Hello!

It was good “to be home” this past weekend. The thing is, you’d think I’d remember that despite the hole being closed at BC Place it’s still damn cold in there during the Winter months. Nope. Not at all.

Thankfully the chilly conditions didn’t provide for a chilly result, as the Whitecaps FC got themselves a tidy 1-0 result over FC Dallas Real Salt Lake. Here’s to hoping they get something similar on Wednesday against Cartaginés.

On that note - if you’re headed to the match, make sure you leave the reusable bottles at home. In the great wisdom of CONCACAF, the event will be pour-only.

Guess us ramshackle Canadians get all frisky with the bottles we bring to the stadium.

The View

I don’t think it’s wrong to suggest that after two matches (albeit only one in MLS action), the Whitecaps FC look a bit rusty.

They carried the play in both matches. They distributed the ball well. They defended smartly.

What they struggled to do was translate all of that work into scoring opportunities. And the few they did generate, only one provided any joy.

Thank you AZ!

With two matches in four nights, with some solid travel mixed in, I was impressed to see Jesper dress a fairly capable Starting XI down in Costa Rica.

I was impressed early by the deliberate play we saw from Kenji Cabrera, something I hope we see more of throughout the season.

It was equally impressive to see Emmanuel Sabbi carry over his elevated level of play from 2025 into 2026.

What didn’t impress me was the lack of creativity in the final third considering how long the Whitecaps FC carried the ball in the match. While the nil-nil result isn’t the end of the world, I’d feel much better going into tomorrow’s match with a cushion to start with.

Fast-forward to the home opener against FC Dallas, we saw similar performance. The Whitecaps FC carried the play, maintained relative control over the back & middle thirds of the pitch, yet lacked a plan to attack in the final third.

That’s not to suggest we didn’t see solid work from Aziel Jackson (AZ) or Emmanuel Sabbi - they both acquitted themselves well. It’s just that the two appeared to be working individually instead of cohesively with Brian White and Thomas Müller. In fact, it felt to me as if the four players were functioning as three distinct units.

Here’s hoping Jesper can sort that out.

The Good

• AZ - he scored a goal in his Whitecaps FC home debut. Top notch effort throughout. Definitely good.

• Ralph Priso - I can’t believe I said this to my sister at the match, but during a number of FC Dallas counters… “Don’t worry, Ralph is back there.” Can we still call him “the best CB we never knew we had?”

• The Supporters Groups - y’all brought it. And the TIFO was a beaut.

The Not So Good

• The BC Place pitch - oh my goodness did it look rough. I can’t recall there being a home opener where the turf looked as flat as it did this weekend. Any chance they can keep the temporary grass for the World Cup in… after the World Cup?

• MLS DISCO - if you haven’t already heard, MLS DISCO has assessed Sabbi a one-game suspension for violent conduct serious foul play not issued during the match. Having seen the replay, I’m actually quite surprised that VAR didn’t holler down to referee Drew Fischer at the time. It was a bad tackle.

Around the Pitch

Going into this season, we had a number of unsettled questions to deal with. Many to do with the future of the club, many to do with where future matches not yet scheduled will be hosted, and many to do with a number of players and staff who were headed into their last year under contract.

Well we got a few of those answers since I last landed in your inbox:

• Jesper Sørensen is signed through 2028!! Considering the impact he’s had on this franchise in the short time he’s been here in Vancouver, short of the unsettled nature of the team’s future, a contract extension was a no-brainer.

• Andrés Cubas is signed through 2028!! When Pedro Vite departed midway through the 2025 campaign, I began to wonder if Cubas’ time in a Whitecaps FC jersey could also come to an end. It’s no secret that a number of teams have approached Vancouver over the past year or two to inquire about his services, so to see him ink a contract to stay here is good. I get that a transfer could still happen if the right offer presents itself, but love that he’s going to be offering that tenacious stability in midfield.

  Oh… and did I mention? He’s no longer a DP with this new deal which provides Vancouver a little more opportunity to make a splash.

• Tristan Blackmon has not yet signed a new deal. But maybe he will soon? ESPN reporter Jeff Carlisle reported that Tristan will remain in Vancouver through 2030, but nothing official has dropped yet…

As I look to wrap up this issue, I want to give a shout out to the two of you who replied to the last one! I won’t deny that I hoped to hear from more of you, but I also understand that we’re all pretty darn busy with everything going on. ‘tis okay.

You may not realize this, but every reply to the newsletter you send my way helps show that it’s more than just “another protentional source of spam.” So if I ever say something you agree with, let me know. I say something so silly you have to describe how long you laughed at my thoughts? Do it. Have a wicked cool slow cooker recipe that might blow my socks off? Send it.

The inbox is always open and I’ll do my best to respond to each of you that takes the time to reply. On that note… look for a belated response from me later this week - I’ve been a bit tardy at that.

Now on to another week of two matches - here’s to solid results in both!