It wasn’t the outcome the Vancouver Whitecaps were hoping for.
But despite losing the MLS Cup Final to Inter Miami, the Whitecaps have a ton to be proud of.
It was a gruelling campaign with 53 matches played across all competitions this season. They surprised everyone by making the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup, won another Canadian championship, and came so close to lifting the MLS Cup.
“Tough night for us, for the Whitecaps, for the city of Vancouver… This amazing franchise, this amazing city. I’m very happy to be part of this run and our run is not done yet,” Thomas Müller said in a social media message to fans post-game. “We could have won it tonight. We gave everything we had. But it was not enough.”
“I’m very excited about what’s coming next year… I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your support. Thank you very much, and our journey’s not done yet.”
What a beautiful ride so far with my team and the @WhitecapsFC family ❤️⚽️👍🏼#comebackstronger #vwfc #mls #esmuellert #mlscup #tm13 #thankfulforyoursupport pic.twitter.com/e5dAcOzYH1
— Thomas Müller (@esmuellert_) December 7, 2025
“Obviously we cry,” Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sørensen told reporters. “I think what is important is proud tears. The tears have to be proud because I know that we have excited a lot of people in Vancouver. We have created something around us that people want to see and watch.”
“We’ve all really felt the support of the city”
The support for the Whitecaps in Chase Stadium was fantastic, with 2,000 Whitecaps fans making the trip to Fort Lauderdale to cheer on their team. At times in the second half, they were louder than the Inter Miami fans.
Whitecaps supporters have cheered for the blue and white all year long and their dedication has meant the world to the entire organization.
“We’ve all felt it, especially the last two months,” Ryan Gauld told reporters. “We’ve all really felt the support of the city, everyone coming together to support us. We’re all extremely thankful for that, we’re all gutted that we weren’t able to bring home a trophy. We just need to come back next year and put us in a position again and do what we can to come home with some silverware.”
Vancouver goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka was absolutely devastated by the loss, but appreciative of the thousands of Whitecaps fans that made the trip.
“Their support is massive for us,” said Takaoka. “When I came out warming up, I felt their support a lot. I just wanted to celebrate with them after this game. Unfortunately, it is what it is.”
Chances missed
The Whitecaps had their chances to upset Inter Miami.
Emmannuel Sabbi hit three posts in one sequence, while Miami’s winning goal was scored off a turnover from the usually reliable Andres Cubas.
“Sadly we gave it away,” Müller told reporters. “A little bit unlucky with the situation with Sabbi, but in the end I have the feeling that we gave it away. We will come back stronger next season. I think nobody expected a season like that one year ago.”
OH MY. Vancouver almost get another!@WhitecapsFC // MLS Cup pres. by Audi pic.twitter.com/LIC93ZzGDN
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 6, 2025
“When you play a final like this… we know that it will be decided in a few moments and those moments they took them well. I think we played overall a good game after they scored an early goal. We took control of the game, but we made a few mistakes and they took advantage,” said Sørensen.
“They have players that are really good at taking advantage in these situations. We could have scored 2-1 and it would have been different. That is football.”
The Whitecaps travel back to Vancouver on Sunday. Players are expected to clean out their lockers and depart for the offseason early in the week, where they will have a mandated six weeks off before training camp begins in January, ahead of a Feb. 21 return to BC Place.