By The Canadian Press

Vancouver Whitecaps embracing expectations ahead of new MLS season

Feb 20, 2026 | 6:26 PM

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps know that repeating last season’s success won’t be easy.

The Major League Soccer team isn’t about to shy away from the challenge.

The ‘Caps feel there’s still work to be done after falling short in both the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the MLS Cup last year, said midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, and those experiences simply taught them there’s more work to be done.

“A little bit incomplete,” he said. “And it’s kind of having that hunger and that thirst. Because we know what it takes now. We know what it takes to be the best and now it’s just having that next step and really digging deep within ourselves to bring that out of us.”

The work begins Saturday when the Whitecaps host Real Salt Lake in their first league game of the year.

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Vancouver finished last season with an 18-7-9 record in league play, good for second in the Western Conference, and set multiple franchise records, including most points (63), wins (18) and goals scored in an MLS campaign.

The club made the CONCACAF Champions Cup final, won a fourth straight Canadian Championship title, and continued to roll in the playoffs, felling post-season foe Los Angeles FC, capturing a Western Conference title, and earned a spot in the MLS Cup final where the Whitecaps ultimately fell to Inter Miami.

While there’s a strong foundation for the team heading into the 2026 campaign, nothing is given, cautioned head coach Jesper Sorensen.

“The season we had last year is not a season that you just say ‘OK, now this is the baseline for us.’ It was extraordinary,” he said. “And sometimes you also have to stop and remind yourself that we achieved something that was a little bit extra.

“Having said that, you always want to improve and you always want to be ambitious and set yourself goals. And we do that as a group.”

Vancouver’s group largely remains in tact, with 24 players from last year’s roster returning, including last season’s MLS defender of the year Tristan Blackmon, goalkeeper of the year finalist Yohei Takaoka, and all-stars Berhalter and striker Brian White.

The Whitecaps lost a pair of Canadian wingers, transferring Ali Ahmed to Norwich City of the English Championship and trading Jayden Nelson to Austin FC.

New additions to the lineup include Senegalese forward Cheikh Sabaly, midfielder Oliver Larraz and forward Aziel Jackson.

“We’ve always had a core group for the last quite a few years now. And so having so many guys return from last year, and how successful we were last year, I think it helps a lot going into this season,” said White.

“And then obviously we’ve added a couple of players who can hopefully raise the level even higher. So I think everyone’s really excited to see how much further we can take it this year and what we can achieve.”

The club will start the season without defenders Sam Adekugbe (Achilles) and Ranko Veselinovic (knee), and captain Ryan Gauld (knee), though all three are expected back this spring.

Vancouver will also benefit from a full season of Thomas Muller.

The German soccer legend signed with the club in August and registered nine goals and three assists over 13 games for the club last year, including seven goals and three assists in seven regular-season bouts.

It’s not only what the 36-year-old midfielder does on the field that helps the team, said Whitecaps sporting director Axel Schuster.

“What I expect from him is being a leader,” he said. “We have spoken about how close we have been before Thomas arrived. We thought maybe there was an inch missing and maybe it was an inch of experience, of leadership on the pitch. And last year we have seen that we can go even more than that one inch further.”

While Muller said he’s “kind of relaxed” when it comes to results, he has expectations on how he wants the team to play.

“I want to make sure we build on this foundation we created as a team,” he said.

“I don’t talk about results. You can’t control the results but you can control the approach, how you play the game, how you want to play the game. So it’s about playing style, it’s about habits on the field. And we want to show our good habits, our teamwork, the style how we play right from the beginning.”

The charismatic former Bayern Munich star knows he’ll get a better sense of what it means to play in MLS this year.

He’s looking forward to truly experiencing the league, playing against every team in the Western Conference and seeing different cities.

“It would be great if we played every game in stadiums with euphoric, enthusiastic people there, cheering for the teams,” Muller said, noting that he loves the games the Whitecaps play at B.C. Place the most.

“You can feel that they love the game. And until now I have this feeling. Maybe our sport is not the main sport in the total population, but the people that are coming to the games, you can feel that they love the game.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 20, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press