, too.
Because of that, the expectations were low heading into the 2022 tournament, as they looked to snap their seven-year trophy drought. Ultimately, while the goal was to lift a Voyageurs Cup, even just reaching the semi-finals would’ve felt like a win for them at the time.
Instead, however, they went one step further, winning just their second Canadian Championship, defeating Toronto FC in the final to avenge the four previous times that Toronto had beaten them in Canadian Championship finals (and the two other times the Whitecaps were runner-ups to Toronto FC when this tournament was a three-team round robin from 2008 to 2010).
It was far from a dominant run, as the Whitecaps beat Valour FC 2-0 in the preliminary round, Cavalry FC 5-3 on penalties (after a 1-1 draw) in the quarter-finals, York United 2-1 in the semi-final, and then TFC 5-3 on penalties (after a 1-1 draw) in the final, but in the end, it didn’t matter - they got to lift a trophy at the end of it all.
HIGHLIGHTS 🎥
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 27, 2022
Relive each moment as #VWFC clinch the 2022 #CanChamp title with a shootout win over #TFClive capping off an impressive attacking and defensive effort 🏆🍁
WATCH ▶️https://t.co/9PeFn4Jf6B pic.twitter.com/FGqpibclVu
Little did they know that’d be the start of this run that they’re on, too, one where they’re not just competing for a Canadian Championship four-peat, but also have a legitimate shot at a Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup, having also reached the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup earlier this year.
Because of that, for one of the players who played in that 2022 final, club captain Ryan Gauld, he looks back on that first win fondly, knowing that it was a big launching pad towards where his team sits today.
“It was a turning point, especially after what had happened the year before, we’d lost away to Pacific (in the preliminary round), we had our change of managers,” Gauld told OneSoccer last week. “When looking back, we don’t take it for granted to now be in our fourth final, with a chance to win four in a row. That was a big moment for the club, to win that first trophy in seven years; it was a good starting point. Then, being able to get to where we are now from there has been impressive.”
Yet, that’s the beauty of winning trophies. No matter how you do it, that feeling of touching silverware can do wonders for players and a club, and the Whitecaps certainly benefited from that feeling in 2022.
On a day when they were the underdogs against a Toronto FC side that had won eight of 14 Canadian Championships up to that point, and had just signed a couple of well-known Italians in Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne (who both started that game), the Whitecaps got the job done, setting the club on a new trajectory.
“We were the underdogs in that game, even if we were at home, they’d just brought in the Italians, and it seemed like they had the upper hand,” Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who was on that 2022 team, told OneSoccer. “So to win that was a great starting point for the club to show that we want to win trophies. We’re ambitious, and we’ve got the quality in here, so it was a good starting point.”
“I think back to the 2022 Canadian Championship and what it meant to the club and the supporters - it was special,” Whitecaps front office member and former striker, Tosaint Ricketts, who came off the bench in that final, added. “It was a pivotal moment in the club, not winning a trophy since 2015, so it was special, and it really shifted the culture in the club so that we're now heading into our fourth consecutive Canadian Championship final, so you can call it the springboard to the success we're having.”
Ricketts rises for a ball during that 2022 final (Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images)
Because of that, as the Whitecaps now prepare for a fourth straight final, they’re making sure not to take this opportunity for granted, even if they’re heavy favourites in this game against Vancouver FC.
While it’d be easy to get distracted and take this match lightly as they juggle trying to compete for the other trophies that are still up for grabs for them, the Whitecaps know how important it is for them to get the job done in this final, first.
For example, it’s easy to forget, but there are a few players in this squad who have yet to win a club trophy in their professional careers, ranging from veterans such as Emmanuel Sabbi to youngsters like Rayan Elloumi.
Then, on the flipside, some players are looking to add to personal milestones, too - Gauld, Berhalter, Brian White, Andrés Cubas, Ranko Veselinović and Tristan Blackmon are all trying to win a fourth Voyageurs Cup, while there’s of course the legend, Thomas Müller, who has the chance to become the all-time most decorated German player with his 35th title with his first Canadian Championship win.
Safe to say, that’s a wide range of players who understand how valuable it is to lift a trophy, and that’s evident even when speaking to the likes of Berhalter and Gauld, who reflected on past wins, such as in 2022 or 2024, where they got to see a couple of key veterans lift their first trophy, such as Florian Jungwirth and Damir Kreilach.
“You hear people say the competition’s not the strongest, but you’ve still got to go and win it,” Gauld said. “Last year, we had Damir Kreilach here, who had such a great career in Germany and in MLS, and he’d never won a trophy, so it makes you realize it’s not something you can take for granted that we’ve got a chance to go win a fourth win, as anytime you get to win a trophy, it’s a hard-earned moment.”
“I was lucky enough to win one before, so I knew what it feels like, but when speaking to others, you realize how rare it is to win a trophy,” Berhalter added. “I remember speaking to Florian Jungwirth in 2022, and it was his first trophy, and he was in his mid-30s, so that gives you a bit of perspective that it’s not easy to win trophies.”
THE VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN THE 2022 #CANCHAMP TITLE 🍁🏆#VWFC | POST-GAME 🔴 https://t.co/MCINTzfEp7 pic.twitter.com/VSk8j3l1bQ
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 27, 2022
Plus, it also helps that the Whitecaps have a strong contingent of Canadian players, too, for whom this tournament seems to mean just that much more.
Of course, that’s helped by the fact that teams are required to field a minimum of three Canadians for the start of each game in this tournament, but even without that rule, there’s no doubting the Whitecaps Canadian connections - 12 Canadians have seen the field this year across all competitions, with seven of them having played at least 500 minutes, including three that have played upwards of 1500 minutes.
Therefore, while many will be taking the field in the final with a trophy in mind, there’s no doubt that there will be a little extra in it for those Canadian players, in particular, who have the bonus of playing for domestic pride.
“I definitely see the narratives that the Canadian Championship is not the biggest tournament, but trust me, internally, with the players, coaches, staff, management, this is a trophy that we take seriously and really want to win, especially because we have a lot of Canadian guys on the team who have come from the Canadian soccer system and want to grow the game,” Whitecaps and Canadian Men’s National Team winger, Ali Ahmed, said.
“I watch a lot of the Canadian talent from across the country battling it out, and now you have the chance for League One teams playing against CPL teams, MLS teams, and there are cupsets, it’s fun. But internally it’s a trophy we take seriously, we want that fourpeat so we can prove we’re the best club in Canada.”
The Whitecaps celebrate their 2024 triumph at BC Place (Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images)
Then, you add in the fact that this is a rivalry game between two local teams who have never played each other, and that’s just the cherry on top.
“Rivalry games are extra special. When you’re watching football around the world, and even other sports, rivalry games, there’s always something extra special to it; they’re extra feisty. This is the battle for Vancouver, and it’s going to be fun to play against a lot of former teammates, so I’m happy that they’ve made the final and we can play them. Hopefully, it’s the first of many matchups.”
Therefore, as the Whitecaps get set to take the field and battle for this next Voyageurs Cup crown, look for them to channel the same hunger that they showed back in 2022.
It can be easy to forget, but that final serves as a good reminder of how far they’ve come, and why it’ll be so important for them to not let this moment slip away from them.
At the end of the day, for all they’ve accomplished and what they still aim to do, it all started with a strong 90-minute performance back in the 2022 final.
Yet, to that point, it just serves as a good reminder of why this final is so important for both teams. On paper, it’s easy to point at Vancouver FC playing in their first final and think that they’ll be the side that will benefit most from this experience, and while that’s not untrue, it’s not as if the Whitecaps enter this game with nothing to gain and all to lose, either.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an established club with a pedigree of winning or a struggling side - there’s just something special about winning trophies, and this tournament offers the Canadian clubs the opportunity to do just that.
“It was a good starting point to win that first Canadian Championship,” Gauld said. “Once you’ve won that first trophy, more belief comes with it, and you want to win more, which also brings hunger and drive. The club’s taken big steps to put us in a position to go and challenge for more than just a Canadian Championship, and to win as many trophies as you can.”
Gauld battles for a loose ball during that 2022 final (Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images)
Because of that, if there’s a reality where the Whitecaps lift one or all of the Voyageurs Cup, Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup this year, think back to that 2022 final and how the Whitecaps have grown since as a key reason why this tournament is important to take seriously.
Certainly, the Whitecaps are proof of that - for example, with a legend like Müller noting that he joined this team to win trophies, you can actually link that first win in 2022 to his arrival, as the Whitecaps wouldn’t have been able to build this winning culture that a player like him craves without that first triumph.
“It shows that when you put culture, character and good values at the forefront, it brings good things, right?” Ricketts finished. “It attracts good players, and it brings out more passion from the supporters. It gets the whole city on board with the club and what’s being done on and off the pitch, and that's the culture that we bring every day internally, and it's played a big part in our success.”
“When new players like Thomas Müller, Sebastian Schonlau and Joedrick Pupe speak to the current players, these are the things they talk about, and these are the things that attract these talents. I like to say that the reason Thomas came here is because he knows it's a good culture and a winning culture, and now the goal is to lift our fourth consecutive Canadian Championship and then bring that momentum into MLS.”
