This is it folks. On Sunday night, the Vancouver Whitecaps travel to Mexico City to take on Cruz Azul in the Concacaf Champions Cup final.

This is arguably the biggest match in the Whitecaps’ long history, and they have the opportunity to write their name into folklore.

Should Vancouver win the final, they would be the first Canadian team to win the Champions Cup. They would also qualify for the 2029 Club World Cup, which beyond being an enormous achievement would generate a huge source of revenue for the Whitecaps, as well as giving them more opportunities to attract top players.

However, standing in their way are Cruz Azul. The Mexican giants have won 6 Concacaf Champions titles, including their most recent one in 2014, and they have been on a sensational run of recent form by going unbeaten in 19 matches. However, that run was halted by a harsh defeat to Club America which saw La Máquina eliminated from the Clausara playoffs, despite having accumulated the most points across the 2024/25 Liga MX season.

Jesper Sørensen’s side have their work cut out if they are to lift the trophy. However, they have already earned one sensational result in this year’s competition at the Estadio Olimpico Universitario when they knocked out Pumas, and they are more than capable of achieving a second and winning the final.

Starting with the hosts, and Cruz Azul have been largely dominant throughout an impressive run to the final. In the first round they thrashed Haitian side Real Hope FA 7-0 on aggregate to set up a last 16 tie with Seattle Sounders. Although the Sounders held them to a 0-0 draw in Seattle, a scintillating late display saw Cruz Azul win 4-1 and advance to the quarterfinals.

That set up a tie with their nemesis Club America, and a late goal from competition top scorer Angel Sepulveda was enough to snatch a 2-1 victory. The semi final was against Tigres, where once again a late Sepulveda goal was enough to prevent seal a result and snatch a place in the showpiece final.

Indeed, Sepulveda will be the main threat to the Whitecaps defence. The 34-year-old striker has 7 goals in the competition this season, including those vital winners to keep his side alive. He has been so influential for Cruz Azul this season that he has limited Georgis Giakoumakis, who was a big money signing from Atlanta United, to a bench role since his arrival.

The other familiar face in this Cruz Azul side will be former LAFC midfielder Mateusz Bogusz, who the Whitecaps will know all about after their frequent clashes with the California outfit in recent seasons. He even featured up front for them in their most recent clash against America as they sought to defend a 1-0 first leg lead, and his versatility may prove a challenge for Vancouver to deal with.

In terms of tactical analysis, Cruz Azul will likely set up in a 3-5-2 system that worked so well for them until their defeat to Club America. That set up has made them defensively solid, as they conceded the third lowest number of goals in Clausura play, whilst also having the third highest amount of clean sheets.

Interestingly, Cruz Azul averaged the second highest rate of accurate crosses per match across the season, suggesting that this is an area for them to target. This will make Sørensen’s selections in the full back role vital if Vancouver are to shut down their crosses.

Both sides have averaged over 50% possession across the course of the season, meaning that a key battle ground will be securing possession of the ball. If the Whitecaps can win that tussle, they will be able to disrupt Cruz Azul’s game plan, potentially creating opportunities in the process.

Turning our attention towards the visitors, and the Vancouver Whitecaps have been underdogs throughout the competition, but they have had a magical run to their first ever Champions Cup final. In the first round a Brian White brace saw them overturn a 2-1 first leg defeat in Costa Rica to win 3-2 on aggregate and progress past a Deportivo Saprissa side which featured Kendall Waston upfront. Then they took on Mexican giants Monterrey, and a 1-1 draw in the first leg was again overturned with a 2-2 draw in Mexico to see the Whitecaps progress on away goals.

Into the quarterfinals, and the Whitecaps had to face yet another Mexican giant in Pumas UNAM. A late goal from Adalberto Carrasquilla saw Pumas snatch a 1-1 draw in the first leg, once again leaving Vancouver needing a result in Mexico. When Ignacio Pussetto put Pumas 3-2 up on aggregate in the 88th minute of the second leg, it looked like the Whitecaps were heading out. However, a dramatic last gasp equaliser from Tristan Blackmon meant that Vancouver once again progressed via away goals.

Their reward for that victory was a semi-final tie against Inter Miami. Even though Lionel Messi travelled to Vancouver, he was powerless to prevent the Whitecaps winning the first leg 2-0 in a dominant display. Jordi Alba pulled a goal back early in the second leg, but three second half strikes from White, Pedro Vite, and Sebastian Berhalter saw Vancouver win 5-1 on aggregate to progress to the final.

In terms of personnel, Vancouver’s lineup will likely be the similar to the tried and trusted system that it has been all season. Yohei Takaoka will start in goal, and he will be behind the imperious defensive partnership of Ranko Veselinovic and Tristan Blackmon.

There are more question marks over who starts at full back. Despite his impressive lock-down of Lionel Messi and the rest of the Inter Miami attack, I imagine Tate Johnson will be benched in favour of the experienced Sam Adekugbe at left back, whilst on the right Edier Ocampo or Mathias Laborda could get the call, depending on the matchup Jesper Sørensen prefers.

Andres Cubas will start in the destroyer role, and he will be partnered in midfield by Pedro Vite, who is coming off the back of his match winning heroics against Real Salt Lake. Despite his incredible displays against Miami, Sebastian Berhalter is suspended for the final having accumulated 3 yellow cards in 8 games (why can’t Concacaf have dropped yellow cards after the quarter finals like UEFA and FIFA did???) meaning that Ralph Priso will probably start in the final midfield slot.

Brian White will definitely start up front, as the striker chases the golden boot, and he will likely be joined by Ali Ahmed, who has impressed in recent weeks. Either Jayden Nelson or Emmanuel Sabbi will start on the other wing, and although both players have been mixed recently, they have been unplayable at times this season and Sørensen will be hoping that they can recapture that form to win the final.

This is the Whitecaps’ first ever Champions Cup final, and it has to be stated before the game is played just how phenomenal of a job Jesper Sørensen and his team have done to get here. Now they have to finish the mission, and based off the displays we have seen this season, I predict that the Whitecaps will win the game and lift the Concacaf Champions Cup.

(Images: Mark Zhuang & Cruz Azul)