Hello!

It’s been a spell since this last arrived in your inbox, eh?

I actually started putting this issue together the day after the Whitecaps FC lost to Inter Miami only to realize my emotions were still quite raw. So I decided to take a beat and let things settle before looking to tackle it.

Then someone in one of the Whitecaps FC Discord servers I’m part of asked about MLS roster timelines, and I came to realize the two teams in the final would be publishing changes shortly after, so decided to delay publishing by a couple days.

But as things tend to be, news continued to trickle. We got updates on the roster, we got updates on the stadium plans, we got updates on potential investors.

We got it all.

And I continued to wait.

Until now that is.

But this wait is also really me transitioning into my off-season publishing schedule. Moving forward, expect to see a newsletter arrive every two weeks until February. This means the next issue will drop just before year-end, with the one after that during the second week of January.

And so on. And so forth.

The View

It’s a hard pill to swallow when your side scores two of the four goals in a match, only to lose 3-1. It’s an even harder pill to swallow when that match happens to be a Cup Final.

Arguably, the team committed two brutal mistakes and it cost them the match. Sure they had opportunities squandered. Sure they had woodwork exacting retribution for the reward it provided only a week earlier.

But two brutal mistakes are what stood out to me as being the most consequential.

Mistake #1 - Édier Ocampo broke the defensive line prematurely and kept Allende onside, only to compound the issue by deflecting his cross into the back of the net.

Looking back at the replay, both Blackmon and Priso were confident in their positioning. They stepped laterally upon Messi’s touch up field in an effort to let Allende go offside. On the other hand, Ocampo looked significantly less confident on the far side and stepped back - thus breaking the line. While I appreciate him having to worry about Silvetti behind him, there’s still no excuse to being the one to keep a player on the opposite side of the field on.

Mistake #2 - Andrés Cubas has his pocket picked by Lionel Messi.

I’m honestly unsure what Cubas was thinking in this moment. The Whitecaps had just broken an Inter Miami counter, Cubas receives the ball with space, turns and sees Messi. Instead of getting the ball back up the field or out side, he instead chooses to turn back only to immediately lose the ball. Messi quickly dishes the ball to De Paul and Inter Miami back up by one.

Oof.

While there are no guarantees the ‘Caps find a way to win if that De Paul goal isn’t scored, I’d have to say I still liked their chances.

Sabbi had been having his way with the Inter Miami backline with his speed and drive. Ahmed, prior to coming off for Gauld, was doing much the same.

It felt like Vancouver was picking up steam while Miami was losing it.

And then they weren’t.

Oof.

The Good

• Emmanuel Sabbi - Sabbi did everything he could to keep the Whitecaps FC in this match, and potentially give them a lead. Whether it was fantastic saves from Rocco Ríos Novo or the Inter Miami woodwork, Sabbi simply couldn’t buy that second goal.

The Not So Good

• Two Brutal Mistakes.

Around the Pitch

There’s been quite a bit of news over the past couple weeks, so here’s a quick synopsis.

Player Transactions

In seasons past, when the Whitecaps FC were eliminated in October or early November, we had a moment to digest the end before personnel decisions were announced.

This year, we had two… three days.

The first news we received was the re-signing of Isaac Boehmer. Starting only in competition play, Isaac didn’t do half-bad while in relief of Yohei Takaoka.

Shortly after that announcement we learned the ‘Caps exercised options on Adrían Zendejas, Mathías Laborda, Sebastian Berhalter, J.C. Ngando, “Best CB We Never Knew We Had” Ralph Priso, Ali Ahmed and Thomas Müller (who will become a DP).

Not having their options renewed were Max Anchor, Mark O’Neill, Nicholas Fleuriau Chateau, and Belal Halbouni - though team plans to continue talking with Belal. They also declined to purchase Daniel Rios (fare thee well Daniel).

And then there is Yohei Takaoka who is currently an MLS free agent, though the Whitecaps are definitely keen on bringing Yohei back if the price is right (word has it Axel is 99-1 on getting him signed).

CONCACAF Cup Draw

While some had hoped for a Vancouver FC rematch, the Whitecaps FC instead drew the Costa Rican side Club Sport Cartaginés. The two leg affair will get things underway in Costa Rica on February 18, 2026 and back here in Vancouver on February 25, 2026.

Vancouver FC? They drew Cruz Azul. 😬

Stadium Update

As publishing this issue, there’s still no deal between the ‘Caps and PAVCO to continue to play in BC Place stadium. And while MLS league commissioner Don Garber has suggested the team could relocate if an amenable deal isn’t done, I can’t see that happening in time for next season so I’ll let those worries remain nothing more than a 2027 problem.

But I also have the knowledge of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the City of Vancouver and Whitecaps FC to figure out the potential of a new stadium on the Hastings Racetrack grounds.

Simply put, the MOU gives the Whitecaps a one-year period of exclusivity to create a proposal on what to do with the racetrack grounds. While nothing more than names on a paper with no guarantees a shovel ever hits dirt, it does give current investors - as well as potential new ones - an opportunity to develop the land to be more than “just a stadium” and in turn create robust revenue streams.

Much would still need to happen. Rezoning applications. Development applications. Financing the build. Negotiating the lease. And none of that happens overnight.

But the Whitecaps would need to play somewhere during that period and the only real location - short of something temporary being built elsewhere - is BC Place stadium.

I’ve said this before, but let me say it again - thank you so much for your support this season! As we head towards the end of the year, let me wish you a happy holiday season and all the best as we look into 2026!