FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It literally wasn’t easy to reach this point.
In what will be a 5,564 mile round-trip, the Vancouver Whitecaps crossed three time zones, an international border, and essentially the continent of North America itself to face global superstar Lionel Messi and his Inter Miami teammates at Saturday’s MLS Cup match.
Considering the additional travel they’ve done this year in separate competitions like the Canadian Championship, and the international Concacaf Champions Cup, there may be no team in CONCACAF — or perhaps world soccer — that has covered the same amount of miles as the Whitecaps.
At the end of that road, Vancouver was halted by a heart-breaking 3-1 loss to Miami at Chase Stadium. Stats and underlying numbers will point to a commendable performance for the Whitecaps, but when you have Messi dishing out late assists, it’s near-impossible to stop the demigod of the sport.
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Vancouver closed out 2025 with no MLS Cup title, and yet, that doesn’t take away its status as this year’s Cinderella story in MLS. In fact, all the miles that the Whitecaps have covered, they pale in comparison to the on-the-field growth they’ve made in 2025.
Months before qualifying for Saturday’s final, winning the Western Conference trophy, and lifting the Canadian Championship, new manager Jesper Sørensen was almost at a loss for words when recognizing that he had already qualified for a (Concacaf Champions Cup) final by May.
«I did not expect this,» the former Danish midfielder, hired in January, admitted to ESPN over the summer. «Of course, when you start, you hope that you can make a difference and make something new, but I didn’t expect things to pick up this fast.»
Sørensen knew what he was getting himself into.
Before 2025, Vancouver was widely seen as mid-to-lower-table fillers in the standings. Playoff invitations were semi-regular, but the Whitecaps never went far and were almost always knocked out early. Heading into this season, expectations were low.
According to the league’s in-house experts, the Whitecaps were selected to finish second-to-last in the Western Conference. To quote our own preseason preview on Vancouver: «It’s going to be an uphill battle for new coach Jesper Sørensen in his first stint in MLS.»
The fans felt similar.
«Almost every season, we are cautiously optimistic and nothing happens. Then this time we were not even cautiously optimistic,» Peter Czimmermann, president of the Vancouver Southsiders supporters group, said to ESPN in May. «And it’s turned out to be the best season ever in Vancouver’s history.»
What happened was the rapid development of one of the most cohesive units in MLS. Regardless of injuries and a rotating cast of characters, Sørensen ditched the once pragmatic and cautious approach to the squad, while bringing in a more commanding and intrusive style of play.
They would no longer be afraid to be the protagonists. If anything, they embraced the risks they once tried to avoid.
«The pressure is what it is,» said Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter ahead of the final. «It’s a privilege and it’s fun and our guys are going to lead into it and enjoy it. Home team, away team, I don’t think it matters. I think we just want to go out there and execute what we do.»
With Bayern Munich legend Thomas Müller in the mix as a blockbuster mid-season addition, their energy reached a new level that extended into the playoffs. The Whitecaps blew past Dallas in Round 1, they went toe-to-toe with Son Heung-Min‘s LAFC and survived a penalty shootout, then in the Western Conference final against San Diego FC, they flexed their relentless pressing muscle and looked as confident as ever before.
Even down 1-0 in Saturday’s final after an own goal from Édier Ocampo in the 8th minute, that didn’t seem to shake the focus of the team that seemed to use it as motivation. That pressure? To quote Berhalter: «It’s a privilege.»
Playing some of their best soccer of the season, and with close to 2,000 visiting fans in support, the Whitecaps earned a well-deserved equalizer in the 60th minute through Ali Ahmed. Moments later, they then hit the woodwork twice and nearly took the lead.
But of course, if you’re reading this, you know how the script goes. Up against the greatest of all time, the soccer gods tend to look kindly on their chosen footballing idol on earth. Messi did Messi things with his two assists, capitalizing on errors that solidified a 3-1 victory and MLS Cup win.
«These games, they’re decided in a few moments, and of course, when you play Miami, they have players that can take advantage of these moments,» said Vancouver’s coach.
1:22
How Lionel Messi guided Inter Miami to MLS Cup success
Shaka Hislop praises Lionel Messi for his contributions during Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory vs. Vancouver Whitecaps to be crowned MLS Cup champions.
Painful as it all was, there was also no denying that it was all a bittersweet situation for the Danish manager. Months ago, if he was shocked to be in a final, what then could he be feeling with his third final of the year and two pieces of silverware through the Western Conference and Canadian Championship?
«We have grown together throughout the season, so now we are a very strong group,» said Sørensen. «Today, obviously we cry, but I think what is important is that it is proud tears, and the tears have to be proud, because I know that we have excited a lot of people in Vancouver. We have created something around us that people want to see and watch.»
Behind the scenes, the players, the coach, and all involved know the significance of providing good news to their fans that are looking ahead at an unknown future.
Since last winter, the team has been up for sale. Things remain unclear about where they’ll be playing soon with the lease at BC Place expiring at the end of the year. There’s a possible line for a stadium site, but there’s still a ways to go to finalizing that project.
Will the Whitecaps remain?
«We want to be in Vancouver. We want to play for Vancouver,» said Sørensen postmatch. «Vancouver is a great city for soccer, and, you know, we are proud of playing for Vancouver.»
Does a deep playoff run change anything for the sale of a team or a possible relocation? Maybe not. A pessimist would likely note that it’s strictly down to the financial aspects of the club, perhaps what the upside is of the investment forecast that could have little to do with what’s happening on the pitch.
But when you see what the Whitecaps have accomplished in 2025, how they frustrated Messi for a brief moment of time in the final, how thousands showed up in Miami and how more than 18,000 watched together back home in Vancouver, how could you not feel optimistic about the Cinderella story?
There’s only so much that players and coaches can do off the field, but on the field, if there’s one thing we’ve learned, the Whitecaps are willing to go the distance.
