Seeking to become the first Canadian club to capture the CONCACAF Champions Cup, the Vancouver Whitecaps travel to Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City to face Cruz Azul in the final on Sunday.
Los Celestes defeated Tigres 1-0 in the second leg of that semi-final tie, advancing 2-1 on aggregate, while the Caps stunned Inter Miami, beating them 3-1 in Fort Lauderdale and ousting them by a cumulative score of 5-1.
Match preview
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Making a record ninth appearance in the final of this competition, Cruz Azul can claim their seventh Champions Cup title on Sunday, equalling Club America for the most all time.
Vicente Sanchez's men have thoroughly deserved their place in this showcase event, outscoring their four opponents by a combined margin of 15-3.
They are a perfect 4-0 at home in the tournament this year, posting three clean sheets at Estadio Olimpico Universitario over that stretch.
Cruz Azul have won their last eight home matches played in Mexico City and have not been behind for a single minute in this year's competition.
Only once in 2025 have they lost a match when netting the opening goal, suffering a 2-1 defeat at Club America in the Clausura semi-finals earlier this month and exiting at that stage because the latter had a higher seeding.
La Maquina have never lost a Champions Cup home game against an MLS opponent, defeating the Seattle Sounders 4-1 at Estadio Olimpico Universitario in the round of 16 this year.
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It has been quite the journey for Vancouver to get to this stage, with the Canadian side coming from behind more often than not.
Jesper Sorensen's team lost their opening first-round fixture to Saprissa but managed to advance, while they were behind in the second leg of their previous three Champions Cup ties and managed to claim a positive result each time and move on.
They are the third team from Canada to make it this far, following Toronto's loss on penalties to Chivas in 2018 and CF Montreal's 5-3 aggregate defeat in the 2015 final versus Club America.
While the Caps have never beaten a Liga MX side on Mexican soil, they have scored a combined four goals in their two matches played in Mexico, enabling them to oust Pumas and Monterrey on away goals.
No MLS side has ever won a Champions Cup final match played in Mexico after 90 minutes, although the Seattle Sounders came back from a 2-0 deficit at Estadio Olimpico Universitario against Pumas in 2023, earning a 2-2 draw and ultimately lifting the trophy with a 3-0 win in the second leg of that tie.
Heading into this match, the Whitecaps are on a 15-match unbeaten streak across all competitions but have won only won one of their last five competitive fixtures (3-2 at Real Salt Lake).
Team News
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Cruz Azul will be without Andres Montano for the final on Sunday as the midfielder is dealing with a torn lateral knee ligament.
Angel Sepulveda has seven goals to lead all scorers in the competition this year, converting the winning penalty in the second leg against Tigres as Kevin Mier made two stops to maintain a clean sheet.
The Caps have been without captain Ryan Gauld for quite some time due to a knee injury, though he could be available on Sunday, while Sebastian Berhalter will be suspended due to yellow card accumulation.
Brian White is second with six goals in the competition so far, as he and Berhalter each scored twice in the semi-finals, with their other strike coming courtesy of Pedro Vite.
Cruz Azul possible starting lineup:
Mier; Sanchez, Ditta, Orozco, Rotondi; Rodriguez, Lira; Bogusz, Faravelli, Fernandez; Sepulveda
Vancouver Whitecaps possible starting lineup:
Takaoka; Ocampo, Blackmon, Veselinovic, Johnson; Priso, Cubas, Vite; Nelson, White, Ahmed
We say: Cruz Azul 3-1 Vancouver Whitecaps
Cruz Azul have yet to lose a competitive match at home this year, and they have never lost to a Canadian side in Mexico City.
For as resilient and consistent as the Caps have been all season, this could be the match where they falter minus that spark of Berhalter, while the altitude will make it difficult for them to press effectively.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Joel Lefevre
