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Vancouver Whitecaps lose one of their best players to devastating, late-season injury

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
Sep 17 2025, 4:20 pm
Vancouver Whitecaps lose one of their best players to devastating, late-season injury
Simon Fearn/Imagn Images

The vibes surrounding the Vancouver Whitecaps this year have been off the charts.

And, despite another resounding win on Tuesday night in the Canadian Championship semi-final at BC Place, the mood was dampened when the Whitecaps lost one of their best players to injury.

All-Star defender Tristan Blackmon went down late in the game, with the Whitecaps already holding a 3-0 lead.

He didn’t appear to be putting any weight on his right leg and was eventually subbed off for Mattias Laborda.

“It didn’t look good,” head coach Jesper Sørensen told the media following the Whitecaps’ 4-0 win over Hamilton-based CPL club Forge FC.

The victory punched Vancouver’s ticket to the Canadian Championship Final, which will be played Oct. 1 at BC Place. However, the loss of Blackmon, especially with MLS Cup Playoffs on the horizon, looms large.

The Las Vegas native has been a staple on the Whitecaps’ back line all season long. Outside of goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, Blackmon leads the entire team in minutes played. The centre back even opened the scoring in this match.

The 29-year-old’s heroics on defence caught the attention of U.S. Soccer, who recently called him up to the American national team. Thomas Müller leaked that news to the media in hilarious fashion back in August.

This isn’t the first time the Whitecaps have lost a key defender due to injury this season. Back in July, centre back Ranko Veselinović tore his ACL and is out for the rest of the year.

Sørensen said the team would provide more updates in the coming days. The ‘Caps will travel south to take on Sporting Kansas City for their next match on Saturday.

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