Good Monday morning Caps fans. Hope you all had a good weekend, a good Labour Day and are back at work, ready to go.

I will confess to not watching the match on Saturday, as I was in the midst of a move, though it sounds as if I didn’t miss much. The Caps had what appeared to be a somewhat plodding 1-1 draw against NYCFC. A draw is a pretty good result here, as it brings the points tally over the last week to 7. Given the travel involved that’s pretty darn good.

With the slower pace of matches, the Caps now get a breather before they play Toronto FC on Sept. 16 — a rest that will allow them to enjoy the Cascadia Cup that was clinched on Saturday night after Portland and Seattle drew 2-2.

In a year where both the Sounders and Timbers have had their struggles, this was the moment for Vancouver to reclaim the trophy and they obliged. Combined with the Canadian Championship, this is a pretty sweet haul if for no other reason than the level of bragging rights that Vancouver now holds over its rivals.

It is the first time since 2016 that the Caps have claimed the crown, snapping the longest ever drought in franchise history. And while Portland will get a clean slate with a new manager and Seattle is, well, Seattle, this feels not like a fluke but the chance for Vancouver to establish themselves in a new way in their regional rivalry.

But in order to fully do that, the Caps must shake things up in the playoffs, making tangible strides towards winning something Portland and Seattle have that they don’t m: an MLS Cup.

Vancouver perhaps has the best shot to do that this year of any Cascadia club, though Seattle has stabilized their mediocre form in recent matches.

Make no mistake, however. Whether this seasons ends in a deep run in the playoffs or not, two trophies certainly make it a successful endeavor. But, unlike past seasons, where winning either trophy felt like somewhat of a fluke, there feels like there is more left to accomplish in 2023.

Shameless Self Promotion

If you too need to get caught up on the business trip to the Big Apple, our post match and report card recaps have you covered.

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