VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are still lagging.
The club surprised many in 2025, first defeating several big-name opponents to reach the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, where it lost to Liga MX giants Cruz Azul.
Vancouver then recorded their best Major League Soccer season and finished the year with an appearance in the MLS Cup final. The team lost again, this time to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Now, as the new season begins, those defeats are serving as motivation.
Striker Brian White said, “Obviously, we had a really good season last year and we brought it to the end. And we weren’t able to take advantage of those circumstances.”
“So I think everybody has that hunger to capitalize on those games, that chip on their shoulder. And we know it’s going to be a long, tough season, but I think everybody is excited for it.”
The 2026 campaign begins on Wednesday when the ‘Caps visit Costa Rican side CS Cartaginés to open their Champions Cup campaign.
The two-legged preliminary round series will begin in Cartago before moving to Vancouver on February 25. This will be the first meeting between the two sides.
White knows that fans are predicting big things from his team in this year’s tournament.
“I think the expectations, especially externally, have gone up,” he said. “I think for us, I think we went into every game last year wanting to win that game, wanting to win that round.
“And all we can really see right now is that we have the Carthaginians this season. And if we want to accomplish anything, we’re going to have to get past them first.”
The Cartagnes come into Wednesday’s match in midseason form while the ‘Caps have just finished training camp in Marseille, Spain.
“They’re doing well in their league. It’s always going to be a challenge,” White said. “It is going to be a tough test away from home.
“The distance, the heat, the altitude. Yes, it will be a challenge, but I think everyone is ready for it.”
Cartaginés did not play the Champions Cup in 2025, but won the tournament in 1994.
Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen said the team has wingers who can take the ball inside and shoot well, and strong attackers who penetrate the box strongly.
“I think it’s a good team that has got confidence because of a good start, maybe a little better than usual, in the Costa Rican league,” he said. “But this is also a team where we hope we’ll be strong enough to eventually win two games.”
The ‘Caps also have strong pieces, including German soccer star Thomas Muller, who is set to play his first full season with the team after arriving from Bayern Munich in August.
White has also long been an offensive star for Vancouver and led the club with 16 goals in MLS play last season.
Last season, he scored two goals in the second leg of the first round series to help the Whitecaps take the Champions Cup lead over another Costa Rican club, Saprissa.
“This tournament is a big moment,” he said of the performance. “Playing for your national team is a big moment.
“So you always try to play your best, and fortunately, I’ve been able to do that in the past. So hopefully, I can continue to do that. But it’s going to be a tough challenge.”
Another challenge for the Whitecaps this season will be their busy schedule.
Three days after facing Cartaginés, the team will open the MLS season hosting Real Salt Lake at home.
Sorensen said the group benefited from games coming in faster and faster last year.
“All the players participated and we got a lot of contributions from different players. So I think that was huge,” he said. Now, of course, the hope is that it will be like that, that we will be ready to go, and everyone will be ready to do their part.
The tight calendar will force Sorensen and his staff to rotate the lineup, however, especially as attacking midfielder Ryan Gould and defenders Ranko Veselinovic and Belal Halbouni continue to work their way back from injuries.
Vancouver will still field its best possible roster against the Carthaginians, Sorensen said.
He said, “This is a competition that we would like to see if we can do even better than last year. And if we want to do that, we have to win it. And we have to take it seriously.”
“There’s not that much margin for error. So we can’t just say, ‘Yeah, we go light on a few games here, and then we focus on MLS.’ We have to be strong from (Wednesday) onwards.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2026.
Gemma Carstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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