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Vancouver Whitecaps get blown out in Concacaf Champions Cup Final

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Jun 2 2025, 3:06 am
Vancouver Whitecaps get blown out in Concacaf Champions Cup Final
@WhitecapsFC/X

The Vancouver Whitecaps have had a dream season, but the Concacaf Champions Cup Final in Mexico City was a nightmare from start to finish.

The Whitecaps were looking to make history as just the second MLS side to win the continental championship, and the first from Canada.

Instead, they had trouble completing a pass.

Whitecaps defender Ranko Veselinović said it best post-match in an interview with OneSoccer: “We were not ready for this game tonight.”

The Whitecaps were completely outclassed by Cruz Azul, as the Liga MX club made it look easy in a 5-0 beatdown.

It started in the eighth minute, when Andrés Cubas’ pass was picked off, leading to the first goal of the match by Ignacio Rivero.

It was a Cubas turnover that contributed to the second goal of the match, which was a thundering post-and-in shot from Lorenzo Faravelli in the 28th minute.

Angel Sepulveda (37′) and Mateusz Bogusz (45′) put the game realistically out of reach as Cruz Azul carried a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.

Any hopes of a miracle second-half Vancouver comeback were stifled in the 50th minute, when Sepulveda scored his second goal of the match to extend the Cruz Azul lead to 5-0.

It was an especially disappointing result for the 2,500 fans that gathered at the Whitecaps watch party at Terry Fox Plaza outside BC Place, as well as the 700+ Vancouver supporters that flew to Mexico City for the match.

Vancouver looked nothing like the team that has dominated Major League Soccer this season, nor the team that blew out Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the Concacaf Champions Cup semi-final. The Whitecaps also defeated Mexican clubs Pumas UNAM and Monterrey, and Saprissa from Costa Rica en route to the final.

The loss ends Vancouver’s remarkable 15-match unbeaten streak across all competitions.

As crushing as the result is for the Whitecaps, all hope is not lost for this season. Vancouver continues to sit in first place in the MLS Western Conference, and could still make some noise in the MLS Cup Playoffs this fall.

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