Vancouver Whitecaps stepped in after report of losing top defender to rival team surfaced
Losing the reigning MLS Defender of the Year would have hurt. But losing him to the club that just ended your Cinderella season would have been another level of agony.
Thankfully, it appears as though Tristan Blackmon isn’t going anywhere.
Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday that Inter Miami FC was finalizing a transfer deal that would see Blackmon head down south to join Lionel Messi and the reigning MLS Cup champions.
The transfer deal was reported to net the Whitecaps US$2.5 million.
However, the Vancouver Whitecaps quickly stepped in to shut down the recent report.
“Since the end of last season, several clubs from both domestic and international markets have contacted us to express interest in our players,” Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster said in a statement shared with Daily Hive.
“However, we have neither actively sought nor do we intend to seek the sale of any additional players. We firmly reject reports suggesting that we are close to completing the transfer of any of our players. The situation is, in fact, the exact opposite.”
Well, so much for that.
This offseason, the Whitecaps have done a decent job of hanging onto the crux of their team. The most noteworthy free agent they had was goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, whom they re-signed in December to a two-year deal.
The most notable player to leave occurred last week, with Norwich City of England’s Championship League convincing Ali Ahmed to leave the Whitecaps.
Losing Ahmed was unfortunate, but Blackmon is in a different stratosphere.
The 29-year-old just finished an awe-inspiring season for the Whitecaps, earning a nod in the MLS All-Star game, along with being named the league’s top defender.
He was one of the longest-tenured Whitecaps remaining with the team, originally joining them prior to the 2022 season. Only five other Whitecaps (Ryan Gauld, Brian White, Sebastian Berhalter, Andrés Cubas, and Ranko Veselinović) have been with the team as long as Blackmon.
“Our clear objective is to keep the current group together and further strengthen it,” Schuster said.
After a short break since the MLS Cup Finals concluded, Whitecaps players will report to Vancouver next week, before departing for camp in Marbella, Spain, on Jan. 16.