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Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps FC logo.svg
Nickname(s) Blue-and-White
The Village
Caps
Founded March 18, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-03-18)
Stadium BC Place, Vancouver
Stadium
capacity
27,500
Owners
  • Greg Kerfoot
  • Steve Luczo
  • Jeff Mallett
  • Steve Nash
Chairman Jeff Mallett
Sporting director Axel Schuster
Coach Jesper Sørensen
League Major League Soccer
2024 Western Conference: 8th
Overall: 14th
Playoffs: First round
Third colours

The Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a professional soccer team from Vancouver, Canada. They play in Major League Soccer (MLS) as part of the Western Conference. The current Whitecaps team started on March 18, 2009. They joined Major League Soccer in 2011 as the 17th team. They took the place of an older Vancouver Whitecaps team, making them a "phoenix club" because they rose again with the same name. The same group has owned and managed the club since its earlier days.

In 2012, the Whitecaps became the first Canadian team to reach the MLS Cup playoffs. They have won the Canadian Championship four times: in 2015, 2022, 2023, and 2024. They also made it to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final in 2025, but lost to Cruz Azul. The Whitecaps have big rivalries with Seattle and Portland. They compete for the Cascadia Cup, a trophy created by fans. Famous former players include Jay DeMerit, Camilo Sanvezzo, and Canadian national team captain Alphonso Davies.

Discover the Whitecaps' Journey

On March 18, 2009, MLS commissioner Don Garber announced that Vancouver would get the 17th Major League Soccer team. The club decided to keep the "Whitecaps" name. Fans were very excited, buying the first 5,000 season tickets in just two days.

To get ready for their first MLS season, the Whitecaps hired experienced people. Paul Barber, who used to work for Tottenham Hotspur, became the CEO. Tom Soehn joined as Director of Operations, and Richard Grootscholten became the Technical Director.

Teitur Thordarson, who coached the older Whitecaps team, became the head coach for the first MLS season. However, he was replaced by Tom Soehn on May 30, 2011, after the team won only one of their first twelve games. Martin Rennie took over as the new head coach on November 2, 2011.

The Whitecaps played their first MLS game on March 19, 2011, against Toronto FC, winning 4–2. Eric Hassli scored the first goal for the Whitecaps in the MLS era. Even though they started strong, the team struggled for a while. They still managed to get 15,500 season ticket holders in their first year.

On March 3, 2012, the Whitecaps won their first pre-season cup, the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic, by beating Toronto FC 1–0. They finished the 2012 regular season strong, becoming the first Canadian team to make the MLS playoffs. They were knocked out in the first round.

In 2013, the Whitecaps did not make the playoffs. Their coach, Martin Rennie, left the team. There was also a disagreement about player Camilo, who joined a Mexican club. This was resolved when the Mexican club paid a transfer fee to Vancouver.

In October 2014, the Whitecaps qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League for the first time. They also made the MLS playoffs for the second time, which was a big achievement for a Canadian team.

In 2015, the Whitecaps had their best regular season ever, earning 53 points. They also won the Canadian Championship for the first time, beating Montreal. However, they did not do as well in the playoffs or the CONCACAF Champions League.

In 2016, the team had a tougher season but still won the Cascadia Cup by beating the Portland Timbers 4–1.

The Whitecaps improved a lot in 2017. They reached the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals for the first time. They also made the playoffs and won their first-ever playoff game against the San Jose Earthquakes.

In 2018, the team struggled with defense and missed the playoffs. Coach Carl Robinson was replaced by Craig Dalrymple as interim coach.

The 2019 season brought many changes, with key players like Alphonso Davies leaving. Marc Dos Santos became the new manager. The team finished last in their conference and were knocked out of the Canadian Championship by a Canadian Premier League team for the first time.

The 2020 season was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Whitecaps played some games in the "MLS is Back Tournament" and later played home games in Portland, Oregon. They missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.

2021 was a much better year. Even though coach Marc Dos Santos was replaced by Vanni Sartini in August, the team went on a great run, losing only two of their last 14 games. They made the playoffs for the first time in four years but were eliminated in the first round. Vanni Sartini was then named the permanent head coach.

In 2022, the Whitecaps missed the playoffs but won the Canadian Championship for the second time, beating Toronto FC in a penalty shootout. This win also qualified them for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.

In 2023, the Whitecaps reached the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. They also made the MLS playoffs but were eliminated by Los Angeles FC. They won the Canadian Championship for the third time, beating CF Montréal. This qualified them for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

In the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Whitecaps were eliminated by Tigres UANL. In the MLS regular season, they qualified for the playoffs and won their wild-card match against the Portland Timbers. However, they were again eliminated by Los Angeles FC. They won their third Canadian Championship in a row, beating Toronto FC in a penalty shootout, which qualified them for the 2025 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

On June 8, 2010, the club officially announced they would keep the "Whitecaps" name but with a new logo. The name "Whitecaps" refers to the snowy mountains around Vancouver and the white-capped waves of the Pacific Ocean.

The team's official colors are navy blue ("deep sea"), white, and light blue ("Whitecaps blue"). The deep sea blue represents Vancouver's ocean landscape. The Whitecaps blue shows the reflection of the mountains in the ocean. This lighter blue also honors the original Whitecaps team that won the Soccer Bowl in 1979. The silver outline on the logo celebrates the team's championship wins since 1974.

On June 10, 2010, the Whitecaps showed off their new uniforms. Bell Canada became their first jersey sponsor. The home shirt is white with thin navy blue stripes. The away shirt is deep blue with a diamond pattern.

On June 14, 2012, they revealed a third uniform. It was mostly "arbutus brown" with light blue details. This design was inspired by the forests of British Columbia.

In 2019, they wore a special uniform that looked like their 1979 kit. This was to celebrate 40 years since they won the Soccer Bowl '79.

In 2023, the club launched the "Bloodlines Jersey" to highlight their partnership with Telus and support Canadian Blood Services.

In 2024, they released "The 50 Jersey" for their 50th anniversary. This celebrated the club as the longest-running professional soccer club in Canada and the United States.

Uniform History

Here are some of the home, away, and third uniforms the Whitecaps have worn.

  • Home
2011–12
2013–14
2015–16
2017–18
2019–20
2021–22
2023–24
2025–
  • Away
2011–13
2014–15
2016–17
2018–19
2020–21
2022–23
2024–
  • Third
2012–2013
2025

Team Sponsors

Years Uniform Maker Shirt Sponsor
2011–2022 Adidas Bell
2023–present Telus

Home Stadium

BC Place (22648409617)
White sheets are used to artificially reduce the capacity of BC Place for most Whitecaps FC matches.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs Inter Miami CF - CCC - April 24, 2025
Marquee matches use both the upper and lower bowls.
Terry Fox Statue with BC Place
Exterior view of BC Place, 2019.

The Whitecaps play their home games at BC Place in Vancouver. They share this stadium with the BC Lions football team. BC Place opened in 1983 and can hold 54,500 people. It has a special retractable roof that can open and close.

Between 2009 and 2011, the stadium was updated. White sails were added to make the stadium smaller for most Whitecaps games, reducing the capacity to about 22,120 seats. The field at BC Place is made of artificial turf, which is approved by FIFA.

National Soccer Development Center UBC
The National Soccer Development Centre on the grounds of the University of British Columbia

For their first season in 2011, the Whitecaps played at Empire Field. This was a temporary stadium built while BC Place was being renovated. Empire Field had 27,500 seats. The Whitecaps played their first game at BC Place on October 2, 2011.

The club also has a training center called the National Soccer Development Centre. It opened on September 22, 2017, on the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus.

During the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the Whitecaps had to play their home games in the United States. This was because of travel rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. They played some games at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon, and later at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.

In April 2025, there were talks about building a new stadium for the Whitecaps at Hastings Park in Vancouver.

Team Culture

Fan Groups

Whitecapssupport
Whitecaps supporters celebrating 4–2 victory over Toronto FC at Empire Field during inaugural MLS match.

The biggest fan group for the Whitecaps is called the Southsiders. They started in 1999. The Southsiders are very involved in supporting the team. Their numbers grew to over 1200 members by July 2010. They usually sit in a special section at BC Place called the Village Stand (sections 253 and 254). In this section, fans are allowed to stand and chant throughout the game.

Other fan groups include Curva Collective and the Rain City Brigade. There are also smaller groups. Vancouver Albion is North America's first all-youth fan group, with over 100 members. The Prawnsiders are a group for fans who sit in more expensive seats. South Sisters is a group for female, LGBTQ2+, and allied supporters. Couch Ultras organize large visual displays for games.

Team Mascot

The Whitecaps' official mascot is Spike. Spike is a Belted kingfisher, a type of bird often seen in the Vancouver area.

Team Rivalries

Cascadia Cup Matches

The Vancouver Whitecaps have strong rivalries with the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC. These rivalries started even before MLS began. Games between these three teams are very exciting and have a lot of passion from the fans.

Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers are a major rival. Their history goes back to 1975 in the old North American Soccer League. They have played many important and tough matches, including playoff games.

Seattle Sounders

Canadian Rivalries

The Whitecaps also have rivalries with Toronto FC and CF Montreal. The first MLS game for Vancouver was against Toronto to help build this rivalry. Montreal was a rival when the teams played in a lower league. These three Canadian teams often play each other in the Voyageurs Cup competition.

Game Broadcasts

All Whitecaps games are shown on TV and radio. From 2014, TSN has broadcast many Whitecaps games. As of 2021, TSN streams all 34 regular season games. The current TV announcers are Blake Price and Paul Dolan. Since 2023, most games are on Apple TV, with CKGO-AM providing regional radio broadcasts.

Team Ownership

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC is owned by four main investors: Greg Kerfoot, Steve Luczo, Jeff Mallett, and Steve Nash. Together, they are worth a lot of money. Greg Kerfoot has been the main owner since 2002. Jeff Mallett, a former Yahoo! executive, grew up in Victoria, British Columbia. He also owns parts of other sports teams. Steve Nash, a famous basketball player, also grew up in Victoria. He joined with Mallett to invest in the team. Steve Luczo, a business leader, also joined the ownership group. In 2009, this group paid $35 million to MLS to join the league. As of 2023, the club is valued at $410 million.

Players and Staff

Current Roster

No. Position Player
1 Japan GK Takaoka, YoheiYohei Takaoka
2 Uruguay DF Laborda, MathíasMathías Laborda
3 Canada DF Adekugbe, SamSam Adekugbe
4 Serbia DF Veselinović, RankoRanko Veselinović (vice-captain)
7 Canada FW Nelson, JaydenJayden Nelson
11 United States FW Sabbi, EmmanuelEmmanuel Sabbi
12 Syria DF Halbouni, BelalBelal Halbouni
13 Canada MF Priso, RalphRalph Priso
14 Mexico FW Ríos, DanielDaniel Ríos (on loan from Guadalajara)
15 Norway DF Utvik, Bjørn IngeBjørn Inge Utvik
16 United States MF Berhalter, SebastianSebastian Berhalter
18 Colombia DF Ocampo, ÉdierÉdier Ocampo
20 Paraguay MF Cubas, AndrésAndrés Cubas (DP)
No. Position Player
22 Canada DF Ahmed, AliAli Ahmed (HG)
24 United States FW White, BrianBrian White
25 Scotland MF Gauld, RyanRyan Gauld (captain; DP)
26 Cameroon MF Ngando, J.C.J.C. Ngando
27 Australia DF Bovalina, GiuseppeGiuseppe Bovalina
28 United States DF Johnson, TateTate Johnson (GA)
30 United States GK Zendejas, AdrianAdrian Zendejas
32 Canada GK Boehmer, IsaacIsaac Boehmer (HG)
33 United States DF Blackmon, TristanTristan Blackmon
42 Haiti FW Pierre, NelsonNelson Pierre
45 Ecuador MF Vite, PedroPedro Vite
59 Canada MF Badwal, JeevanJeevan Badwal (HG)

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
50 Canada GK Anchor, MaxMax Anchor (HG; on loan to Pacific FC)
52 Canada FW Fleuriau Chateau, NicolasNicolas Fleuriau Chateau (on loan to VPS)

Coaching Staff

Role Name Nation
Head coach Sørensen, JesperJesper Sørensen  Denmark
Assistant coach Shaw, BrendanBrendan Shaw  Ireland
Assistant coach D'Agostino, MichaelMichael D'Agostino  Canada
Goalkeeper coach Dahha, YoussefYoussef Dahha  Morocco
First team video analyst Foster, DrewDrew Foster  Canada
First team assistant video analyst Grieve, JamesJames Grieve  Scotland
Head of Physical Preperation Poli, JonathanJonathan Poli  Canada
Manager of Sport Analytics Chevallier, BryceBryce Chevallier  Canada
Team Physician Dr. Jim Bovard  Canada

Team Leaders

Role Name Nation
Chief Executive Officer & Sporting Director Schuster, AxelAxel Schuster  Germany
Chief Administrative Officer Deol, ManavManav Deol  Canada
Chief Commercial Officer Bhatt, AditiAditi Bhatt  United States
Chief Financial Officer Abbate, LisaLisa Abbate  Canada
Technical Director Thompson, QuinnQuinn Thompson  Canada

Past Coaches and Captains

Head Coaches

Years Name Nation
September 1, 2010 – May 30, 2011 Thordarson, TeiturTeitur Thordarson  Iceland
May 30, 2011 – October 25, 2011 Soehn, TomTom Soehn (interim)  United States
October 26, 2011 – October 29, 2013 Rennie, MartinMartin Rennie  Scotland
December 16, 2013 – September 25, 2018 Robinson, CarlCarl Robinson  Wales
September 25, 2018 – November 7, 2018 Dalrymple, CraigCraig Dalrymple (interim)  England
November 7, 2018 – August 27, 2021 Dos Santos, MarcMarc Dos Santos  Canada
August 27, 2021 – November 30, 2021 Sartini, VanniVanni Sartini (interim)  Italy
November 30, 2021 – November 26, 2024 Sartini, VanniVanni Sartini  Italy
January 14, 2025 – Sørensen, JesperJesper Sørensen  Denmark

Team Captains

Years Name Nation
2011–2014 Jay DeMerit  United States
2014–2016 Pedro Morales  Chile
2016–2017 David Ousted  Denmark
2017–2018 Kendall Waston  Costa Rica
2019 Jon Erice  Spain
2020–2023 Russell Teibert  Canada
2024– Ryan Gauld  Scotland

Related Teams

Whitecaps FC 2

Whitecaps FC 2 is the Whitecaps' reserve team. They started playing in the new MLS Next Pro league in 2022. This team helps younger players develop their skills.

Vancouver Rise FC

Vancouver Rise FC is a women's soccer club that plays in the Northern Super League, Canada's top women's soccer league. The Rise team is a new version of the Whitecaps' former women's team. It was created to help female players from the Whitecaps' academy continue their careers and ensure fairness between the men's and women's programs.

Whitecaps Women's Team History

The Whitecaps used to have a women's team that played from 2001 to 2012. They won the W-League championship twice, in 2004 and 2006. After 2012, the Whitecaps started a youth development program for girls.

In 2019, some former players shared concerns about past coaches. Investigations were conducted into these matters. The MLS investigation found that the Whitecaps' response was appropriate and followed recommendations. A separate investigation into Canada Soccer's actions found that some issues were not handled well by them.

Whitecaps FC Academy

The Whitecaps FC Academy is the youth program for Vancouver Whitecaps FC. It helps young soccer players grow and improve. The academy has teams for both boys and girls that play in League1 British Columbia.

Team Achievements

Major Trophies

Minor Trophies

  • Cascadia Cup
    • Winners (4): 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023

Team Records

Top Scorers by Season

Top scorer by season
Year Player Goals
2011 Brazil Camilo 12
2012 Jamaica Darren Mattocks 7
2013 Brazil Camilo 22
2014 Chile Pedro Morales 10
2015 Uruguay Octavio Rivero 10
2016 Chile Pedro Morales 9
2017 Colombia Fredy Montero 13
2018 Sierra Leone Kei Kamara 14
2019 Colombia Fredy Montero 8
2020 Canada Lucas Cavallini 6
2021 United States Brian White 12
2022 Canada Lucas Cavallini 9
2023 United States Brian White 15
2024 United States Brian White 15

Note: Only MLS regular season goals counted

Most Games Played

Rank Position Player Nation Years Total Games
1 Midfielder Teibert, RussellRussell Teibert  Canada 2011–23 300
2 Defender Harvey, JordanJordan Harvey  United States 2011–17 199
3 Defender Nerwinski, JakeJake Nerwinski  United States 2017–23 157
4 Defender Veselinović, RankoRanko Veselinović  Serbia 2020– 155
5 Midfielder Koffie, GershonGershon Koffie  Ghana 2011–15 151
Goalkeeper Ousted, DavidDavid Ousted  Denmark 2013–17 151
7 Midfielder Raposo, RyanRyan Raposo  Canada 2020–24 140
8 Defender Waston, KendallKendall Waston  Costa Rica 2014–18 137
9 Midfielder Laba, MatíasMatías Laba  Argentina 2014–17 129
10 Midfielder Gauld, RyanRyan Gauld  Scotland 2021– 126
As of September 14, 2024
Bolded players are currently on the Whitecaps FC roster.

Top Goal Scorers Overall

Rank Position Player Nation Years Total Goals
1 Forward , Brian WhiteBrian White  United States 2021– 50
2 Forward Sanvezzo, CamiloCamilo  Brazil 2011–13 43
3 Midfielder Gauld, RyanRyan Gauld  Scotland 2021– 37
4 Midfielder , Pedro MoralesPedro Morales  Chile 2014–16 29
Midfielder Techera, CristianCristian Techera  Uruguay 2015–18 29
6 Forward Montero, FredyFredy Montero  Colombia 2017, 2019–20 28
7 Forward Manneh, KekutaKekuta Manneh  Gambia 2013–17 24
8 Forward Darren Mattocks, Darren Mattocks  Jamaica 2012–15 22
9 Forward Reyna, YordyYordy Reyna  Peru 2017–20 21
10 Forward Cavallini, LucasLucas Cavallini  Canada 2020–2022 18
As of September 14, 2024
Bolded players are currently on the Whitecaps FC roster.

Other Player Records

  • Most appearances: Russell Teibert (252 games)
  • Most goals: Camilo (39 goals)
  • Most assists: Ryan Gauld (23 assists)
  • Hat tricks (3 goals in one game):
  • Most wins for a goalkeeper: David Ousted (55 wins)
  • Most shutouts (games with no goals scored against): David Ousted (42 shutouts)

Player of the Year Award

Year Name Nation
2011 Camilo  Brazil
2012 Lee Young-Pyo  South Korea
2013 Camilo  Brazil
2014 Pedro Morales  Chile
2015 Kendall Waston  Costa Rica
2016 Jordan Harvey  United States
2017 Kendall Waston  Costa Rica
2018 Alphonso Davies  Canada
2019 Maxime Crépeau  Canada
2020 Ali Adnan  Iraq
2021 Maxime Crépeau  Canada
2022 Ryan Gauld  Scotland
2023 Ryan Gauld  Scotland
2024 Ryan Gauld  Scotland

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club para niños

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