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The history of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a professional soccer team based in Vancouver, Canada, spans over four decades. The first team to use the "Whitecaps" name was the Vancouver Whitecaps of the now-defunct North American Soccer League, playing from 1974 to 1984. After two years while the core of the players were focused on preparations for the 1986 World Cup, a second version of the club was founded in 1986 as the Vancouver 86ers. This team bought back the Whitecaps name in 2000 and has operated continuously in various leagues since 1986. A Whitecaps FC team began play in Major League Soccer starting in 2011 making it the first time since 1984 that a "Whitecaps" team played in the top tier of soccer in the United States and Canada.

NASL (1974–84)

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Main article: Vancouver Whitecaps (1974–1984)

The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League (NASL). The founding investors in the club were: Herb Capozzi, president; Denny Veitch, general manager; C. N. "Chunky" Woodward owner of Woodwards Department Stores; Chuck Wills, lawyer; Wendy McDonald, president of B.C. Bearing Engineers; Pat McCleary and Harry Moll, proprietors of Charlie Brown Steak House.[1]

The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl coached by Tony Waiters. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home grown" stars like Bruce Wilson, Bobby and Sam Lenarduzzi, Buzz Parsons, and Glen Johnson. In 1979 the team from the "Village of Vancouver" (a reference to ABC TV sportscaster Jim McKay's observation that "Vancouver must be like the deserted village right now", with so many people watching the game on TV) beat the powerhouse New York Cosmos in one of the most thrilling playoff series in NASL history to advance to the Soccer Bowl. In the Soccer Bowl, they triumphed against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a disappointed New York City.

It was during this short period that soccer interest peaked in Vancouver. The Whitecaps attendance at Empire Stadium grew to regular sellouts, at 32,000. The team also recorded two tracks, with "White is the Colour" becoming a hit on local radio during the run-up to their championship win.

After playing at Vancouver's 32,000-seat Empire Stadium for most of their existence, the team moved into the brand new 60,000-seat BC Place Stadium in 1983. The Whitecaps set a then highest all-time Canadian attendance record of 60,342 spectators for a professional soccer game, on June 20, 1983, Vancouver Whitecaps FC – Seattle Sounders at BC Place.[2] However, the subsequent demise of the NASL in 1984 meant the Whitecaps – along with the other teams in the NASL – were forced to fold.

CSL (1985–92)

[edit]
See also: Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)

Several of the players from the NASL Vancouver Whitecaps were members of the Canadian Men's National Team preparing for the 1986 World Cup in training camps held in Vancouver. They played exhibition games against teams in the Western Soccer Alliance Challenge Series in 1985. Several are listed on the 1986 FIFA World Cup squads lists as playing for the MISL's Tacoma Stars for the indoor season and played with the Canadian National Men's Team for the outdoor summer season.

The Vancouver 86ers Soccer Club started operations in November 1985 by the community-owned West Coast Soccer Society. Tony Waiters, Les Wilson and Dave Fryatt were the first franchise holders granted the rights for Vancouver on July 26, 1986.[3] The Vancouver 86ers were so named because of the year of the team's founding-1986, the 86 principals underwriting the club, and to commemorate the year the city of Vancouver was founded (1886). There were a lot of ties between the Whitecaps and the 86ers such as Tony Waiters (shareholder), Buzz Parsons (manager 1987–88), Bob Lenarduzzi (coach 1987–1993), Carl Valentine, Jim Easton, David Norman, Dale Mitchell. In newspaper reports the Whitecaps were often referred to as the previous version of the CSL's Vancouver 86ers. Several attempts were made to purchase the Whitecaps name; however, the name was not for sale or the owner wanted too much money for the cash strapped community-owned club.[4]

The Vancouver 86ers played its first game in 1987 in the Canadian Soccer League against Edmonton. The 86ers played in the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) winning four straight CSL Championships (1988–1991) and five consecutive CSL regular-season first-place finishes (1988–92). Vancouver played in the CSL from its inception in 1987 until the league folded in 1992, and then moved over to the APSL in 1993 which was later absorbed into the USL hierarchy of leagues in 1997 becoming the A-League, later renamed the USL-1.

In 1988–1989, the team, coached by Bob Lenarduzzi, set a North American professional sports record by playing 46 consecutive games without a loss. The record began after the June 1988 match the 86ers lost 3–1 away to the North York Rockets. Vancouver then won 37 matches and tied nine others before falling 2–1 away to the Edmonton Brickmen in August 1989. In 2004 the BC Sports Hall of Fame inducted the 1989 soccer team.[5] Also in 1988 the Vancouver 86ers and Calgary Kickers played six friendly matches each against the Western Soccer Alliance in the month of May.[6]

In 1990, the Vancouver 86ers captured the North American Club Championship after defeating the Maryland Bays 3–2 in the final played in Burnaby. The game was played between the champions of the Canadian Soccer League and the champions of the American Professional Soccer League (APSL).[7] The Vancouver 86ers withdrew from the 1992 CONCACAF Champions' Cup prior to the opening Group 2 first round match due to financial constraints. The 86ers also came up short in the first round of the 1992 ‘Professional Cup’ North American Club Championship where they faced APSL champions Colorado Foxes over two legs.

APSL / A-League / USL-1 (1993–2010)

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See also: Vancouver Whitecaps (1986–2010)

In 1999 Vancouver's player-coach who was one of North American soccer's last active participants in the NASL, Carl Valentine, retired.[8]

With whole hearted support from the fans the new owner, David Stadnyk, bought the name Whitecaps from former NASL Whitecaps director John Laxton. October 26, 2000 the Vancouver 86ers formally changed their name back to the Whitecaps.[9]

In the 2001 season, the team began to use the old Vancouver Whitecaps moniker. The club adopted a similar crest to that of the NASL team featuring a wave. A white cap is a nautical term for a wind wave, not a surf wave. White caps are indicative of force 3 or higher wind and a wave height greater than three feet (0.91 m). For smaller boat craft, the appearance of white caps are a sign of rising wind and danger often necessitating a return to harbour.[10][11][12] With the re-branding process of the MLS franchise, the club crest was expanded to include the white caps of snow-covered mountains and include all of the province of BC.[13]

In 2003, the name was again changed, albeit only slightly, to Whitecaps FC, which encompasses the men's, women's, and youth development teams within the organization. At this time, the Whitecaps logo changed slightly in colour (the light teal-green was replaced with a brighter blue) and the word Vancouver was dropped from the image.

In 2006, the Whitecaps organization won an unprecedented double-championship, claiming both the USL-1 championship trophy, defeating the host Rochester Rhinos 3–0 at PAETEC Park, and winning the W-League women's championship. The men's team also won the Nation's Cup, a new tournament established by their club as a way to feature the Whitecaps playing against international competition. The 2006 Nation's Cup tournament featured the Chinese and Indian U-20 national teams and Championship Welsh club Cardiff City F.C. (the "Bluebirds"). They also gradually added the "Vancouver" back into their name, changing it officially to "Vancouver Whitecaps FC".

The following season, the Whitecaps signed a deal to play an exhibition match against the Los Angeles Galaxy, which featured international David Beckham, and promoted director of soccer operations Bob Lenarduzzi to team president. USL-1 teams, especially those in the US competing in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, were beginning to see with marketing that MLS teams could be a larger draw as MLS's quality of play increased and the league gained a greater profile.

October 12, 2008, they claimed their second United Soccer Leagues First Division championship with a 2–1 victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders. Charles Gbeke scored twice with his head in the second half to help secure the title. In 2009, they placed seventh in the league and were eliminated in the final by the Montreal Impact on a 6–3 aggregate.[14]

MLS (2011–present)

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Main article: Vancouver Whitecaps FC

On March 18, 2009, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced that Vancouver would be the seventeenth franchise of Major League Soccer.[15] It joined the Portland Timbers, announced two days later as the eighteenth MLS franchise, for the 2011 MLS season. While no name was provided at the Vancouver announcement, over a year later the club confirmed that the MLS team would keep the Whitecaps name.[16][17][18][19]

In preparation for its inaugural season, the Whitecaps brought in executive talent from around the world. On November 24, 2009, Paul Barber, former Tottenham Hotspur F.C. executive, was announced to join the club as CEO. Others joining him include former D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn as Director of Operations and Dutch national Richard Grootscholten as the technical director and head coach of the residency program. Former Iceland international Teitur Thordarson was confirmed as head coach on September 2, 2010 for the inaugural MLS season.[20] He held the same position with the USL-1 and later USSF Division 2 Whitecaps. He was subsequently relieved of his duties on May 30, 2011, after the Whitecaps won just one of their first twelve matches. Tom Soehn, the Whitecaps director of soccer operations, replaced Thordarson on an interim basis.[21]

The Whitecaps began play in the 2011 MLS season with their first match on March 19, 2011, against rival Canadians Toronto FC, which they won 4–2. The first goal in the Whitecaps' MLS era was scored by Eric Hassli.[22] After their winning start the Whitecaps struggled, and failed to secure another victory in their next 11 MLS games, drawing six and losing five. In the aftermath of their 1–1 draw with the New York Red Bulls on May 30 head coach Teitur Thordarson was fired.[23] Tom Soehn took over coaching duties for the remainder of the 2011 season, while Martin Rennie was announced as the new permanent head coach on August 9, taking over officially on November 2.[24] The team managed to attract 15,500 season ticket holders in its first MLS season and 13,000 for the second.[25]

On March 3, 2012, the Whitecaps won their first minor, pre-season cup at the 2012 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic defeating Toronto FC 1–0 thanks to a goal by Camilo Sanvezzo. The Whitecaps finished the regular season with 11 wins, 3 losses, and 10 ties positioning the club, fifth in the Western Conference and 11th on the league overall table. On October 21, 2012, the Whitecaps became the first Canadian team to earn a spot in the MLS playoffs.[26] Vancouver were eliminated in the knockout round.

In the 2013 season, Vancouver finished in seventh in the Western Conference, 13th in the league table with 13 wins, 12 losses, and 9 ties in the regular season. They were not able to qualify for the post season, in the playoffs as they had accomplished in the season prior. Two days after the end of the 2013 MLS regular season, Rennie's contract was not renewed sparking a search for the next head coach.[27] In their off-season, the Whitecaps were in the midst of controversy with one of their then players, Camilo, who had played for the team since their inaugural campaign, after the Brazilian went on to join Liga MX club Querétaro. The Mexican club believed that he was no longer under contract, while the Whitecaps reported that he was still on a contract with Vancouver.[28] The scandal was resolved with the Liga MX club paying a transfer fee from Vancouver to acquire the Brazilian forward.[29]

In October 2014, the Whitecaps qualified for the 2015–16 CONCACAF Champions League for the very first time as a result of becoming the highest ranked Canadian team in the 2014 MLS season and due to a reformatting of the Canadian Championship in the following season. A week later they qualified for the MLS playoffs for the second time, an achievement unmatched by any Canadian team.[30]

In 2015, the Whitecaps would go on to have their best-ever regular season, finishing the season with 53 points. They also went on to win the Canadian Championship for the first time, defeating Montreal 2-0 in the second leg to win the final 4-2 on aggregate. In the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League and 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, however, they did not achieve the same success, getting eliminated in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League and the conference semi-final of the playoffs.

2016 saw the Whitecaps take a step back, finishing the regular season with 39 points. In the 2016 Canadian Championship, they reached the final, but lost 2-2 on away goals to Toronto FC. They did go on to win the Cascadia Cup on the final day of the regular season, beating the Portland Timbers 4-1.

2017 saw major improvement for the Whitecaps, as they made the CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals for the first time, but were eliminated by Tigres UANL. They finished the regular season with 52 points, making the playoffs for the fourth time in their history. However, despite recording their first-ever playoff win against the San Jose Earthquakes in the knockout round, they were eliminated by Seattle Sounders FC in the conference semi-final.

In 2018, the Whitecaps would record the fourth-worst defensive record of the season, conceding 67 goals. As a result of poor form in the regular season, coach Carl Robinson was relieved of his duties on September 25, 2018. He was replaced by interim Craig Dalrymple for the remainder of the regular season. The Whitecaps finished the season with 47 points and would miss the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

2019 saw a new-look squad for the Whitecaps, as key players like Alphonso Davies, Kendall Waston, Kei Kamara, and Cristian Techera had all departed following the 2018 season. They would once again go on to miss the playoffs, finishing the season last place in the Western Conference. They were also eliminated by Cavalry FC in the 2019 Canadian Championship, becoming the first MLS team to get eliminated by a Canadian Premier League side in Canadian Championship history.

2020 was the club's 10th season in Major League Soccer. However, on March 12, 2020, after only two games played, Major League Soccer suspended their season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Whitecaps' season resumed on July 15, 2020, when they played the San Jose Earthquakes in their first match of the MLS is Back Tournament. Despite losses to the San Jose Earthquakes and Seattle Sounders FC, a 2-0 win against the Chicago Fire was enough for the team to qualify to the round of 16. However, the Whitecaps would ultimately lose to Sporting Kansas City 3-1 on penalties after a scoreless 120 minutes. From August 18 to September 16, 2020, the Whitecaps would play six matches against fellow Canadian MLS teams Toronto FC and Montreal Impact, that would serve as both regular season matches as well as qualifiers for the 2020 Canadian Championship. The Whitecaps would not qualify for the Canadian Championship, finishing at the bottom of the qualification table with only 6 points from 6 games. From September 19, 2020 until the end of the season, the Whitecaps would play the rest of their home matches at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon. They would finish the season with 27 points from 23 matches played, missing the playoffs for the third season in a row.

2021 saw much greater success for the Whitecaps. The season did not start off well initially, with head coach Marc Dos Santos being relieved of his duties on August 27, 2021 as a result of his team sitting below the playoff line after 20 games, as well as once again getting eliminated by Pacific FC in the 2021 Canadian Championship. However, under interim head coach Vanni Sartini, the team would go unbeaten in 12 of their last 14 games to finish the season, making the playoffs for the first time in four years. In the playoffs, the Whitecaps were eliminated in the first round by Sporting Kansas City, losing by a scoreline of 3-1. On November 30, 2021, Vanni Sartini was named as the club's new head coach.

In 2022, the Whitecaps would go on to have mixed success. They missed the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, finishing the season with 43 points. However, they won the 2022 Canadian Championship, beating Toronto FC 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw following regulation and extra time. It was the first time that the Whitecaps won the Canadian Championship since their first victory in 2015. The Canadian Championship victory also meant that the Whitecaps would qualify for the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League.

In the 2023 CONCACAF Champions League, the Whitecaps defeated Real C.D. España to advance to the quarterfinals, but were ultimately eliminated by Los Angeles FC. In the regular season, the team would finish with 48 points, qualifying for the playoffs. They were once again eliminated by Los Angeles FC. In 2023 Leagues Cup, their inaugural appearance in the competition, the Whitecaps advanced to the Round of 32, but were eliminated by Tigres UANL. For the second consecutive season, the Whitecaps won the Canadian Championship for the third time, beating CF Montréal 2-1 in the final. As a result, they qualified for the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup saw the Whitecaps face Tigres UANL, a team that the Whitecaps previously lost to 4-1 on aggregate in the 2016-17 edition. The Whitecaps would once again get eliminated by the Liga MX side, by the same 4-1 aggregate scoreline.

Uniform evolution

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NASL Era (1974–1984)

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[31]

  • Home
1974–75
1976
1977
1978
1979–84
  • Away
1974–75
1976
1977
1978
1979–84

CSL 86ers Era (1986–1992)

[edit]

[32] [33]

1987 Home
1987 Away
1988 Home
1991 Home
1991 Away

APSL/A–League 86ers Era (1993–2000)

[edit]
1993–94 Home
1993–94 Away
1996 Home[34]
1997 Home[35][36]

A–League/USL–1 Whitecaps Era (2001–2010)

[edit]
2001–02 Home
2003 Home
2004–06 Home

MLS Era (2011–)

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Home, away, and third kits.

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

Season results

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The following summarizes competitive results for all three incarnations of the Whitecaps.[37][38] For solely MLS results, please see List of Vancouver Whitecaps FC seasons.

Key

[edit]
Key to competitions

Seasons

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Season League Position Playoffs CC Continental / Other Average
attendance 		Top goalscorer(s)
Div League Pld W L D GF GA GD Pts PPG Conf. Overall Name Goals
1974 1 NASL 20 5 11 4 29 31 –2 19 0.95 4th 12th DNQ – Ineligible 10,098 Canada Brian Gant[39] 6
1975 NASL 22 11 11 0 38 28 +10 33 1.50 4th 11th 7,579 Canada Glen Johnson[40] 8
1976 NASL 24 14 10 0 38 30 +8 42 1.75 4th 9th R1 8,655 3 players tied[41] 5
1977 NASL 26 14 12 0 43 36 +7 42 1.62 4th 7th R1 11,897 England Derek Possee[42] 11
1978 NASL 30 24 6 0 68 29 +39 72 2.40 2nd 2nd QF 15,736 England Kevin Hector[43] 21
1979 NASL 30 20 10 0 54 34 +20 60 2.00 3rd 4th W 22,962 England Kevin Hector[44] 15
1980 NASL 32 16 16 0 52 47 +5 48 1.50 7th 14th R1 26,834 England Trevor Whymark[45] 15
1981 NASL 32 21 11 0 74 43 +31 63 1.97 1st 3rd R1 23,236 Canada Carl Valentine[46] 10
1982 NASL 32 20 12 0 58 48 +10 60 1.88 3rd 5th QF 18,254 England Ray Hankin[47] 11
1983 NASL 30 24 6 0 63 34 +29 72 2.40 1st 2nd QF 29,166 England David Cross[48] 19
1984 NASL 24 13 11 0 51 48 +3 39 1.63 2nd 4th SF 15,190 England Peter Ward[49] 16
1985 No club existed
1986
1987 1 CSL 20 9 8 3 37 27 +10 30 1.50 2nd 4th SF – Ineligible 5,993 Canada Domenic Mobilio[50] 12
1988 CSL 28 21 1 6 84 30 +54 69 2.46 1st 1st W Western Soccer Alliance 3–3[n 1] 4,919 Canada John Catliff[51]
Canada Domenic Mobilio[52] 		22
1989 CSL 26 18 2 6 65 33 +32 60 2.31 1st 1st W Ineligible 4,572 Canada Domenic Mobilio[52] 12
1990 CSL 26 17 6 3 69 26 +43 54 2.08 1st 1st W North American Club Championship W 4,218 Canada John Catliff[7] 19
1991 CSL 28 20 4 4 69 31 +38 64 2.29 N/A 1st W Ineligible 6,347 Canada Domenic Mobilio[53] 26
1992 CSL 20 11 6 3 42 28 +14 36 1.80 1st RU CONCACAF Champions' Cup R1[n 2] 4,344 Canada John Catliff
Canada Dale Mitchell[54] 		6
Professional Cup R1
1993 2 APSL 24 15 9 0 43 35 +8 45 1.88 1st SF Ineligible 4,866 Canada Domenic Mobilio[55] 11
1994 APSL 20 7 13 0 25 41 –16 21 1.05 6th DNQ 4,742 Canada Domenic Mobilio[56] 7
1995 A-League 24 10 14 0 43 43 0 30 1.25 3rd SF 4,493 Canada Giuliano Oliviero[57] 9
1996 A-League 27 13 14 0 38 38 0 39 1.44 5th DNQ 4,068 Canada Domenic Mobilio[58] 14
1997 A-League 28 16 12 0 50 29 +21 48 1.71 3rd 6th SF 3,558 Canada Domenic Mobilio[59] 22
1998 A-League 28 15 13 0 55 42 +13 45 1.61 4th 15th R1 4,185 Canada Jason Jordan[60] 8
1999 A-League 28 19 9 0 77 31 +46 57 2.04 3rd 4th R1 4,559 Canada Niall Thompson[61] 20
2000 A-League 28 14 11 3 62 41 +21 45 1.61 5th 9th QF 3,959 England Darren Tilley[62] 12
2001 A-League 26 16 8 2 44 33 +11 50 1.92 1st 4th SF 5,542 Canada Jason Jordan[63] 9
2002 A-League 28 11 12 5 41 39 +2 38 1.36 5th 10th SF 3,769 Canada Jason Jordan[64] 9
2003 A-League 28 15 6 7 45 24 +21 52 1.86 4th 5th QF 4,292 Canada Ollie Heald
Canada Jason Jordan[65] 		9
2004 A-League 28 14 9 5 38 29 +9 47 1.68 2nd 6th SF 4,833 Canada Jason Jordan[66] 7
2005 USL-1 28 12 7 9 37 21 +16 45 1.61 N/A 3rd QF 5,086 Canada Jason Jordan[67] 17
2006 USL-1 28 12 6 10 40 28 +12 46 1.64 4th W 5,085 United States Joey Gjertsen[68] 12
2007 USL-1 28 9 7 12 27 24 +3 39 1.39 7th QF 5,162 Cuba Eduardo Sebrango[69] 7
2008 USL-1 30 15 7 8 34 28 +6 53 1.77 2nd W 3rd DNQ 4,999 Cuba Eduardo Sebrango[70] 16
2009 USL-1 30 11 10 9 42 36 +6 42 1.40 7th RU RU 5,312 Canada Charles Gbeke[71] 13
2010 D2 Pro 30 10 5 15 32 22 +10 45 1.50 2nd 5th SF RU 5,152 Canada Martin Nash[72] 5
2011 1 MLS 34 6 18 10 35 55 –20 28 0.82 9th 18th DNQ RU 20,412 Brazil Camilo Sanvezzo[73] 13
2012 MLS 34 11 13 10 35 41 –6 43 1.26 5th 11th R1 RU 19,475 Jamaica Darren Mattocks 8
2013 MLS 34 13 12 9 53 45 +8 48 1.41 7th 13th DNQ RU 20,038 Brazil Camilo Sanvezzo 25
2014 MLS 34 12 8 14 42 40 +2 50 1.47 5th 9th R1 SF 20,408 Chile Pedro Morales 9
2015 MLS 34 16 13 5 45 36 +9 53 1.56 2nd 3rd QF W CONCACAF Champions League GS 20,507 Uruguay Octavio Rivero[74] 10
2016 MLS 34 10 15 9 45 52 –7 39 1.15 8th 16th DNQ RU CONCACAF Champions League SF 22,330 Chile Pedro Morales 9
2017 MLS 34 15 12 7 50 49 +1 52 1.53 3rd 8th QF SF NH 21,416 Colombia Fredy Montero 15
2018 MLS 34 13 13 8 54 67 –13 47 1.38 8th 14th DNQ RU DNQ 21,946 Sierra Leone Kei Kamara 17
2019 MLS 34 8 16 10 37 59 –22 34 1.00 12th 23rd R3 19,514 Colombia Fredy Montero 8
2020 MLS 23 9 14 0 27 44 –17 27 1.17 9th 17th DNQ MLS is Back Tournament R1 22,120[n 3] Canada Lucas Cavallini 6
2021 MLS 34 12 9 13 45 45 0 49 1.44 6th 12th R1 R1 DNQ 12,492[n 4] Colombia Cristian Dájome
United States Brian White 		12
2022 MLS 34 12 15 7 40 57 -17 43 1.26 9th 17th DNQ W 18,643 Canada Lucas Cavallini 9
2023 MLS 34 12 10 12 55 48 +7 48 1.41 6th 13th R1 W CONCACAF Champions League QF 16,745 United States Brian White 19
Leagues Cup Ro32
Total – – 1372 661 483 228 2270 1805 +465 2211 1.61 — — — — – Canada Domenic Mobilio 167

^ 1. Avg. attendance include statistics from league matches only.
^ 2. Top goalscorer(s) includes all goals scored in League, MLS Cup, Canadian Championship, CONCACAF Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and other competitive continental matches.
^ 3. Points and PPG have been adjusted from non-traditional to traditional scoring systems for seasons prior to 2003 to more effectively compare historical team performance across seasons.

  1. ^ Vancouver played a match against each WSA team in the 1988 season. These matches did count towards the league standings for their opponents, however, Vancouver itself was not included in the league standings, and did not achieve any position. Vancouver finished with a record of 3 wins and 3 losses against WSA opponents.
  2. ^ Despite qualifying, Vancouver withdrew from the tournament before playing in any match.
  3. ^ Does not include home matches played in American stadiums, or matches played behind closed doors.
  4. ^ Does not include home matches played in American stadiums.

Honours

[edit]

Domestic (I)

[edit]
Competition type Competition # of titles Years won Years runner-up
1st division league championship United States NASL Championship 1 1979 —
Canada CSL Championship 4 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 1992
United States MLS Cup 0 — —
1st division regular season United States MLS Supporters' Shield 0 — —
Domestic cup Canada Canadian Championship 3 2015, 2022, 2023 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018

Total: 8 major domestic honours

Domestic (II)

[edit]
Honour type Honour # of titles Years won Years runner-up
2nd division league championship United States APSL/A–League Championship 0 — —
United States USL A–League Championship 0 — —
United States USL–1 Championship 2 2006, 2008 2009

Total: 2 minor domestic honours

Other

[edit]

Cascadia Cup

  • Winner (7): 2004, 2005, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023

Rivalries

[edit]

The Whitecaps have two sets of rivalries being a Canadian team playing in American leagues as well as having geography and historical leagues contribute to Pacific Northwest rivalries.

Cascadia

[edit]

Historically since the earliest days of soccer in the late 1890s BC-based teams have played at tournaments, festivals, and had exhibitions to determine the best team in the Pacific Northwest. Before the railways established links eastward, travel was south via steamship to San Francisco and then to the outside world. Even afterward until at least 1910 BC commonly looked south instead of east. Leagues such as the Pacific Coast Soccer League and most other popular sports played teams from Seattle, Portland, and even San Francisco occasionally. Even afterward there were competitions oriented north–south that top teams such as the Westminster Royals competed in. In the original NASL, the Vancouver Royals had links to the San Francisco Golden Gate Gales.

In 1974 when the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders joined the NASL, it is safe to assume fans were already used to travelling between the two cities to watch sporting events. There are fond reminisces about 3000–5000 Whitecaps fans drowning out Sounders fans at the Kingdome during the NASL era. There were links between staff and players between the Timbers, Sounders, and Whitecaps. Former teammates such as Alan Hinton or Brian Gant played for the nearest rivals. Even off the field there are similar stories; the Vancouver play-by-play radio broadcaster got the job at the last minute after the former Seattle Sounder broadcaster skipped out on Vancouver to take the job in Portland.

The Whitecaps won a title, while the Sounders were runners up twice, and Timbers runners up once. The three teams ended each other's seasons five times in the eleven years the Whitecaps played in the league. The Whitecaps first two playoff appearances were both 1–0 losses to the Seattle Sounders in 1976 and 1977. In 1978 the Whitecaps would lose to the Portland Timbers in the playoff semi-finals.

The three clubs played exhibition matches after the NASL folded in the Western Soccer Alliance and in 1994 the Seattle Sounders and Whitecaps (as the 86ers) were both in the A-League (1995–2004). The Portland Timbers joined the A League in 2001. They eliminated each other in the playoffs five times in the A League. From 2005 – 2009, the league was named USL-1 or USL First Division. The Whitecaps and Sounders were the two most dominant teams in USL-1 with two championships each. The three teams eliminated each other in the USL-1 playoffs four times. In all the years of division 2 soccer since 1996, the Whitecaps have been the dominant team with 1.55 points per game while the Sounders earned 1.54, and Timbers 1.47 points per game. The Sounders have 4 championships to the Whitecaps 2.

The supporters groups of the teams created the Cascadia Cup in 2004. As of 2013, each team has won the cup three times each over the nine years of the cup's existence.

Canadian Teams

[edit]

The Toronto Blizzard (original NASL) were runners-up twice and Toronto Metros-Croatia won the Soccer Bowl. Vancouver Whitecaps' first playoff win was against the Toronto Metros-Croatia August 9, 1978 in front of 30,811 at Empire Stadium (at the time the largest crowd to see two Canadian teams play against each other).[75] The Toronto Metros-Croatia team felt the goalkeeper was interfered with on the second goal and planned to protest the result even having lost 4–0. The Toronto Blizzard gained revenge by eliminating Vancouver in the 1983 NASL Quarterfinals when Vancouver had a dominant season finishing second overall in the league and most significantly Vancouver was host to Soccer Bowl '83.

Division 2 Toronto-based teams have generally not been as strong as Montreal and Vancouver. Generally Vancouver Whitecaps teams have dominated Toronto-based teams, especially in the CSL and US-based D2 leagues. When Montreal and Vancouver were in the USSF Division 2 and USL-1 playing Toronto FC in the Voyageurs Cup, the rivalry had greater meaning for Vancouver as it was the chance to prove themselves in a meaningful game against competition that was higher level only by fiat.

The rivalry against Montreal is another matter. In the original Canadian Soccer League (1987–92) with the 86ers head coach, Bob Lenarduzzi, taking on the Canadian Men's National Team management, many of the players for the Montreal Supra took umbrage at not being called up for the national team and there was a "real hatred" between the players.[76] Most of those players joined the debuting Montreal Impact of the APSL when the CSL folded. Former players remember trips such as one in 1996 when fire alarms were pulled at 2 am and training facilities were not made available when promised, plus other antics. Montreal Impact also won the first seven Voyageurs Cup competitions.

Significant matches between the two clubs include several league playoffs and Voyageurs Cups. During the late 2000s both clubs were strong and with two new additional matches against each other through the Canadian Championship familiarity brought discord. Several players moved between the two teams for financial reasons such as Eduardo Sebrango and red cards became common occurrences. In the 2006 USL-1 playoff semifinals the Whitecaps outplayed the Impact in the first leg at Vancouver's Swanguard Stadium, however both legs including the second hosted by Montreal finished 0–0. After extra-time, the Whitecaps defeated the Impact 2–0. The Whitecaps and Impact also faced-off in the USL-1 playoff finals in 2008 and 2009. While the Impact won the first leg hosted in Montreal 1–0, they lost the 2008 semifinal after the Whitecaps won the second leg at Swangard 2–0. The most controversial game between the two clubs was in 2009.

2009 Montreal Controversy

[edit]

On June 18, 2009 the Impact fielded a weak squad in their Voyageurs Cup game against Toronto FC, since they were no longer in contention for the cup. They lost the game 6–1, allowing TFC to win the cup over Vancouver on goal difference. Coach Marc Dos Santos was resting key players for the league match against Vancouver two days later. This result was used to convince the Canadian Soccer Association to change the Canadian Championship format.[77] Two days later Montreal Impact won their USL-1 league game against Vancouver 2–1 . The Montreal Ultras protested against the Impact's management's unsportsmanlike behaviour by boycotting first half.[78] In the final standings the extra 3 points Montreal got against Vancouver was the difference between 5th and 7th place, giving the Montreal Impact home advantage over the Whitecaps in the final, playing the second of the two leg playoff at home. Montreal Impact won the league playoff final's second leg 3–1 at home, and won the USL-1 Championship 6–3 on aggregate. The Whitecaps have players sent off in both legs.[79][80]

List of players

[edit]

All-time rosters

[edit]

Captains

[edit]
Name Nationality Years Ref.
Willie Stevenson  SCO 1974 [81]
Sam Lenarduzzi  CAN 1974–1975 [81]
Bruce Wilson  CAN 1976–1977 [81][82]
Jon Sammels  ENG 1978
John Craven  ENG 1979–1980 [81][83]
Alan Ball, Jr.  ENG 1980 [81]
Terry Yorath  WAL 1981–1982 [81]
Peter Lorimer  SCO 1983
Bob Lenarduzzi  CAN 1984 [81]
Shaun Lowther  CAN 1987
John Catliff  CAN 1988–1993
Ivor Evans  Fiji 1994
Rick Celebrini  CAN 1994–1995
Steve MacDonald  CAN 1996–1998
Paul Dailly  CAN 1999–2000
Kevin Holness  CAN 2001
Paul Dailly  CAN 2002–2003
Alfredo Valente  CAN 2004
Jeff Clarke  CAN 2005–2008
Adrian Cann  CAN 2008
Martin Nash  CAN 2008–2010
Jay DeMerit  USA 2011–2014 [84]
Pedro Morales  CHI 2014–2016
David Ousted  DEN 2016–2017
Kendall Waston  CRC 2017–2018
Jon Erice  ESP 2019
Russell Teibert  CAN 2020-

† DeMerit was injured in the 2013 season-opening match and only played in eight games.[85] Various players have filled-in as captain match-by-match.

All-time goal scorers

[edit]
As of March 14, 2014[citation needed]
Rank Player Nationality Goals
1 Domenic Mobilio  CAN 170
2 John Catliff  CAN 79
3 Jason Jordan  CAN 78
4 Carl Valentine  CAN 65
5 Dale Mitchell  CAN 49
6 Ivor Evans  Fiji 47
7 Eduardo Sebrango  Cuba 45
8 Camilo Sanvezzo  Brazil 43
9 Kevin Hector  ENG 40
10 Oliver Heald  CAN 39
11 Steve Kindel  CAN 36
12 Alfredo Valente  CAN 35
13 Bob Lenarduzzi  CAN 34
13 Doug Muirhead  CAN 34
15 Ray Hankin  ENG 33
16 Martin Nash  CAN 31
17 John Sulentic  CAN 30
18 Peter Beardsley  ENG 29
18 Paul Dailly  CAN 29
18 Trevor Whymark  ENG 29
21 Niall Thompson  CAN 27

Note: NASL, CSL, APSL, A-League, USL-1, USSF D-2, and MLS
(Regular Season, Playoffs, North American Club Championship, and Canadian Championship)

All-time appearances

[edit]
As of March 14, 2014[citation needed]
Rank Player Nationality Appearances
1 Carl Valentine  CAN 409
2 Bob Lenarduzzi  CAN 362
3 Steve Macdonald  CAN 320
4 Steve Kindel  CAN 287
5 Domenic Mobilio  CAN 286
6 Martin Nash  CAN 285
7 Alfredo Valente  CAN 271
8 Jason Jordan  CAN 257
9 Doug Muirhead  CAN 233
10 Paul Dolan  CAN 223
11 Ivor Evans  Fiji 221
12 Jeff Clarke  CAN 202
13 Chris Franks  CAN 201
14 David Morris  USA 200
15 Geordie Lyall  CAN 193
16 Paul Dailly  CAN 187
17 Oliver Heald  CAN 186
18 David Norman  CAN 171
19 John Catliff  CAN 147
20 Doug McKinty  CAN 137
21 Jeff Skinner  CAN 128
22 Jay Nolly  USA 126
23 Dale Mitchell  CAN 121
24 Guido Titotto  CAN 118
25 John Sulentic  CAN 115
26 Nico Berg  CAN 112
26 Jamie Lowery  CAN 112
27 Nick Dasovic  CAN 106
28 Jim Easton Jr.  CAN 102
28 Camilo Sanvezzo  BRA 102
30 Shaun Lowther  CAN 99
30 Gershon Koffie  GHA 99

Note: NASL, CSL, APSL, A-League, USL-1, USSF D-2, and MLS
(Regular Season, Playoffs, North American Club Championship, and Canadian Championship)

Head coaches

[edit]
NASL
Name Nationality Years Ref.
Jim Easton  CAN 1974–1975 [86]
Eckhard Krautzun  GER 1976–1977 [86]
Holger Osieck  GER 1977 [86]
Tony Waiters  ENG 1977–1979, 1980 [87]
Bob McNab  ENG 1980
Johnny Giles  IRE 1981–1983
Alan Hinton  ENG 1984
CSL / APSL / A-League / USL-1 / USSF-D2
Name Nationality Years Ref.
Bob Lenarduzzi  CAN 1987–1993
Carl Valentine  ENG 1994–1999
Dale Mitchell  CAN 2000–2001
Tony Fonesca  CAN 2002–2004
Bob Lilley  USA 2005–2007
Teitur Thordarson  ISL 2008–2010 [88]
MLS team
Name Nationality Years Ref.
Teitur Thordarson  ISL 2011 [88]
Tom Soehn  USA 2011
Martin Rennie  SCO 2012–2013 [89]
Carl Robinson  WAL 2014–2018 [90]
Marc Dos Santos  CAN 2019–2021
Vanni Sartini  ITA 2021–present

Vancouver Whitecaps Ring of Honour

[edit]

The Vancouver Whitecaps Ring of Honour was established for the club's 40th anniversary to acknowledge the accomplishments of several notable Whitecaps players and coaches.[91] Players and coaches from any of the three Vancouver Whitecaps iterations, as well as the women's Vancouver Whitecaps FC are eligible to be inducted. As of 2023, the club has inducted 5 people to the Ring of Honour.[92]

Ring of Honour inductees
Member Nationality Position Years with club Date of induction Ref.
Bob Lenarduzzi  CAN Player 1974–1984, 1987–1988 May 3, 2014 [1]
Coach 1987–1993
Andrea Neil  CAN Player 2001–2006 August 10, 2014 [2]
Carl Valentine  CAN[a] Player 1979–1984, 1987–1999 September 10, 2014 [3]
Coach 1994–1999
Domenic Mobilio  CAN Player 1987–2000 October 4, 2014 † [4]
Tony Waiters  ENG Coach 1977–1979 May 31, 2019 † [5]

† – Inducted posthumously

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Born in England. Became a Canadian citizen in 1983.

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