Hello!

These past two January’s have been pretty rough for us Whitecaps FC supporters, eh?

Last year we received news that the team was “up for sale” (although that got walked back a bit to being more like “up for investment”) in January.

And then this year? Well this year not only is the team “up for sale/investment/something,” none of the prospective buyers/investors felt the club was worth much due to the stadium situation.

Woof.

Nonetheless, us supporters must persevere and try to put all that noise to the side as we look ahead to the season in front of us - one that officially gets under way next weekend.

So to help get you set up with some expectations, this edition and next will be full of some loose (and not so loose) thoughts.

The View

With the 2026 campaign approaching us fast, I thought it would be a cool exercise to reconnect with all the guest contributor’s to the newsletter last season and grab a few thoughts from them on the events of the off-season, and some expectations going into 2026. Yet being the scatter-brained creator that ideates on the fly, I gave them absolutely no notice.

But these three - Jordan Minamimaye, Matthew Hall, and Mark Goodman - took that request like professionals and provided the absolute gold you’ll find below! In fact, they provided so much good stuff that I decided to make this edition of the newsletter all about them and will share my random thoughts next week.

So here’s what they had to share.

Jordan's Thoughts

• Being the degenerate sicko that I am, watching preseason highlights has me worried for a few reasons.

• Both White and Elloumi don’t look to be converting chances, and are seemingly getting few.

• Cutback shots from the wingers overlapping are being blocked at a high percentage.

• The defense looks in shambles. They’ve given up early goals in nearly every game.

• Call it preseason but if your expectations for this season are an improvement in results over last, the team does NOT look up to it.

• Wonder how much the off-field drama is kind of eating at the paint in the locker room, or how much destabilization the departures may have actually had as well.

Matthew's Thoughts

• This offseason has been rough. Losing Ali Ahmed to Europe, the bickering between the club and the province over the stadium situation, and middling performances in our pre-season friendlies. It's hard to know what this club looks like after 2026.

• The stadium question hangs over everything. Can the club figure out a deal with BC Place that works for both sides? Is a new build even on the table? Does a path exist that keeps this team in Vancouver long-term? I have a hard time believing MLS would let us leave. The cost of an expansion team is higher than what we'd sell for, and the league has shown no shortage of willing buyers at that price.

• Axel Schuster loves bringing in reclamation projects. It worked with Emmanuel Sabbi and Jayden Nelson last season, cast-off players stranded at European clubs, not getting minutes. Now he's trying it again with Aziel Jackson (just 128 minutes last season) and Bruno Caicedo (only 3G/3A across 1,870 minutes). One of them needs to fill the Ahmed-sized hole in the starting XI.

• If this team is going to make a real MLS Cup run this year, they need Ryan Gauld healthy. He had a rough 2025 and is out until at least April. The World Cup break runs May 25 to July 16. He needs to come back from that break match-sharp and stay healthy through the fall. That's a big ask given the last 18 months.

• A wave of contracts expire after this season, and if extensions don't come early, the sell pressure during the World Cup break is going to be intense. A lot of core players expire this year: Müller, Cubas, Laborda, Adekugbe, Veselinović, and Berhalter. That's half the starting XI when everyone's healthy. Almost all of them are due for a raise, especially Berhalter.

• The core of this team is aging together. Müller at 36, Adekugbe 31, Gauld 30, White 30, Cubas 29, Blackmon 29. This season, and possibly the 2027 mini-season, are going to be the last chance to win some more titles with this group.

• Axel Schuster's future with the club is far from settled. Since arriving in 2019, he's turned this organization from a basement-dweller into a playoff contender. But his contract expires in 2026, and with the stadium and ownership situations unresolved, the temptation to move on is real. I think it comes down to what happens with ownership over the next 12 months. New owners with ambition and a stadium plan? He stays. More of the same uncertainty? Hard to blame him for looking elsewhere.

• Jesper Sørensen's situation mirrors Schuster's. He's the most successful Whitecaps coach in the MLS era. His deal also runs out in 2026. My bet: if Axel stays, Jesper stays. But no coach wants to spend his press conferences fielding stadium questions instead of talking about winning MLS Cup.

• Keep an eye on Kenji Cabrera. With Gauld out for the opening months, he's going to get real minutes in a role that matters. If he can produce, he's going to get get attention from Europe. He's watched Ahmed's path to Europe up close. Expect him to be chasing that same move by 2027 or 2028.

• Oliver Larraz is the long-term successor to Cubas in midfield. Having him available across all competitions gives the club real depth in a position where they've had none.

• I'll have a full 2025 season review and 2026 preview dropping Friday the 13th on Reddit.com/r/MLS and at https://matthewhall.com

Mark's Thoughts

The last couple weeks have felt like a couple years if you’re a Vancouver Whitecaps supporter. The very public questions of deals with the province, a new stadium, and potentially relocating have unavoidably cast a shadow over what should be the team’s most highly anticipated season in a long time. I’ll say just one thing here and then move on: don’t let the owners off the hook for this. Outside of Andrew Bahl’s recent piece about the situation for The Third Sub, I haven’t seen much criticism of the owners. They absolutely have the wherewithal to keep the club in Vancouver, if that’s what they really want.

With that said, let’s turn our attention to the actual soccer. Here are five questions I have regarding the Whitecaps as we head into the season:

• Does Jesper Sørensen have the magic again? An unknown in North America when he was hired last winter, Sørensen pulled pretty much all the right strings en route to being the league’s coach of the year (I refuse to recognize that Bradley Carnell won the actual award). Virtually everyone – young players and veterans alike – hit another gear and, for a while, played some of the best soccer MLS has ever seen. All while dealing with a litany of injuries (more on that in a bit).

  The challenge is different this year, as it’s more about sustaining that level than raising it. Sørensen was also quite adept at integrating new players (Emmanuel Sabbi, Tate Johnson, then Thomas Müller) into the lineup. Whether he can do the same this season will determine if the Whitecaps are MLS Cup contenders again.

• Can the Whitecaps stay healthier? It was sadly fitting that Vancouver’s final game last year saw Thomas Müller at notably less than 100 percent, and Ralph Priso leaving with an injury (I am convinced the ‘Caps win MLS Cup if either or both of those things don’t happen). The way the team just kept humming through all the injuries to key players last year was incredible. I don’t think you can count on that happening again – at least not at last year’s level – even with the team’s impressive depth.

  My hypothesis is that Sørensen’s far more aggressive, pressing style of soccer led to more exertion and, hence, (a lot) more injuries. Will the players be better adjusted this season? Let us hope so.

• Does Ralph Priso repeat last year’s performance? Priso was having a decent season as a backup midfielder last year before being pressed into center back duty due to everyone else at that position being injured. He turned into one of the revelations of the season, and now the position switch appears permanent. Assuming Priso is first-choice alongside Tristan Blackmon to start the year, can he do it again? His ball-playing skills are a real asset back there, but his anticipation of opponents’ attacks and ability to win duels made him a standout.

  And here’s a bonus question: If Priso does repeat last year’s performance and Blackmon remains at or near the same level, what happens when Ranko Veselinović comes back?

• Can Kenji Cabrera, Bruno Caicedo, et al. replace Ali Ahmed? As well as everyone stepped up last season, there was no doubt the Whitecaps were a better, more dynamic team when Ahmed was on the pitch. He didn’t score goals, but he didn’t have to – his ball-carrying and ability to connect with teammates in the final third (the one big thing that had been lacking in his game previously) brought Vancouver’s attack to another level. It earned him a well-deserved move to Norwich City, where he’s already become an automatic starter and integral player.

  Cabrera showed some flashes last year, and Caicedo comes with promise as a U-22 Initiative player. They’re both different players to Ahmed. The Whitecaps have had pretty good success recently recruiting from South America; they’ll hope that continues here.

• What do the Whitecaps look like come September? Axel Schuster has had a successful tenure in Vancouver. The biggest feather in his cap recently has been his ability to, by and large, keep this team intact despite its growing success. One could have reasonably expected more than Ahmed and Pedro Vite to have left, but the core that has developed the last three years is mostly still here. As a result, top-4 in the West has gone from stretch goal to expectation.

Does this continue after the World Cup? If Sebastian Berhalter, for example, starts this season the way he played last year, is he still here after the summer transfer window? Does the club’s off-field issues have an impact on the roster? It’s going to be a fascinating, memorable year – ideally, in a good way.

I am truly honoured that these three have stepped up to create content for From 231 and I am extremely appreciative they took the time to contribute again this week. Look for more from them as the season progresses!

Thank you Jordan, Matthew, and Mark!

On that note, if you’ve ever thought you wanted to step up on the proverbial soapbox to share some stories or thoughts on the Whitecaps FC (or maybe something soccer adjacent), this newsletter is always open. Simply reach out to me with your interest or idea (reply to any newsletter or send an email to FROM231 [at] PROTON [dot] ME, and I’ll look to make it happen!