Vancouver Whitecaps re-sign two of their best players to new contracts
Aside from all the off-the-pitch drama, the Vancouver Whitecaps’ season is off to a strong start.
They won their first MLS game of the season on Saturday in front of 23,546 fans at BC Place. And on Tuesday, they locked up two of their most important roster players to contract extensions: Tristan Blackmon and AndrĂŠs Cubas.
The two signings mean that the Whitecaps retain arguably their best defensive players for at least three more seasons.
Cubas’ contract runs through the 2027-28 season. The Paraguayan midfielder’s contract was due to expire at the end of the 2026 season, after he signed a three-year extension in July 2023 worth US$1.05 million per year.
The 29-year-old has been with the Whitecaps for five seasons.
Blackmon’s staying after all
ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle is reporting that the Whitecaps have signed Blackmon to a long-term contract, locking him up through the 2029-30 MLS season.
That deal keeps the reigning MLS Defender of the Year in Vancouver through his prime. Including the shortened MLS campaign in 2027, Blackmon is now under contract for the next five seasons.
So much for all the smoke last month about Blackmon potentially leaving Vancouver.
Back in January, short-lived fears emerged that the Whitecaps would lose their most impactful defender.
The Miami Herald reported that Inter Miami FC was finalizing a transfer that would have seen Blackmon join the reigning MLS Cup champions.
The Whitecaps swiftly shot down the report, stating that their players weren’t for sale.
There was more angst with Blackmon, too, as it was reported that the Las Vegas native wasn’t at training camp once it opened on Jan. 13.
A photo of palm trees that he posted the day Whitecaps training camp started only added to the suspicion.
But Blackmon put those concerns to rest by showing up in Vancouver two days later.
And now, he has a new deal to make him one of the longest-tenured Whitecaps in franchise history.
While the contract details haven’t been reported outside of the term, this new contract likely gives the MLS Defender of the Year a paybump from his annual salary of US$800,000.
His previous deal also expired in 2027.