The 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup gets underway in February, and three Canadian teams will be going toe-to-toe with some of the top clubs in the region. CanPL.ca will be covering the tournament extensively, with in-depth guides on the CPL teams and their opponents, plus more on the whole tournament. For more of CanPL.ca’s coverage of the Concacaf Champions Cup, click here.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Location (league): Vancouver, B.C., Canada (MLS)
Date founded: 2009
Appearances in CCC/CCL: 4
Best finish: Semi-finals (2016-2017)
First opponent: Deportivo Saprissa
History & Overview
For a third straight year, the Vancouver Whitecaps have qualified for the Concacaf Champions Cup, as they’ve become a regular participant in the region’s marquee continental tournament.
Currently sitting in their best period of success since they joined MLS in 2011, as they’ve made the playoffs three times in the last four years and have won three straight Canadian Championships, this 2025 campaign is seen as a massive year for the Whitecaps.
Having struggled to take that next step as a team to become one of the elite sides in MLS, something they’ve flirted with over the past few years, the pressure is on for them to make that jump forward in 2025, as they’ve got arguably the best team they’ve built since joining MLS, filled with players in their prime ages.
Sitting with just three playoff wins in their MLS history, however, two of them coming this past year, they have goals of making the sort of deep playoff run the city is itching out for. A club with a history of success, having won the 1979 Soccer Bowl and a pair of USL titles in the 2000s, they want to replicate that success in MLS.
Because of that, look for them to kick off their big year on a high note in this tournament – a deep run in this competition after earlier-than-hoped exits in back-to-back years would be a great way to set the tone for what’s to come for these Whitecaps this season.
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How they qualified
Much like they did in the last two editions, the Whitecaps have qualified for this tournament via the Canadian Championship, earning a berth as 2024 Voyageurs Cup winners.
They were made to work for their third straight Voyageurs Cup, as they narrowly advanced past Cavalry FC on away goals after a 2-2 aggregate draw in the quarter-finals before beating Pacific FC 2-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, before defeating Toronto FC 4-2 on PKs after a 0-0 regular time draw in the final.
The coach
After a three-and-a-half-year stint in charge of the Whitecaps, the charismatic Vanni Sartini left the club this offseason, and he was replaced by Danish manager Jesper Sørensen, who arrives in North America after a strong stint with Danish side Brøndby IF, while also bringing experience with several Danish clubs and Denmark’s U21 Men’s National Team.
A manager who is known for using a flexible possession-based system, Sørensen’s successful recent stint with Brøndby was unfortunately marred by heartbreak – they missed the chance to win just their second title since 2006 on the last day of the 2023-2024 season despite entering the final day in first place in the table. As a result, his team struggled to recover in 2024-2025, slumping to fifth place in the first half of the season before falling to AGF Aarhus in the quarter-finals of the Danish Cup, which was enough for Sørensen’s firing.
Now, he’ll look to put that behind him with the Whitecaps, who have a squad that should fit nicely in his system. A team that is already constructed to win, he’ll be expected to get off to a quick start to life with his new club, helping them navigate this massive year.
3 Key Players
Ali Ahmed:
It’s been a whirlwind few years for Ahmed, who has gone from a Whitecaps II player with longshot odds of first-team football to a key piece on the Whitecaps first team and an important member of Jesse Marsch’s Canadian men’s national team.
A tactically versatile player who can slot in multiple positions, Ahmed is often a delight for coaches to work with, as he’ll put in the necessary defensive work, and is creative on the ball. Unfortunately, that versatility can sometimes play against him — he’s also struggled to find his best role for the Whitecaps, who have moved him all over the pitch in recent years.
Having had a breakout 2024 for Canada, however, where he’s settled in as a hybrid winger/midfielder, look for him to find success in a similar role for the Whitecaps, where he’ll have one big objective – get more involved offensively, having generated just five goal contributions across 63 Whitecaps games, numbers he’d love to at least match, if not double or triple this season.
Andrés Cubas:
Cubas’s play might not grab the attention the same way Gauld’s might, but the fellow Whitecaps DP is just as important to this team, sitting as a key anchor in the middle of the park.
Known for his ferocious tackling, Cubas often does the defensive work of multiple people in the middle, freeing up his teammates to focus on the attack. What he lacks in size he makes up for in work rate, which combined with his defensive awareness, makes him a nightmare for opponents.
When he’s on the pitch, the Whitecaps opponents prefer to attack down the flanks, and for good reason, showing his importance to this team.
Ryan Gauld:
When speaking of this Whitecaps team, it’s hard to ignore Gauld, who has become the heartbeat of this side with his work on both sides of the ball.
Yet, while his strong work rate for an attacking midfielder is a big reason for his success, there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most gifted offensive players in MLS – he has an impressive 43 goals and 45 assists across 134 appearances in all competitions for the Whitecaps since his arrival, and he was a finalist for MLS’s MVP award in 2023.
Armed with a lethal left foot and strong attacking intelligence, he knows where to find space on the field, where he can generate chances by the boatload – both for him and his teammates – doing well to then turn those chances into goal contributions.
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Recent form
It was a weird 2024 for the Whitecaps, who had several highs, including a strong start to the MLS season, their Canadian Championship three peat and an impressive playoff performance which included a 5-0 win vs. the Portland Timbers and a hard-fought series against LAFC. At the same time, an early exit in the Concacaf Champions Cup in the first round to Tigres, a Leagues Cup Round of 32 loss to Pumas and a late-season slump in the MLS regular season also stand out as moments where the Whitecaps were left wanting more.
Yet, that’s why Sartini is out as head coach, and why Sørensen is in to replace him – the Whitecaps have their eyes on big things this year. For all of their success under Sartini, the Whitecaps haven’t won three games in a row in MLS play since 2022, as inconsistency has plagued them over the last few years. At their best, this is a team that can be one of the best in MLS on their day, but they’ve struggled to find that form regularly.
That’s why they’ve banked on keeping a large chunk of their squad in place, with their offseason departures mostly consisting of depth pieces like Alessandro Schöpf, Deiber Caicedo and Ryan Raposo, with Fafà Picault’s 10 goals and eight assists the lone big departure. On the flip side, things have been quiet on the incoming transfers front, but that’s expected to change over the next few weeks, with the Whitecaps even recently linked to Uruguay Youth International Anderson Duarte of Toluca per Tom Bogert.
Along with a first full season for Stuart Armstrong, who was signed as a DP partway through last year, and continued growth from the likes of Gauld, Cubas, Brian White, Ranko Veselinovic and Sam Adekugbe, the Whitecaps feel they’re in a good position to start the year strong.
Tournament outlook
After their tough matchup with Tigres in the first round of last year’s Concacaf Champions Cup, where they fell 4-1 on aggregate, the Whitecaps will feel better about their chances of advancing this time around against Saprissa. Having become a pot one team in this year’s draw after sitting in the second pot last year, this matchup is much more favourable than facing one of the region’s giants while still in preseason mode.
Unfortunately, the Whitecaps still got no favours in this draw – Mexican giants Monterrey and Pumas both sit in this quarter of the bracket, with both Liga MX sides facing CPL teams Forge FC and Cavalry FC respectively in the first round.
Given that one of the Whitecaps’ last big hurdles they need to achieve as a team is a statement win against a Liga MX giants, having suffered plenty of Champions Cup and Leagues Cup heartbreak to Liga MX sides in the past, any deep run in this tournament will likely involve them slaying that dragon unless their fellow Canadian teams pull a shock upset in the first round.
First round schedule
Leg 1: Thursday, Feb. 20
Saprissa vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC — Estadio Ricardo Saprissa Aymá, San Juan de Tibás, Costa Rica
8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
Leg 2: Thursday, Feb. 27
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Saprissa — BC Place, Vancouver, B.C.
10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT
