The Third Sub Episode 258: Whitecaps fall in MLS Cup Final, turn attention to big 2026

About this episode

Alex and Sam discuss the Vancouver Whitecaps' performance in the 2025 MLS Cup Final and the team's future prospects for 2026.

Welcome back to another episode of the Third Sub Podcast! In this episode, Alex and Sam are back, as usual, this time to dive into all things Vancouver Whitecaps. To begin, they take a look back at the big match that occurred since they last recorded - the 2025 MLS Cup final, which pitted the Whitecaps against Inter Miami. Unfortunately for the Whitecaps, they were unable to get past Miami on the day, falling 3-1, but despite that, it was an excellent showing from Vancouver, who were undone by individual mistakes and some finishing luck at the other end. Given that they were up against an all-time Miami team, that makes the defeat easier to swallow, even if you can't help but wonder 'what if' about how close the Whitecaps were to MLS Cup, Supporters' Shield and Concacaf Champions Cup glory in 2025. Instead, for a fourth straight year, they'll finish as just Canadian Championship winners (although they're also the Western Conference Champions, for anyone keeping track), which doesn't quite feel right - and puts pressure on the Whitecaps to be even better in 2026. After taking a look back at the final, Alex and Sam dive into the other news surrounding the Whitecaps, who have…

People in this episode

Hosts: Alex, Sam

Topics covered

• Vancouver Whitecaps
• MLS Cup Final
• soccer
• 2026

Keywords

• MLS
• Inter Miami
• Canadian Championship
• Supporters' Shield
• Concacaf Champions Cup

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Norwich City, Austin FC

Books & works: Supporters' Shield, The Third Sub Podcast

More episodes of The Third Sub

• The Third Sub Episode 263: Have we seen the best version of the 2026 Vancouver Whitecaps? · April 16, 2026 · 1h 37m
• The Third Sub Episode 262: The 2026 CCC dream is dead but the MLS show rolls on for the Whitecaps · March 21, 2026 · 1h 30m
• The Third Sub Episode 261: The Whitecaps quickly find their feet in first few games of 2026 · March 6, 2026 · 1h 39m
• The Third Sub Episode 260: 2026 Vancouver Whitecaps Season Preview · February 20, 2026 · 1h 49m
• The Third Sub Episode 259: Signings galore for Whitecaps, but is it time to worry about BC Place deal? · January 31, 2026 · 1h 18m
• The Third Sub Episode 257: The Whitecaps are set for Inter Miami rematch in 2025 MLS Cup · December 4, 2025 · 1h 32m