What's the deal with Tristan Blackmon and the Vancouver Whitecaps?
Barely a month since their MLS season ended, Vancouver Whitecaps’ training camp has begun.
However, the biggest story as their season kicks off isn’t about their MLS Cup quest; it’s the fact that questions surround the status of their star player.
Tom Bogert of The Athletic reported on Wednesday that reigning MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon hasn’t appeared at Whitecaps training camp, which opened on Tuesday.
However, a Whitecaps spokesperson shot down that report, saying that Blackmon is in Vancouver.
Players were required to be in Vancouver on Jan. 13 for the start of camp, before the team flies to Marbella, Spain, on Jan. 16.
As training camp was supposed to begin for Whitecaps players on Jan. 13 in Vancouver, Blackmon suspiciously posted a photo of palm trees on his Instagram story. Perhaps he was just catching a flight from Vegas, but the timing was ironic.
Inter Miami FC was courting Blackmon just last week, and the Miami Herald reported that a deal was in place. However, Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster quickly shot that down.
āWe firmly reject reports suggesting that we are close to completing the transfer of any of our players,” Schuster said via a statement shared with Daily Hive.
Inter Miami reportedly made a bid of about $3 million to try and pry Blackmon out of Vancouver. Currently, the Las Vegas native is being paid $800,000 per season, making him the eighth-highest paid player on the Whitecaps roster.
According to Bogert, Vancouver is in talks with Blackmon about a new contract. They also remain in discussions with Sebastian Berhalter, whose 2026 contract option was exercised following the conclusion of last season.
The Whitecaps will be in Spain for nearly a month as their training camp gets underway. They return to Vancouver on Feb. 10, before playing their first game of the season in CONCACAF Champions Cup action on Feb. 18. Their MLS regular season will begin shortly thereafter on Feb. 21 as they take on Real Salt Lake at BC Place.