‘It all comes to this moment’: Whitecaps eager to make history in MLS Cup final

Vancouver Whitecaps' Brian White watches the ball while juggling it with his feet during a training session at Florida International University ahead of the MLS Cup final soccer match, in Miami, Fla., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

MIAMI — It’s been a long season for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Getting to the MLS Cup has taken even longer.

The club will play in Major League Soccer’s championship match for the first time on Saturday when they take on Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami in Florida.

“I think it’s years of hard work coming together at a special moment,” said Whitecaps striker Brian White.

“Since I came to the club, since other guys have come in after, just seeing the progress in the team, in the group throughout the years, it’s all come to this moment. So hopefully we can finish it off with a trophy.”

The Whitecaps know what’s at stake in the game, said goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.

“It’s a massive opportunity for us to be here and be able to win the title,” he said. ”We’re here to create a new history for the club.”

While Miami boasts one of the best soccer players in the world in Messi, Vancouver has a top-tier talent of its own.

The ‘Caps signed German legend Thomas Muller midway through August, adding a dynamic playmaker to a team that already hovered near the top of the Western Conference standings.

Vancouver has lost just one game across all competitions since bringing in the 36-year-old attacking midfielder.

Neither side is focused on just one player, though, White said.

“At the end of the day, it’s Inter Miami vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps,” he said. ”And we have an opportunity to go in and win. And that’s what we’re focused on.”

It’s been a long season for the Whitecaps. The team will play its 63rd game of the year on Saturday — an MLS regular season consists of 34 matches.

Vancouver pushed its way through the CONCACAF Champions Cup, beating Miami in a pair of semifinal matchups to clinch a spot in the final.

“Obviously, they were much better than us in April,” said Miami head coach Javier Mascherano.

“But the situation is not the same. We are in a different situation. We arrive to this final with confidence, with some different players. We know that they have a very, very good team. I don’t like to talk about some players because they have too many good players. But at the end, we have our tools to do our game and try to be better than them.”

The ‘Caps ultimately fell to LIGA MX side Cruz Azul, but the club hoisted a trophy in October when Vancouver won its fourth straight Canadian Championship title.

In November, the group finished second in the Western Conference standings with an 18-7-9 record, the team’s best showing in the MLS era.

After posting a pair of wins over FC Dallas in a best-of-three first-round matchup, the ‘Caps came up against a familiar foe in Los Angeles FC — the team that had ousted them from the playoffs in two straight seasons.

Despite going down two men late, Vancouver prevailed on penalty kicks, setting up a battle for best in the West with expansion side San Diego FC.

The Whitecaps went up 2-0 in the first 11 minutes and never looked back, posting a 3-1 victory to advance to the MLS Cup final.

Getting here hasn’t been easy, though, noted defender Sam Adekugbe.

Key players have been sidelined by injuries — including Adekugbe himself. The team has lost bodies to international duty. Playing three tournaments and a regular season left a cramped schedule full of long international flights.

And yet, the Whitecaps are here.

“We’re on the cusp of doing something amazing,” Adekugbe said. ”I think throughout the year the team has obviously been through a lot of adversity, and finally getting to the final feels like it’s very deserved and something we’re really looking forward to.”

Adekugbe won’t be on the field Saturday as he continues to work his way back from the season-ending Achilles injury he suffered while playing for the Canadian national team in June.

He still wanted to be with the team in Florida, though.

“These are friends that I’ve played with for the last couple of years, these are friends that I’ll have forever,” he said. “Just being able to be a part of it, be a part of it, and just contributing off the pitch, hopefully that will translate to (the final).”

Back in Vancouver, more than 18,500 Whitecaps fans are expected to take in the game at the team’s home stadium of B.C. Place. That number could rival Miami’s Chase Stadium, where capacity is 21,500.

That simply shows how Vancouver has embraced the Whitecaps, said White.

“You could see the support and the love grow in the city. You could feel it when you’re walking around and going to coffee shops and stuff,” he said. ”So it means a lot to us, and hopefully we can reward that love and trust with a trophy.”

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith of The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2025.