On Wednesday, we begin our journey of defending the Voyageurs Cup when we travel to Ontario to face Canadian Premier League (CPL) side York United FC (4:30 p.m. PT on OneSoccer, fuboTV, TELUS channel 980, and AM730 radio).
The ‘Caps will be favoured, but entering our 15th year in the tournament, we all know full well that no match in this competition is ever easy.
Here are a few memorable road moments for Whitecaps FC in our CanChamp history.
JULY 1, 2008 – THE ORIGINAL CANADIAN CUPSET
Gather ‘round kids, and watch this extremely low res clip from 2008 (yes, we had TV in 2008).
You see, long before Pacific FC or Cavalry FC existed, the ‘Caps were in fact the first team to pull off the Canadian Cupset.
In the club’s first ever Canadian Championship match against MLS opposition, the Whitecaps of USL traveled east to face Toronto FC on Canada Day at BMO Field.
And what do you know, it was the ‘Caps who came out victorious thanks to a penalty kick goal from Martin Nash (now York United head coach) and a clean sheet between the pipes from Jay Nolly and the crew. That 2008 ‘Caps team would go on to win the USL Championship that year.
This wouldn’t be the last time the USL ‘Caps beat an MLS side either, as they won again over Toronto FC 2-0 at Swangard Stadium the following year. In fact, TFC only won one of their first six matches against the USL ‘Caps.
APRIL 27, 2011 – DUNFIELD DOES IT
In their first Canadian Championship match as an MLS side in 2011, the ‘Caps went back to face their old USL rivals from Montreal, who were still in the second division at the time.
It was no easy match, but Terry Dunfield got a header goal (Martin Nash on the call!) to get the job done going into the second leg, where the ‘Caps would advance.
APRIL 24, 2013 – COMEBACK IN EDMONTON
In a wild match at Commonwealth Stadium, FC Edmonton looked on their way to a memorable upset of their own.
However, after going down 2-1 the ‘Caps stormed back to win the first leg 3-2 on two goals from Camilo and a late winner from Tom Heinemann, before finishing the job at BC Place.
MAY 20, 2015 – LATE WINNER LEADS TO THE TITLE
Colin Miller’s FC Edmonton side got another crack at the ‘Caps in 2015, and very nearly pulled it off.
The Eddies did well to hold Vancouver to a 1-1 draw in the first leg at BC Place (thanks to a late Gershon Koffie goal). They then turned the tables with a late equalizer of their own in 90’+1 of the second leg.
But before the match could head to extra time, Matias Laba would sneak in a winner in what would prove a crucial goal in that year’s tournament.
AUGUST 12, 2015 – JOB DONE IN MONTREAL
Speaking of 2015, the ‘Caps faced Montreal in the final.
The first leg saw the visitors, who were also flying in MLS play, go up 2-0 thanks to a goal from Darren Mattocks and a brilliant free kick from Pedro Morales.
Montreal would storm back to get a 2-2 draw, but the ‘Caps still held the advantage and finished the job back at BC Place to win their first Voyageurs Cup.
MAY 25, 2022 – RELEASE THE CAVALRY
Cavalry of Calgary have proven to be a thorn in the side of Whitecaps FC.
The Cavs, to be frank, had no business sticking around in this match through the first 70 minutes.
But as football often goes, especially in cup competitions, if you don’t finish your chances you can get punished. And to everyone’s surprise – even to the goalscorer himself – Cavalry opened the scoring on an absolute rocket from former Whitecaps FC 2 striker Myer Bevan.
Vanni Sartini’s side were determined not to bow out this time though, and through persistent pressure they finally equalized with five minutes to go before winning in the shootout.
That goal would prove crucial as the ‘Caps went on to win their second Canadian Championship at BC Place.
