How Vancouver Whitecaps FC's Concacaf Champions Cup Run Stacks up in MLS History | OneFootball

Vancouver Whitecaps FC have a chance to make history on Sunday night when they take on Liga MX’s Cruz Azul in the Concacaf Champions Cup final.

Only once in the modern-era of the Concacaf Champions Cup has an MLS team won the title, with Seattle Sounders FC prevailing over Pumas UNAM in 2022.

Before that, D.C. United became the first MLS side to win Concacaf’s premier club competition in 1998, while the LA Galaxy won it in 2000. Despite CF Montréal and Toronto FC making the final in 2015 and 2018, respectively, no Canadian team has ever emerged victorious.

Vancouver have a chance to make the third time the charm for Canadian clubs and become the fourth MLS team to prevail, instead of becoming the seventh MLS club to fall with the trophy on the line.

Which MLS teams Have Lost the Champions Cup final?

Real Salt Lake, CF Montréal, Toronto FC and Columbus Crew SC have all lost the Champions Cup final once in the tournament’s modern era, while LAFC have lost twice.

Liga MX clubs have historically dominated, winning 18 of the last 19 editions. MLS teams often begin their Concacaf tournament straight out of preseason, with fitness and form playing a factor in their struggles.

Seattle were the only MLS team to win it under the “Concacaf Champions League” moniker in 2022, and went on to become the first team to represent MLS at the FIFA Club World Cup. That win also qualified them for the expanded Club World Cup this summer.

Whitecaps Learn from Columbus Crew’s Stomach Suffering

Columbus Crew SC fell in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final and admitted that several players had suffered stomach issues. / Adam Cairns-Imagn Images

Columbus came agonizingly close to the Champions Cup title in 2024, losing the final 3–0 to Pachuca after their roster was decimated due to stomach issues, which the club alleged came from food poisoning.

The 2024 Crew had some of the highest hopes of any MLS team to reach the final, having won MLS Cup the year prior thanks to head coach Wilfried Nancy’s playing style, which had helped them past Tigres UANL and CF Monterrey on their road to the final.

The Whitecaps have taken the food and other Concacaf concerns extremely seriously in 2025, speaking with Columbus’ staff in their planning.

“We know that Concacaf obviously has a lot of tomfoolery,” Whitecaps defender Sam Adekugbe told Daily Hive. “We’ll be wise with it.”

Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster added: “We’re very confident that our setup is good...Nothing will get in our way to play with the best performance on Sunday.”

Montréal’s 2015 Run Put Canadian Clubs on the Map

Cameron Porter scored an iconic goal for CF Montréal to put Canadian clubs on the map in Concacaf. / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Whitecaps are the third Canadian team to make the final in the last 10 years, but the first to take on the single-leg final.  Toronto FC and CF Montréal, then the Montréal Impact, fell in two-legged finals.

Montréal were just the second MLS side to reach the final since 2000 when they made it in 2014–15, advancing through the knockout stage after going undefeated in the group stage, which doesn’t exist in today’s Champions Cup.

In group play, Montréal beat El Salvador’s FAS twice and picked up a draw and a win against the New York Red Bulls. That pushed them into the knockout stages, where they quickly wrote Canadian soccer lore, eliminating Pachuca in the quarterfinal at a packed Olympic Stadium in Montréal after drawing the opening leg 2–2 in Mexico.

The large crowds at the 1976 Olympic Stadium continued through the semifinals and final, with the most iconic moment coming in the semifinal, when Cameron Porter scored for Montréal to tie the match 1–1 and win on away goals.

Porter retired at 24 years old, and that was his only professional goal. Talk about a legacy. He’s now 32 and working in the steel industry.

Unfortunately for Montréal, they were overwhelmed by Club América in the final, losing 5–3 on aggregate.

Toronto FC’s 2018 Heartbreak in Penalties

U.S. men's national team legend Michael Bradley missed a critical penalty as Toronto FC lost their Concacaf Champions League final. / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Toronto FC have had the most success of any Canadian club, qualifying for three MLS Cup finals and winning once. They were also the closest to Concacaf glory in 2018.

Led by the star trio of Sebastian Giovinco, Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley, Toronto opened the tournament with a 2–0 first-leg quarterfinal win over the Colorado Rapids, in what remains one of the coldest Concacaf matches ever, with temperatures reaching -27°C with the wind chill in Commerce City, Colorado.

After advancing past Colorado, Toronto eliminated Tigres UANL with highlight-reel moments provided by a Jonathan Osorio backheel goal in the 89th minute to win the first leg 2–1 at home, and a Giovinco free kick to secure the series in Mexico.

That led Toronto to the semifinals against Club América, where Giovinco, Altidore and Osorio starred again, winning 4–2 on aggregate to advance to the final.

In the final, Toronto took on Chivas Guadalajara and conceded early, before dropping a 2–1 result in the first leg at home after Osorio had pulled them level at 1–1.

The second leg brought incredible drama, with Chivas scoring early again, before Altidore and Giovinco scored to win the game 2–1 and tie the series on aggregate. Neither side were able to finish the match in extra time, leading to a penalty shootout, where Bradley and Osorio missed from 12 yards and handed the title to Chivas.

Still, that second leg remains the only time a Canadian team has won a 90-minute match in Mexico, with the Whitecaps series wins so far coming with draws against Monterrey and Pumas.

All of it leads to the latest chapter, where Vancouver find themselves in Mexico City on Sunday, looking to win a first title for a Canadian club and clinch their spot at the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in the fall, as well as a berth in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.