Key events
That’s it from me
Thanks for tuning in and following along. Stay tuned to the Guardian for a report from this game and great stories all summer long as the women’s Euros, Gold Cup, Club World Cup are played and the MLS/NWSL seasons continue apace.
FULL TIME: Cruz Azul 5-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
FOr the seventh time, Cruz Azul are the Concacaf champions, having thoroughly destroyed the Vancouver Whitecaps 5-0. Cruz Azul manager Vicente Sánchez, under fire by the Cruz Azul hierarchy for some reason, is sobbing on the sideline. No doubt whatsoever about who the better team was.
87 min: The crowd is singing in unison, the FS1 commentators are talking about the USMNT’s World Cup roster, it’s 5-0…I highly doubt there will be any stoppage time.
80 min: With the win tonight, Cruz Azul ties crosstown rivals Club América with their seventh Champions Cup title.
75 min: One of the stars of the night, and of the season, Angel Spulveda gets a curtain call as he comes off the field. Morales replaces him. Sepulveda will finish as the competition’s top scorer.
69 min: Cruz Azul nearly grab a sixth, as a poor giveaway from goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka gives Giakoumakis time, space, and an open goal to shoot at. His lob was goal-bound, but Veselinovic’ dives in with a header to block the ball out of play.
66 min: One ex-MLS player for another as Bogusz comes off in favor of Giorgios Giakoumakis
60 min: A word of appreciation for Cruz Azul manager Vicente Sánchez, who took over the team in January after Martín Anselmi left to take over FC Porto in Portugal. Sánchez led the team to the best record in the LigaMX regular season, and now one of the most dominant displays in a Concacaf final that you’re ver likely to see.
Reader Kurt P gets in touch:
The Vancouver Whitecaps performance in the Concacaf Champions Cup Final against Cruz Azul is to them what was the Kansas City Chiefs performance in Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles.
As a Chiefs fan since age 0, this statement hurts. But it’s definitely true. In that, I guess the one salve I can offer Whitecaps fans is that personally I’d rather get completely blown out in a final than lose in some sort of heartbreaker. At least in a blowout there’s no drama and fewer emotions involved. You won’t get angry when you think about it (you might get sad though).
Goal! Cruz Azul 5-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
50 min: The answer to my previous question is a resounding “hell no.” Andres Cubas slips, turning the ball over in midfield, Cruz Azul pounce on the giveaway again and score again. It’s Angel Sepulveda with a header. It’s 5-0. It’s over.
We are back underway
45 min: Can the Vancouver Whitecaps pull off an unthinkable comeback? Let’s find out…
Want to read about something else?
The Seattle Sounders made a bit of news today, wearing shirts that protest MLS’s bonus structure for Club World Cup teams:
Halftime
Well, that was one of the best first-half displays we’ve seen in a continental final since…yesterday? Internazionale 🤝 Cruz Azul.
Goal! Cruz Azul 4-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
44 min: Mateus Bogusz hangs out on the edge of the penalty area as Cruz Azul streams forward, and happens to be in the perfect place to pick up a weak clearance. He then curls a perfect effort past the goalkeeper, and an already-decisive result gets even more so.
GOAL! It’s Cruz Azul 3-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
37 min: It’s domination. Angel Sepulveda finishes off a cross, and barring a miracle this final is already decided. (Yes, I am tempting fate).
31 min: The Whitecaps have yet to register a shot. They are getting completely dominated. If anything, it seems like Cruz Azul should be up by more.
GOAL! It’s Cruz Azul 2-0 Vancouver Whitecaps
28 min: Lorenzo Faravelli gets the ball off Andres Cubas about 30 yards from goal, moves in, and rifles a wicked shot that kisses the inside of the post and settles in the back of the net. Wow. What a finish.
22 min: Vancouver isn’t unused to dealing with big absences, but it’s clear they miss the influence of Sebastian Berhalter in this one. The midfielder is suspended for yellow card accumulation for this one, and his role as a connector in the attacking third is something Vancouver could desperately use right now.
20 min: The Whitecaps continue to struggle to find a way into this game. They’ve done well enough to hold off Cruz Azul’s pressure since the opener, but have yet to generate anything dangerous themselves.
11 min: Man that is just a brutal goal for Vancouver to give up. They’ve struggled to get a rhythm to start this game, and the giveaway that led to the goal is a perfect example of what that looks like. Credit to Cruz Azul for pouncing on the moment.
GOAL! Cruz Azul 1-o Vancouver Whitecaps
8 min: GOAL CRUZ AZUL! A terrible, nearly unforced giveaway from the Whitecaps in their own defensive third, and Ignacio Rivero takes advantage, finishing well past the goalkeeper.
5 min: Nearly a dicey moment there as Tristan Blackmon, the Whitecaps’ best defender, takes a bit too long to get back on the field after running out a clearance and Cruz Azul push for the opener. The attack couldn’t connect, though, and we remain scoreless.
3 min: The opening moments have been cagey, to say the least. Vancouver is happy to sit back with Cruz Azul in possession in their own defensive third, and vice-versa. This will certainly change, and a lot, in the next 20-30 minutes or so.
We are underway!
The game is on in Mexcico City.
You have dwindling minutes to read Eoin O’Callaghan’s excellent story about how the Vancouver Whitecaps got to this point, and what they’re playing for in the biggest match in club history.
The teams are out on the field
There is a large tarp on the field assuring us that yes, this is indeed the final. There’s also a large aggro-crag looking thing in the middle that I think is supposed to represent a crown. There are also a lot of pyrotechnics.
It’s a final!
Why is this game being played at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario?
The 75-year-old venue isn’t the most modern football ground in Mexico, nor is it Cruz Azul’s regular home. So why is the final being played there?
Because Estadio Azteca, Cruz Azul’s usual home (along with that of intra-city rivals Club América) is closed for renovations before it hosts the 2026 World Cup next year.
This venue is no slouch when it comes to history. It played host to the 1968 Olympic Games, where US athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos performed the Black power salute on the medal stand.
How did they get here?
For the Whitecaps, the journey to the Concacaf Champions Cup started with the hiring of Jesper Sørensen in the offseason. The head coach has turned a team that looked full of potential last year into a force in 2025.
The Whitecaps took care of Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica in the first round, then scored their first big shock with a two-legged win over Monterrey in the next round.
The Whitecaps then took down Pumas in the quarter-finals and finally took down Lionel Messi and Inter Miami in the semi-finals, looking every bit the better side in both legs of that tie.
For Cruz Azul, much was expected going into this season. They delivered with an easy first-round win over Haitian side Real Hope, then a 4-1 aggregate win over Seattle Sounders in the next round. In the quarter-finals, Cruz Azul topped Club América over two legs, before doing the same to fellow Mexican power Tigres in the semifinal.
The Cruz Azul starting XI
Goalkeeper: Kevin Mier
Defenders: Willer Ditta, Erik Lira, Gonzalo Piovi, Jorge Sánchez, José Rivero
Midfielders: Lorenzo Faravelli, Carlos Rodríguez
Wingers: Carlos Rotondi, Mateusz Bogusz
Striker: Ángel Sepúlveda
The Whitecaps starting XI
Goalkeeper: Yohei Takaoka
Defenders: Édier Ocampo, Ranko Veselinović, Tristan Blackmon, Sam Adekugbe
Midfielders: Pedro Vite, Andrés Cubas, Jean-Claude Ngando, Ali Ahmed
Forwards: Brian White, Jayden Nelson
How to watch the Champions Cup final
The game kicks off at 9pm ET and can be seen in the US on FS1 in English, or on TUDN if you prefer Spanish commentary.
In Mexico, it’s available on TUDN and on Tubi.
In Canada, you can watch it on FuboTV or OneSoccer.
Happy viewing!
The stage is set
The Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Mexico City is set to be full of raucous Cruz Azul fans, making for a difficult environment for the Whitecaps.
