Whitecaps ready for home stretch of MLS season after a welcome week off
The Vancouver Whitecaps used a weeklong break to rest and recharge — though they still made waves off the pitch with the acquisition of former Bayern Munich star Thomas Muller — before beginning the final 10 games of the Major League Soccer season.
The Whitecaps (13-5-6) start their stretch run on the road against the struggling San Jose Earthquakes (7-10-8) Saturday.
Vancouver has played 35 games across all competitions since February. Many players like Canadian Jayden Nelson and American Brian White, the team's leading scorer with 11 goals, also played international matches for their country.
The Whitecaps are enjoying one of the best seasons in franchise history, managing an impressive 17-7-11 across all competitions, but the number of games and extensive travel has taken a toll.
'I feel like I played a season already and we have a lot of games left,' Nelson, a forward from Brampton, Ont., said after a training session this week. 'We want to continue, we want to make a real push in MLS this year.
'It's going to be interesting. We're pushing towards something big this year.'
Head coach Jesper Sorensen said the break was badly needed.
'It was necessary,' said Sorensen. 'I think this was the last opportunity to give everybody a break.
'I hope it's going to be beneficial. I think everybody needed it also mentally, also the staff.'
Vancouver heads into the weekend sitting second in the MLS Western Conference with 45 points, just one back of division leader San Diego and five behind overall league-leading Philadelphia.
They will face an Earthquakes team that is 10th in the West, one point back of Colorado for the final playoff spot. San Jose is 1-3-3 in its last seven MLS games.
Sorensen said the Earthquakes play 'a little bit different' than other teams the Whitecaps have faced recently.
'They're very aggressive in the defensive style of play,' he said. 'We like to play a game where it's a little bit more closed and we play closer to each other. They want the pitch to be longer and with a lot more spaces for some of their offensive players.
'It's going to be challenging and different for us.'
The Whitecaps are also dealing with several key injuries.
Captain Ryan Gauld has been sidelined since March 8 with a knee capsule sprain, The 29-year-old from Aberdeen, Scotland, had a career-high 17 goals and led the team with 16 assists in 37 starts and 41 appearances across all competitions last season.
The Whitecaps have also lost two defenders for the rest of the season. Centre back Ranko Veselinović suffered an ACL tear in July while Canadian left back Sam Adekugbe went down with an Achilles tendon tear in early June.
Ecuadorian midfielder Pedro Vite left Vancouver in a transfer to Liga Mx side Pumas UNAM.
'We have been a little bit short on players,' said Sorensen. 'It's a little tricky all the time. You have to try to manage players, and we have all these games.
'It's what happens throughout the course of the season. That's why a team needs a coach.'
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter said the Whitecaps have been able to adapt.
'You keep chugging along,' he said. 'Guys keep stepping up. I think this group has done a really good job. Guys have come in and made a difference.'
Muller, who led Germany to a World Cup title in 2014, is expected to arrive in Vancouver on Wednesday, with his first training session set for Thursday. There's speculation he could dress for the Whitecaps next home game Aug. 17 against Houston.
'We're going to do everything we can to make sure that he'll get on the pitch as fast as possible,' said Sorensen.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-5-6) at SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES (7-10-8)
PayPal Park, Saturday 7:30 p.m. PDT
RECORD PACE: The Whitecaps are just three wins away from setting a franchise record for points in a single MLS season. The 'Caps had a 16-13-5 record for 53 points in 2015 when they finished second in the Western Conference and third overall.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
HOMECOOKING: Six of Vancouver's remaining MLS games will be played at home. The Whitecaps have a 7-2-2 home record.
TWISTING ROAD: Heading into Saturday the Whitecaps have 22 points (6-3-4) on the road this year, tied for third most in MLS. The Caps' also have just one win in their last four away matches and three of their five losses have come on the road.
SUPER SABBI: Since arriving in February via transfer from French side Le Havre AC, forward Emmanuel Sabbi has scored six goals across all competitions, second most on the team. He also has added four assists. He has four goals in his last seven games, including three game winners.
UP NEXT: The Whitecaps are back in action Wednesday, travelling to Hamilton to face Canadian Premier League side Forge FC in the semifinal of the Telus Canadian Championship. The second game of the series will be played Sept. 16 in Vancouver. The Whitecaps are looking to win their fourth straight Canadian title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Vancouver Sun
an hour ago
- Vancouver Sun
Thomas Müller signing yields Whitecaps ticket-sales boost
The Vancouver Whitecaps aren't ready to open up the upper bowl. Not yet, anyway. But with ticket sales surging in anticipation of Thomas Müller making his Whitecaps debut at the next home match on Aug. 17 against the Houston Dynamo, there is no doubt that opening up the upper reaches of B.C. Place isn't impossible. That said, with more than a week to still go until Müller is expected to make some kind of debut for the Blue and White, a team source says they are focused on filling the lower bowl before making any decision on opening up the upper reaches of the stadium. 'At this point, we are focused on an exciting packed lower bowl,' the source said. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster acknowledged earlier this week that ticket sales for the Aug. 17 game began to surge not long after word started to get out just over two weeks ago that the team was after Müller. It would seem that surge has now extended to games beyond just the next home match. The team has rarely opened the upper deck during its 15-season run in Major League Soccer. The Caps hadn't once sold tickets upstairs before 2023, when they sold tickets to the upper deck for the first time, a November playoff match against Los Angeles FC. That decision was made just a few days before the match. In 2024, the team chose before the season to sell tickets in the upper bowl to four games: the home opener, a 50th anniversary celebration game in May against Austin FC, the first visit of Inter Miami — Messi ended up not playing in that game — plus the playoff rematch in August against LAFC. Selling tickets to the upper bowl is only done with careful consideration — the set costs of expanding capacity aren't huge, but they aren't minimal either. It means more staffing, for both security and concessions. And there is a food-sales baseline that needs to be hit. There is also the question of atmosphere. Selling seats in the upper bowl means removing some of the sound-reflecting drapes to allow for an unfettered view from above. The draping system that the Whitecaps and rugby sevens have used over the years has been credited with giving B.C. Place a unique auditory atmosphere, something the Caps are unlikely to want to sacrifice for the sake of just a couple thousand fans. But if demand surges well above what the lower bowl can accommodate — 30,000 give or take, including suites — it will be interesting to watch what the team chooses to do. pjohnston@
Ottawa Citizen
an hour ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Under the radar: Clark Barnes continues to be key part of the Calgary Stampeder offense
Clark Barnes is never the name that rolls off the tongue first when listing off weapons of the Calgary Stampeders offence. Article content Vernon Adams Jr.? Most definitely. Article content Reggie Begelton? Certainly. Article content Dedrick Mills, Jalen Philpot and Dominique Rhymes? Check, check and double-check. Barnes, however? Article content 'Definitely I'm a little bit more under the radar than I feel I deserve, for sure,' said Barnes, a third-year receiver with the Stampeders. Article content Article content 'But it's exactly where I should be, honestly,' continued the 24-year-old native of Brampton, Ont.. 'It's exactly what God has planned for me. I'm exactly where I need to be, and I'm going to do exactly what is meant for me.' Article content Article content On Saturday, he'll be back in action for the Stamps (5-3), suiting up for the home squad against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-3) in the pivotal Canadian Football League contest at McMahon Stadium (5 p.m., TSN, CHQR 770 AM/107.3 FM the Edge). Article content His last catch came against the Bombers — the opening touchdown five weeks back in a stunning 37-16 upset of the defending West Division champs. The Stampede Bowl play saw Barnes beat the defence for a 43-yard touchdown on a pass from Adams but come away hobbled by an ankle injury that sidelined him for four games. Article content And … yes … he was sorely missed by the Stamps, whose decimated offence — including the key head injury to QB Adams — is a big reason why they've dropped two straight affairs. Article content Article content Not only has his absence been glaring because the team suddenly was hit by a rash of injuries in its Canadian receiver room but because Barnes is as clutch as they come in the CFL. Article content Think go-to guy or a need-a-first-down type. Perhaps Begelton-light — if you will — for the Red and White. Article content 'I like that,' agreed Barnes, with a smile. 'I think I'm clutch and consistent … and electric. I take pride in my route running. I feel like I'm a great route runner, probably one of the best in the league. Article content 'But I just want to be there whenever my name's called, whenever my number is called, whenever V.A. wants to throw that out to me … I try to be everything, honestly — whatever the team needs.' Article content Barnes was everything early on this season, with seven catches for a team-leading 216 yards through three games of the 2025 CFL campaign.
Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Montreal closes 32 tennis courts after asbestos found in surfacing product
The City of Montreal temporarily closed 32 clay tennis courts on its territory this week due to possible asbestos contamination of the playing surface. The situation arose after material made by American supplier Har-Tru and used to maintain clay courts was found to contain asbestos levels above the suggested maximum of 0.1 per cent established by the federal ministries of health and the environment. Municipal clay courts were closed in the boroughs of Outremont, Verdun, LaSalle, St-Léonard and Pierrefonds-Roxboro. City spokesperson Gonzalo Nunez said via email that the city is seeking to determine if any of its other sports installations use the Har-Tru product in question. 'If that's the case, these installations will also be closed as a preventive measure,' he noted. Quebec's work health safety board, the CNESST, first advised the city about the presence of asbestos in the product in question. 'As a preventive measure, we asked to temporarily close the clay court installations we own that use the Har-Tru product,' Nunez said. 'We ask employees to not manipulate the product. We have also asked (the CNESST) to continue an inventory of the private and public courts and installations on their territory and to quickly inform the private companies who operate them to take the necessary measures.' The city is waiting for answers from the CNESST regarding what preventive measures to put in place, Nunez explained. In the meantime, the city suggests that the affected courts not be used until it receives the recommendations of the public health authority. He added that analyzing the product is the responsibility of the federal government, which approved it for import and use in Canada. Based in Troy, Virginia, Har-Tru provides tennis court surfaces, equipment and accessories throughout the U.S. and in 23 countries around the world. It is the official court surface of the National Bank Open and official paint supplier to Tennis Canada, and is used on over 150 tennis courts across the country. Har-Tru did not respond to messages left by The Gazette on Friday. In a statement sent to media this week, the company said it has hired an independent lab to conduct tests on the materials used in its factory and on delivery samples sent to its Canadian distributors. 'Har-Tru anticipates a temporary pause in the importation, sales and use of our materials in Quebec and possibly elsewhere,' the statement said. 'We will work with authorities in order to meet their requirements.' The current crisis began on July 31 with a test conducted on a tennis court in St-Sauveur, leading to the closing of several courts in the region. Other municipalities including Prevost, Rosemère and Repentigny followed suit this week by closing their clay courts. The city of Montreal is currently in a holding pattern until it receives more information. 'We're waiting for directives from public health on the conditions and the reopening of the courts,' Nunez said.
