The Vancouver Whitecaps took care of some offseason business today.
The club announced a number of contractual status updates, just two days after their season ended. Such is life for teams that make the MLS Cup Final.
The Whitecaps confirmed that four players won’t be back next season, notably forward Daniel Ríos, who the team declined the purchase option on. The 30-year-old Mexican forward, who was on loan from Liga MX side Guadalajara, appeared in 31 MLS regular season games in 2025, scoring three goals. He appeared in two playoff matches, scoring against FC Dallas on Oct. 26.
Vancouver also declined the options on goalkeeper Max Anchor, defender Mark O’Neill, and forward Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau.
“We are thankful to Max, Mark, Nicolas, and Daniel for their time at the club and we wish them all the best,” said Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster.
Belal Halbouni’s option is also not being picked up, but the Whitecaps say “ongoing discussions continue” with the Ontario-born centre back.
Much of Vancouver’s core group is under contract for next season, with Yohei Takaoka being a notable exception. The Whitecaps say they’re “continuing discussions” with the Japanese goalkeeper. Takaoka started all 34 of Vancouver’s MLS regular season matches, and led the league with 13 clean sheets.
The Whitecaps have 26 players under contract for next season, after exercising seven options, which includes four of their most important players: Thomas Müller, Sebastian Berhalter, Ali Ahmed, and Mathías Laborda.
Goalkeeper Adrían Zendejas, as well as central midfielders J.C. Ngando and Ralph Priso, also had their contract options exercised.
“We’ve been building this team over several years, and the majority of our players will return in 2026 to build on the strong foundation we’ve established,” said Schuster. “Although our record-breaking season just ended, preparations for preseason and roster planning for 2026 have been underway for months, and we’re ready to hit the ground running in January”
Whitecaps first-team players under contract for 2026:
Goalkeepers (2): Isaac Boehmer, Adrían Zendejas
Defenders (9): Sam Adekugbe, Giuseppe Bovalina, Tristan Blackmon, Tate Johnson, Mathías Laborda, Édier Ocampo, Joedrick Pupe, Sebastian Schonlau, Ranko Veselinović
Midfielders (6): Jeevan Badwal, Sebastian Berhalter, Andrés Cubas, Liam Mackenzie, J.C. Ngando, Ralph Priso
Forwards (9): Ali Ahmed, Kenji Cabrera, Rayan Elloumi, Ryan Gauld, Thomas Müller, Jayden Nelson, Nelson Pierre, Emmanuel Sabbi, Brian White
You might also like:‘This amazing city’: Müller reflects after first season with Vancouver WhitecapsEnd of horse racing opens door to major transformation at Hastings Park