The Vancouver Whitecaps and BC Lions are collectively having their best season ever, at least since the Whitecaps entered MLS.
For one of the few times in the last decade, Vancouver’s CFL and MLS teams are both gearing up for playoff runs.
The Lions finished the regular season with a 12-6 record, good for second place in the West Division. To start their playoff run, they’ll play host to the Calgary Stampeders in the West Semi-Finals at BC Place on November 4.
Meanwhile, the Whitecaps have finished one of the best regular seasons in franchise history since joining Major League Soccer. They finished with a 12-10-12 record, good for 48 points. This is only the sixth time they’ve qualified for the MLS postseason and the fifth time they’ve done so with a winning record.
If you look at recent history, both the Whitecaps and Lions enjoying strong seasons is not something that usually happens at the same time. In fact, this year is the most successful season for the combined results of the two franchises since the Whitecaps joined MLS.
Below is a complete list of both teams’ records starting when the Whitecaps joined the MLS in 2011. A star beside the record indicates that the team made the postseason in that year.
| Year | Whitecaps record | Lions record |
| 2011 | 6-18-10 (28 pts) | 11-7-0 (22 pts)* |
| 2012 | 11-13-10 (43 pts)* | 13-5-0 (26 pts)* |
| 2013 | 13-12-9 (48 pts) | 11-7-0 (22 pts)* |
| 2014 | 12-8-14 (50 pts)* | 9-9-0 (18 pts)* |
| 2015 | 16-13-5 (53 pts)* | 7-11-0 (14 pts)* |
| 2016 | 10-15-9 (39 pts) | 12-6-0 (24 pts)* |
| 2017 | 15-12-7 (52 pts)* | 7-11-0 (14 pts) |
| 2018 | 13-13-8 (47 pts) | 9-9-0 (18 pts)* |
| 2019 | 8-16-10 (34 pts) | 5-13-0 (10 pts) |
| 2020 | 9-14-0 (27 pts) | Season cancelled |
| 2021 | 12-8-13 (49 pts)* | 5-9-0 (10 pts) |
| 2022 | 12-15-7 (43 pts) | 12-6-0 (24 pts)* |
| 2023 | 12-10-12 (48 pts)* | 12-6-0 (24 pts)* |
When the Lions won the Grey Cup in 2011, the Whitecaps were an expansion team and finished with a rough 6-18-10 record. When the Whitecaps found their stride and finished with a 16-13-5 record a few years later in 2015, the Lions struggled to a 7-11 mark.
There are only a few years that even come close to matching the combined success of the two teams.
One of those would be 2012, when the Whitecaps made the playoffs and the Lions went 13-5 before losing in the Western Final. Another would be 2014, when the Whitecaps made the playoffs and the Lions went 9-9, losing in the Eastern Semi-Finals.
However, they do not stack up when compared to this season. This is the first time that the Lions and Whitecaps have both qualified for the playoffs with winning records.
The Whitecaps start this year’s playoff run with a game against LAFC. The two teams tied in a heated match last Saturday and will now compete in a best-of-three playoff series for the right to advance. The first game of that series takes place on Saturday, October 28.
As the lower seed, the Whitecaps will play host for the second game of that series on November 5 at BC Place.
The Lions will host the Stampeders in the Western Semi-Final on Saturday, November 4. The Stampeders finished the year with a 6-11 record, though they did beat the Lions 41-16 in their most recent matchup last Friday.