Whitecaps Chase History in Seattle - Westcoast German News

Vancouver Whitecaps FC will look to clinch a record-ninth Cascadia Cup this Sunday when they travel to Lumen Field to take on Seattle Sounders FC. The match headlines Sunday Night Soccer, presented by Continental Tire, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. PT, airing live on Apple TV and on radio via 730 CKNW.

The Cascadia Cup was established by supporters of Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Seattle Sounders FC, and Portland Timbers, and is awarded each year to the club with the best head-to-head record among the three Pacific Northwest rivals in regular-season play. Vancouver enters Sunday as the defending champion, having already won the trophy a record eight times.

Spirits were high at Saturday’s session — players were all smiles throughout training, with the squad appearing relaxed and enjoying themselves as they put in their final work before departing for Seattle.

Cascadia Cup: 2026 Standings & Schedule

Date	Home Team	Result	Away Team	Location
March 7	Timbers	1–4	Whitecaps FC	Portland, OR
April 4	Whitecaps FC	3–2	Timbers	Vancouver, BC
July 16	Sounders FC	1–5	Timbers	Seattle, WA
August 1	Timbers	2–1	Sounders FC	Portland, OR
August 16	Sounders FC	—	Whitecaps FC	Seattle, WA
November 1	Whitecaps FC	—	Sounders FC	Vancouver, BC

A win or a draw on Sunday would be enough for Vancouver to secure the Cup outright before the November 1 finale against Seattle at BC Place.

One Year of Müller in Vancouver

Sunday’s clash also falls almost exactly one year since Thomas Müller’s arrival transformed the club’s profile on the world stage. The German legend touched down at Vancouver International Airport on the evening of August 13, 2025, greeted by a crowd of hundreds of fans as well as members of the Musqueam Nation — a welcome Westcoast German News covered on the ground, credentialed alongside the rest of the media on hand that day.

Müller arriving at YVR on August 13, 2025 greeted by members of the Musqueam Nation and hundreds of fans

Müller made his Whitecaps debut four days later, coming off the bench against Houston Dynamo on August 17, 2025 at BC Place, a match that finished 1-1. That same evening, having just begun her role with the Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce weeks earlier, this reporter joined a “Swiss Match” gathering the SCCC organized for the occasion — dinner at the Shark Club followed by watching the debut together as a group.

Müller made his MLS debut off the bench on August 17, 2025 against Houston Dynamo

In his first season with the club, Müller recorded nine goals and four assists across 13 appearances, including a seven-match goal-contribution streak in MLS play — the longest in Vancouver’s MLS era — and an eight-match streak across all competitions, also a club record. That run included a hat-trick against Philadelphia Union on his birthday, September 13, making him the first player in league history to score a hat-trick on his own birthday. He capped the season by scoring his 300th career goal for club and country in the 2025 TELUS Canadian Championship Final, a result that also made him the most decorated German player of all time with his 35th career title.