Hello, Vancouver soccer fans! Hope your weekend was filled with joy, as Mondays are the days when most people either return to work or school, depending on who you are speaking to.
Three of Vancouver's professional soccer sides were in action at their respective homes, as the fourth side continues to prepare for its second professional season.
This is Vancouver Weekly!
Vancouver Whitecaps
Another week, another Whitecaps win!
It was straight business for the Vancouver Whitecaps as they dispatched Eastern Conference side New York City FC by a professional 2-0 scoreline. Mathías Laborda got his second goal of the season after knocking in a pinpoint set piece from Sebastian Berhalter. Brian White sealed the game with a diving header to meet Bruno Caicedo's deft chipped cross.
For the Whitecaps, the second goal from Brian White was the club's 700th MLS Regular Season goal in their history, as this just further shows how much the 'Caps have improved on the offensive end since hiring Jesper Sørensen at the start of 2025.
Andrés Cubas has been very important for the Vancouver Whitecaps during his tenure, and that's been further proven this year. The official Communications Department of the Vancouver Whitecaps shared a stat that proves the Paraguayan's importance; the club are yet to concede a goal when he's on the pitch, with the minutes clocking in at an impressive 521 minutes across the Major League Soccer season and their short-lived Concacaf Champions Cup.
Currently sitting at the top of both the Western Conference and the Supporters' Shield rankings, it's a great time once again to be a Whitecaps supporter, as they look for a third straight win in their next match, as they host Sporting Kansas City on Friday at 7:30 pm PT, with the game available on TSN for fans who currently do not have an Apple TV subscription.
Vancouver FC
We shift gears to the Canadian Premier League, where Vancouver FC unfortunately fell short yet again by a single goal. Despite a Mo Babouli penalty kick being saved by Callum Irving, Maxime Filion grabbed a late goal for Forge as the Hamilton-based side grabbed back-to-back wins to kickstart 2026.
On a more positive note, both defeats have been by a single goal, and a case can easily be made that Vancouver deserved something from both matches. A brilliant free kick from Lorenzo Callegari and an unlucky tap-in for Maxime Filion should not overshadow the positive steps the Eagles have taken.
They will look to convert those encouraging signs into a first win of the season as they travel east to face Inter Toronto at York Lions Stadium on Sunday, with kickoff set for 2:00 pm PT / 5:00 pm ET.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
We return to the Vancouver Whitecaps organization to take a look at how the club’s MLS NEXT Pro side is performing.
After a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to LAFC2 in their Swangard opener, the team had a couple of weeks to rest and regroup ahead of Sunday’s match.
They faced Tacoma Defiance, the Seattle Sounders’ affiliate, at Swangard Stadium in a must-win game. After a quiet first half, the visitors struck first just four minutes into the second half through Leonardo Flores Gonzalez. For a while, it looked like WFC2 were heading toward a fourth loss of the season, but a 68th-minute corner from Carson Rassak found Trevor Wright, who powered a header past Max Anchor to level the match at 1-1, despite the goalkeeper getting a strong touch.
The game seemed destined for a penalty shootout, as NEXT Pro matches go to spot kicks if tied after 90 minutes, but in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Rassak delivered again, this time setting up Daniel Ittycheria, who fired a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner to win it for Rich Fagan’s side.
It was just the club’s second win of the season, lifting them temporarily into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. It’s still early, but the team will hope to carry that momentum into next week when they travel to face Sporting Kansas City II at Children’s Mercy Victory Field on Sunday evening, with kickoff set for 5:00 pm PT.
Vancouver Rise
The Northern Super League season doesn’t kick off until April 24, when the Rise once again open the campaign against AFC Toronto in a rematch of the inaugural NSL Final.
The main update comes from the club’s loan signing of Maithé López, who was called up to the Colombian women’s national team for the CONMEBOL Women’s Nations League. She started in Colombia’s 2-1 win over Venezuela, playing 64 minutes before being replaced by Gisela Robledo, who scored the winner.
López and Colombia return to action tomorrow evening against Chile, with kickoff set for 6:00 pm PT.
Thanks for taking a read into Vancouver Weekly, we will see you next week for the next edition of this series! Take care and enjoy your week, Vancouverites!
