The Vancouver Whitecaps won their third-straight Voyageurs Cup on the back of their young Canadian keeper Isaac Boehmer. For any Whitecaps fan, whatsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ not to like about this headline win?
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For me, a Whitecaps lifer, theresa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ nothing better than beating Toronto FC and their multi-million-dollar Italian stars to take the Canadian crown, three years running.
And the fact that sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ boy Isaac Boehmer, a 22-year-old from Okanagan Falls, was voted the best young Canadian player and MVP of the match is really cause for celebration.
But theresa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ something unsettling about this latest Whitecaps trophy. Never mind that Toronto outplayed us for much of the match. Or that only 12,516 fans showed up to cheer on the Caps in Canadasa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ premier showcase for professional club soccer.
Rather, whatsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ concerning is that both the Whitecaps and TFC started only three Canadians in their squads — the minimum required under the rules written by Canada Soccer.
This is not unusual for the Whitecaps. In both of the Caps’ prior Canadian championships in 2022 and 2023, only three Canadian players started each match. For the 2024 season, the Whitecaps start anywhere from one to two, and on a good match day, three Canadian players. One of the first things I look for in the Whitecaps starting lineup is how many Canadians are on the pitch.
Why should we care about how many Canadians get match time for the Whitecaps?
Well, because we are a Canadian team, owned by Canadians, with Canadian fans who pay Canadian dollars to watch and support our team. And because Canadian players need to develop in Major League Soccer, the highest level in North America, to progress in their soccer development. Moreover, Canadasa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ national team needs outstanding Canadians to lead us to World Cup success in 2026. Itsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ all part of making Canada and Canadian players excel on the professional and international football stage.
Doubly troubling is how few of our Canadian Caps players are from British Columbia. Of the 10 Canadians on the Whitecaps roster of 29 players, only three — goalkeepers Isaac Boehmer and Max Anchor as well as recently signed young midfielder Jeevan Badwal — are actually from sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ All our other Canadians are from Ontario and developed there or else-where, sometimes through the Toronto FC system.
To the Whitecaps’ credit, other Canadians such as Sam Adekube and Ali Ahmed were developed, at least in part, in the Whitecaps system. And, of course, there is Alphonso Davies who came to the Whitecaps Academy from Edmonton when he was 14 years old. Itsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ also worth noting that two former Whitecap players and current national teamers Derek Cornelius and Theo Bair are playing in Francesa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Ligue1, a top-five tier European pro-circuit.
The Whitecaps invest significantly in soccer player development via their vast network of Academy Centres throughout Canada, MLS Academy teams at the youth level and the Whitecaps FC2 pro team. sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ now also has two teams in the Canadian Premier League, Canadasa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ tier-two professional level, in Langley and Victoria. sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Soccer and our hundreds of community clubs and for-profit academies also play a big hand in local player development. All told, many clubs and coaches are working hard to develop our young soccer players in the province.
And yet, despite so much investment and the thousands of boys and youth playing soccer throughout this province, why are there so few Canadians in the match day Whitecaps squad and even fewer sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ boys? Especially, when compared to the significant number of Ontario and Quebec players playing in MLS and Canadasa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ national team?
Years ago, sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ punched above its weight in contributing players to the Whitecaps and Canadian national mensa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ team. Those days are long gone.
In the semi-finals of the Voyageurs Cup, Hamiltonsa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Forge FC fielded six Canadians and almost upset Toronto FC. The Whitecaps faced off against Victoriasa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ Pacific FC, whose starting squad featured seven Canadians.
Almost makes one root for an upset.
Murray Mollard is a lifelong Vancouver Whitecaps fan. Hesa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ writing a book about soccer in Canada. This appeared in The Province.
