Vancouver Whitecaps beat super long preseason odds to get to MLS Cup Final
The Vancouver Whitecaps were not expected to reach the MLS Cup Final this season.
Heading into the 2025 season, expectations were tempered for the Whitecaps. They had just come off a 13-8-13 season in which they finished eighth in the Western Conference and fell in the first round to LAFC. That loss prompted the firing of head coach Vinni Sartini, with Danish coach Jesper Sørensen replacing him.
With a new coach coming in and a mediocre season behind them, oddsmakers weren’t giving Vancouver much chance of going all the way. In fact, their preseason odds at winning the MLS Cup were pegged at +3500, which was tied for 14th in the league alongside Minnesota United FC.
Now, the Whitecaps are just a single victory away from bucking those odds completely.
These were the MLS Cup odds before the season. pic.twitter.com/nqGIspAbBL
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) November 30, 2025
Despite being low on the list, they were still way ahead of their fellow Canadian MLS teams. Both Toronto FC and CF Montréal were tied for 23rd in MLS Cup odds at +6500. Those wound up being much more accurate as both teams failed to qualify for the playoffs.
The lower odds may not make much sense, but these were calculated before the team acquired German superstar Thomas Müller in August. Having someone of his calibre on the roster at the beginning of the season surely would have boosted their odds a bit higher.
The two MLS Cup favourites would have been Inter Miami FC and LAFC. Lionel Messi has helped Miami fulfill those expectations as they will line up against the Whitecaps for Saturday’s final.
LAFC, however, saw their season end at the hands of Vancouver, dropping a dramatic Western Conference semifinal shootout at BC Place earlier this month. The Whitecaps then took down San Diego FC in the Western Conference Final this weekend.
The Whitecaps will now look to continue their Cinderella run as they look to defeat a heavily-favoured Miami club and deliver the first MLS Championship to Canada since Toronto FC did so back in 2017.