Good Friday morning Caps fans, hope you all are having a lovely week and that you have big plans for your weekend.

It never gets old typing this sentence: once again, the Vancouver Whitecaps are champions of Canada. The latest Voyageurs Cup title, secured with a penalty win over Toronto FC, looked a bit different, however.

With the first two cup wins, the Caps put in very good, even dominant performances that left little doubt — and sealed the deal in regulation. On Wednesday, however, Toronto FC was, on the balance, the better team and had the better chances.

The Caps opted to sit back and turn up the heat towards the end of each half but struggled to ping in the direct balls to really create chances. Ryan Gauld was suboptimal, Brian White barely involved and Fafa Picault unable to play a crisp final ball to capitalize on the danger he created. Toronto weren’t great but, on the balance, showed a bit more, particularly in the second half.

But Isaac Boehmer had other plans. From nearly the opening whistle, Boehmer turned in a masterclass of shot stopping, denying a penalty in the first half and blocking one in the shootout, with lots of other saves in between.

The youngster deserved the chance to finish what he started, as he was between the sticks in every cup match to date. While this was initially a decision to help boost the quota of Canadians in the starting XI, he certainly merited an opportunity to earn the minutes.

His success on Wednesday should be met with a touch of caution. Thomas Hasal, after all, burned brightly but ultimately never made it as a first team keeper. Still, Boehmer’s display will have some wondering whether it is worth retaining Yohei Takaoka’s services next season.

The gulf in pay between the two keepers would make the idea worth entertaining. Boehmer needs regular minutes and he is rapidly approaching the point where he will need to get them with the first team or move elsewhere. Takaoka is a decent, but not irreplaceable, keeper and you could see the impulse to try and make a change.

Vanni Sartini was effusive with praise for Boehmer, even suggesting he get a look in the Canadian National Team system. That might be a step too far but it will be interesting to see if and/or how the team gets minutes for a quality keeper prospect moving forward.

And while the loss against LA Galaxy was a bitter pill to swallow on Saturday, it was worth it to lift hardware once again. The win puts the Caps in rarified air in terms of teams who have hoisted the cup three years running and participating in continental competition is, I believe, a net win for this team and fanbase.

Success for this team in 2024 will not be measured by lifting this trophy (even if it is paired with a Cascadia Cup, which is very much in play the next two weeks). But that doesn’t mean it isn’t a sweet, sweet feeling.

Shameless Self Promotion

For a blow-by-blow of the triumph on Wednesday, we have you covered with our match recap. Meanwhile, Caleb has a deep dive on two up-and-coming prospects.

Best of the Rest

The Canadian Championship wasn’t the only trophy handed out on Wednesday, as LAFC snagged the U.S. Open Cup in extra time.

A fun look at two Haitians, two teams, one city and the bond between Fafa Picault and Vancouver FC’s Mikael Cantave.

BC Place will be among the hosts of the 2025 Gold Cup, a tune up for the World Cup just a year later.

San Jose are kicking the tires on some big names (Berhalter and Arena anyone?) to fill their head coaching vacancy.