The CONCACAF Champions Cup has always been one to determine the best among elite teams in the North Americas. Last year, it was Columbus Crew who took home the crown, and now it is all far from the MLS as the Vancouver Whitecaps lost out on their chance to win the final when they lost to the Cruz Azul.

But to say that the Whitecaps lost is an understatement. They were, after all, heavy favorites to win this showdown in the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, only to disappoint the many fans and critics who were rooting for them as they dropped a 5-0 clash against the LIGA MX side – a poor finish for the first time in a long while.

The Whitecaps, who are the best team in the Western Conference, was nowhere near their best when they battled Cruz Azul. They took an absolute beating all around and could not find their groove when it mattered most, ending up in a clean sheet win for the latter team and for Vancouver to go back to the drawing board and refocus their priorities in keeping hold of the top spot in the West.

A Tough Loss for the Whitecaps

Azul did not let up in almost every single moment in the game, and one can say that there have been a lot of missed opportunities for Vancouver to make the most of its chances. In fact, the 5-0 finish is just Azul missing out some key shots, and it would have been double the deficit if they made all of their shots.

Nothing has been easy for Vancouver for the whole game. Cruz Azul limited the passing lanes and had a body on almost every other player for the Whitecaps, and the defense was ultimately swarming a lot to the point that the Canadian side did not even get a shot off FOR THE WHOLE GAME.

Vancouver did try to show some signs of life in the game. Head coach Jasper Sørensen subbed up Emmanuel Sabbi and Mathías Laborda with the hopes of changing up the pace of the attack. However, the effort was futile as the Whitecaps could not turn the tables in the game, especially when Cruz was already up 5-0 before halftime.

By the Numbers

The stat sheet was as realistic as it could be. It was all Cruz Azul as they nabbed eight shots on target coming off 18 attempts overall. Vancouver, on the other hand, had no shot attempts at all, which says a lot about how the game came into this poor finish for the team.

Azul held most of the ball for 68% and was on-point with their passes, finishing with a total of 550 on 89% accuracy. Nothing worked well for Vancouver on that end as well, as they only had possession of the ball for 32% of the game, including 79% pass accuracy for 267 passes made.

Entering this match, the Whitecaps were unbeaten in all competitions for 15 straight games. It could not have come at a worse time, considering that this was a high-stakes match with the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and 2025 FIFA Intercontinental Cup slots were on the line. Now it seems that they will have to wait for another chance to prove their worth on that big stage now more than ever.