Fearless Jayden Nelson sparks CanMNT return with Whitecaps on cusp of CCC triumph: "What is there to be afraid of?"
There’s a reason why they typically call it a cup run, as opposed to a cup walk.
What at the beginning can seem like an imposing mountain can quickly be ascended, as you can blink and go from the first round of a competition to the business end, just like that.
Conversely, a cup run can end suddenly and without much fanfare. One bad bounce, and the dreams of a trophy can quickly become a nightmare.
As the Vancouver Whitecaps get set for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final against Cruz Azul on Sunday, it feels almost surreal to think that they began this journey just over three months ago, starting with a trip to San José, Costa Rica, to take on CD Saprissa in round one.
Along the way, they’ve certainly had their close calls - Saprissa were a crossbar hit away from taking a late lead in leg two of that first round tie, CF Monterrey had the Whitecaps on the ropes in the first half of their leg two Round of 16 match, Pumas UNAM had thought they eliminated the Whitecaps with an 88th minute goal in leg two of their quarter-final, and Inter Miami came close to sparking a remontada in the first half of their leg two semi-final matchup.
Each time they faced the prospect of a tumble back down to reality, however, the Whitecaps survived, allowing them to reach the final for the first time in the club’s history. Now, they’ll carry the banner of a city hungry for success, a country eager to prove itself in the world’s game, and a league fighting for sporting relevance in this final - no pressure. That’s the other thing they forget to mention that comes with cup runs - raised expectations.
For a team that hasn’t been on a stage like this before, they could be excused if they were feeling any nerves, but if they are, they certainly aren’t showing it.
“It's a big moment, not only for us, but for the league,” Whitecaps forward, Jayden Nelson, told OneSoccer on Thursday. “We know that we have a lot at stake, but I think the mentality of the group is that we’re not playing the occasion, we're playing the game, and we're not going to change anything different, we're still going to prepare the same way how we’ve been preparing for every game, so we’re excited, and we want to win the game.”
In a sense, however, Nelson has proven to be a perfect player to describe what has worked for the 2025 Vancouver Whitecaps. Certainly, when he was signed at the beginning of the year, it was hard to know what to make of the move
On one hand, this was the acquisition of a 22-year-old with over 100 professional games under his belt, including several in MLS and in the Norwegian league, and a handful of Canadian caps. On the other hand, this was someone who struggled in his second Norwegian league season after a successful debut campaign, and had flamed out while on loan at a 2.Bundesliga side.
Yet, there was one thing working in Nelson’s favour - this was a fresh start. Sometimes, as a footballer, that can go a long way, provided that you take it the right way.
He’s not the first youngster to face adversity - sometimes, a shock to the system is needed to create a catalyst for what’s still to come.
And to Nelson’s credit, he’s taken that to heart. His Whitecaps MLS debut is the stuff of lore at this stage - he scored one goal and added three assists in a 4-1 dismantling of Cascadia rivals, the Portland Timbers, announcing his arrival at the club, and hasn’t looked back since.
WHAT A START. 🤯
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) February 24, 2025
Canadian forward Jayden Nelson becomes just the second player in club history to record at least three assists and a goal in a match, joining Alphonso Davies (June 9, 2018). #VWFC | #TogetherWeDare pic.twitter.com/g8MHJHjFlm
Naturally, he’s not been able to maintain that pace all season, but with one goal and three assists since, that has put him at a respectable two goals and six assists, a tally many would’ve been happy to see him find across the entire season, let alone by late-May.
That’s a credit to the work Nelson has put in, however - safe to say, he’s taken the early-season advice of his own head coach, Jesper Sørensen, to heart.
“When you're a young player and you break through in the way Jayden did at the beginning of his career, then everybody starts to build up a hype about players and all of a sudden it's difficult to live up to that,” Sørensen said back in March. “It's normal and it's usual to have difficulties in a football career. It's more normal that there are difficulties than not.
"But the good thing about Jayden is that he has some potential; he has a good skill set with some things he does really well. Then he has to have the work ethic to keep working to round off his play even more. He's a young man who already, early on in his career, has experienced a lot and done a lot. But I hope that we can help him grow into a player who can produce at a constant high level."
Returning to that earlier point, however, it leads to the key question - why does Nelson truly embody the spirit of this Whitecaps team?
Simply put, he continues to play without fear, no matter the occasion. Every time he gets the ball, he wants to run at guys and tries to make things happen.
That has led to some highlight reel plays, such as his outburst against the Timbers, or a solo goal against RSL earlier this month, and has also led to some frustrating matches. Yet, no matter what happens, Nelson has continued to play his way, and more often than not, the Whitecaps have benefited from that as they, too, continue to undergo a stylistic transformation under Sørensen.
Strong solo effort from Jayden Nelson to give @WhitecapsFC the lead!
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) May 4, 2025
📺 #MLSSeasonPass or Apple TV+: https://t.co/oVowASdu2e pic.twitter.com/3f03NZfk6J
Given that Nelson's averaging an impressive 7.69 dribbles per 90 (at a 52.6% clip) in all competitions (WyScout), that further shows that point, as well as the fact that he’s in the 85th percentile among MLS attacking midfielders and wingers in progressive carries, 96th percentile in shot creating actions from take ons, 99th percentile in shot creating actions from fouls drawn, 98th percentile in take ons (and 96th percentile in successful take ons), and 95th percentile in carries into the box (FBRef) - he’s making things happen on the ball.
There’s a reason why his top five similar players statistically are Denis Bouanga, Hirving Lozano, Federico Bernardeschi, Philip Zinckernagel and Julián Fernández, as he has brought incredible value for what many felt was a cast-off signing.
Yet, when hearing him speak about this final, you can see what’s worked for him, and that’s his extreme confidence, which flows through every player on this Whitecaps team in different ways.
“Yeah, what is there to be afraid of? It's football, you know?” Nelson said. “We've shown over the season what we can do and what type of group we are, and I think the final is going to be another representation of that. We're going to fight hard, we’re all going to work for each other, as it’s going to be an important game for us.”
GOAL 🏔️🏔️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) April 25, 2025
SEBASTIAN BERHALTER MAKES IT 2-0 FOR THE WHITECAPS OVER INTER MIAMI 🥶
🔴 Watch #VWFC vs. Inter Miami in #ConcaChampions SF LEG 1 on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/0Wek9JN16t
In a sense, however, that’s where his past struggles have proved to be so instrumental. Knowing what it takes to earn a move to Europe, making the jump from Toronto FC to Rosenborg at just 20, he’s determined to use that experience to fuel him to hit new heights.
Speaking of past experiences, however, it’s worth noting that this isn’t Nelson’s first rodeo with the Concacaf Champions Cup final - he got to see Toronto FC’s run to the 2018 Concacaf Champions Cup final up close as a then 15-year-old. Already on their radar at that point, as he trained with the first team, he got a behind-the-scenes look at that TFC team, who, after their 2017 treble and deep 2018 CCC run, are often seen as one of the best sides in MLS history.
That Nelson is now playing a key role on a Whitecaps team on the cusp of history can be traced back to that moment - it showed him what it takes to reach this top level.
“Yeah, at the time, I was in and out of preseason with the first team, and then in and out training, and I got to be with the group and learn what winning was like,” Nelson said of TFC’s 2018 run. “It was an amazing feeling because that was maybe one of the best teams on paper in the history of MLS, and I got to be part of that, and gain that experience under my belt.”
Returning to that idea of making history, however, it’s important to highlight the significance of this final for the Whitecaps, who could achieve something that will be felt throughout Canadian soccer, at large.
ON LOCATION 📍@AlexGangueRuzic checks in from Whitecaps training, in conversation with #CanMNT winger Jayden Nelson as the team prepares to fly to Mexico for the 2025 #ConcaChampions FINAL 🏆#VWFC pic.twitter.com/xTDbqhwCOn
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 29, 2025
With a World Cup coming to North America next year, and with Canada co-hosting games, it’s a key time for the sport in this country, and that can be felt at every level, from the grassroots up to the National Teams, and everything in between.
A victory like this could further accelerate that buzz, especially for a team in a city that will be hosting several World Cup games, showing that Canada’s growing soccer culture is growing in many other ways beyond just the success of their National Teams. For Nelson, one of the several Canadians playing a key role on this team along with Sam Adekugbe, Ali Ahmed, Ralph Priso, Isaac Boehmer, Jeevan Badwal and others, that adds another dimension to this match - they’ll feel that they’re representing Canadian footballers, and their unique stories, when they take the pitch.
“Yeah, it's huge. I got to see what Toronto has done up close, all of the success they had in the past, and to see what it took to get there, but also how it sucks to lose one of these finals,” he continued. “So I think I'm still a young guy still, but I have a bit of experience, and I know that this group has a lot of potential, and I think we can get it done over the weekend. It’s important that we're in the final as a Canadian team, as this is what we want to do, we want to push the game forward in Canada with the World Cup coming, to show that we have talent and that Canadians can play football, too.”
At the end of the day, success is contagious, and Nelson has already felt the impact of what his team has done and his own hot start - Jesse Marsch recently called him into his first CanMNT squad since the 2023 Gold Cup, naming him to his roster for the Canadian Shield next month.
"We'll be watching that game and cheering them on!" 😎#CanMNT head coach Jesse Marsch offers his best wishes to the Vancouver Whitecaps 🇨🇦 as they take on Cruz Azul 🇲🇽 in the 2025 #ConcaChampions FINAL this Sunday 🏆
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 29, 2025
▶️ Watch the match on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/jvuBi4idmt
From there, Nelson will look to earn a spot in the Gold Cup later that month, with the long-term goal of being in the fold ahead of the World Cup next summer.
If all goes well, he could be set to play some key games in Vancouver, with Canada’s Gold Cup opener at BC Place next month, along with a large chunk of their World Cup games next summer. Fitting, in a sense, given that he hit the reset button on his career in the city.
It’s wild to imagine that months ago he was struggling in Germany, but that’s a reminder of how fast this sport can move. Because of that, Nelson isn’t shy in dreaming big - he’s got his sights set on a big summer for club and country, one that he can kickstart with CCC success.
With that in mind, don’t be surprised to see him look to play a key role in this final, where he’ll look to keep doing what’s worked best for him - play without fear, helping him continue his 2025 resurgence.
“When I was on my stint in Germany, it was a difficult time, so when I look back now, it’s just crazy how fast football goes,” he finished. “I just wanted to take this opportunity in Vancouver to try and solidify a spot in the national team, and not take anything for granted.”
“Now, what we can do is go into the Gold Cup and win it, that's the mentality of the group of the national team, and it would be nice to get one Concacaf trophy here (with the Whitecaps), and then go and get one (Concacaf trophy) with the National Team.”
