Where we left off last year
2025 season: 63 points, 2nd in the Western Conference, 5th in MLS
If you’d told the Whitecaps at this time last year that they would be one Andres Cubas turnover away from beating Lionel Messi to the 2025 MLS Cup, I’m not sure they would’ve believed you. And yet, that’s exactly how Vancouver finished last year: brutally close to winning it all.
Even with the disappointment that came by way of Inter Miami last December, last year was a wildly, resoundingly successful season for the Whitecaps on the field. It was the best ever. They made it to the final of MLS Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup, dominated in the regular season, and lifted the Canadian Championship. Oh, and Jesper Sorensen turned out to be a brilliant head coaching hire who was robbed of the Coach of the Year award, and Thomas Muller signed in the summer.
For a team facing ownership and stadium uncertainties, 2025 was pretty darn great for the ‘Caps. Those uncertainties haven’t grown any less uncertain over this offseason. But at least on the field, 2026 might be even better.
What changed in the offseason
Notable arrivals:
- Cheikh Sabaly, W: A 26-year-old Senegal international who put up 14 non-penalty goals in Ligue 2 last year, Sabaly could be a home-run signing for the Whitecaps. He arrives from Ligue 1 side Metz and should help replace some of what Vancouver lost in Ali Ahmed and Jayden Nelson.
- Bruno Caicedo, W: Signed from Barcelona (not the one in Spain, the one in Ecuador), Caicedo joins the ‘Caps as a U22 Initiative player. Given Vancouver’s impressive hit-rate on signings coming from less-heralded South American leagues, the 21-year-old could be a player to watch this year and beyond.
