Whitecaps vs. Miami: What you need to know about the MLS Cup game

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Is Roberto Luongo rooting for the Vancouver Whitecaps or is he leaning more toward Inter Miami?

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There are a great many subjects to ponder regarding the Whitecaps showdown with Miami on Saturday (11:30 a.m.) at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale for the MLS Cup. We’re counting the possible allegiance of Luongo as one of them, considering he is a sports connection point between the two cities in question since his time starring in net for both the Florida Panthers and Vancouver Canucks.

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He is, of course, a special adviser in the Panthers’ front office these days.

There is much to consider about Saturday. Some of it’s serious. Some of it’s silly.

Here’s a look at Saturday’s game.

Where you can watch it

The MLS has taken its hits for its Apple TV deal which tucked several Whitecaps games behind two paywalls — Apple TC and then an MLS Season Pass — for much of this season. Saturday’s game is on TSN, and TSN announced back in June that it was broadcasting the championship game, regardless of the combatants.

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If you would rather go out to view the game, the Whitecaps are hosting a watch party at B.C. Place, and by Tuesday morning the team had already sold nearly 16,000 seats. Tickets are $15 and the first 15,000 fans will receive a special edition T-shirt.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, while the box office will open for the game day walk-up crowd starting at 10 a.m.

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It will be fun to compare Saturday attendance at B.C. Place to attendance at Chase Stadium, which lists capacity at 21,500. As of Tuesday morning, Ticketmaster listed just eight of the 35 sections as sold out and nine sections with more than 100 seats available.

Team histories

It’s the first trip to the championship game for both the Whitecaps and Miami. Vancouver has been in the MLS since 2011 and Miami has played in the league since 2018.

Miami (19-7-8), who use Herons as a nickname, wound up third in the Eastern Conference during the regular season. Vancouver (18-7-9) came in second in the West, but two points in back of Miami in the overall standings, which is why the game is in Florida.

Vancouver was 8-4-5 on the road, Miami was 11-3-3 at home.

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The Whitecaps and Herons didn’t meet during the MLS regular season this year, but they played twice as a part of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the Whitecaps won both ends of their two-game, total-goal semifinal with a 2-0 decision on April 24 at B.C. Place and a 3-1 win on April 30 at Chase Stadium.

With these MLS playoffs, Miami has advanced to Saturday via a 2-1 series win over Nashville FC, a 4-0 triumph over FC Cincinnati, and a 5-1 victory against New York City FC.

The Whitecaps are through to the final thanks to a 2-0 series win over FC Dallas, a 4-3 penalty-kick triumph over LAFC after a 2-2 draw in regulation, and a 3-1 decision over San Diego FC.

This is the biggest Whitecaps season since their 1979 Soccer Bowl championship campaign. They captured the NASL playoffs title that year by defeating the Dallas Tornado, Los Angeles Aztecs, New York Cosmos, and finally the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

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Marquee players

Miami brought in forward Lionel Messi, 38, in July 2023. He is Argentina’s most capped player (196) and leading goal scorer (115).

The Whitecaps added midfielder Thomas Müller, 36, in August. The Whitecaps’ Canadian Championship this season was the 35th major title that Müller has been a part of, making him the most decorated German player ever. He previously shared the crown with former teammate Toni Kroos.

Müller (131) is third in caps for Germany and tied for sixth in goals (45).

Game stipulations

Round One featured best-of-three series, but it has been single-game elimination after that, including with the final. If the score is tied after regulation Saturday, two 15-minute extra-time periods will be played in their entirety. Should the teams remained deadlocked after that, penalty kicks will determine the champion. The finals in 2021 and 2022 both went to penalties.

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Home field advantage

The host team in MLS Cup has won seven of the past eight championships.

Better tourist city

Google “What Vancouver known for,” and you get back “stunning natural beauty, with mountains, forests and oceans all surrounding the city.” Do the same with Miami, and it’s “beautiful beaches, vibrant nightlife, and diverse culture, particularly its strong Cuban influence.”

The population of Vancouver proper is 766,296, with the Metro Vancouver area coming in at 2.7 million. Miami proper is listed at 487,014, with Miami-Dade county pegged at 2.9 million.

Chase Stadium is about a 90-minute drive from Miami, according to our good friends at Google Maps.

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Sports connections

The aforementioned Luongo is the most obvious. Luongo was traded from the Panthers to the Canucks in 2006 and then traded back eight years later. He wound up playing eight seasons in Vancouver and 11 in Florida, and he is the franchise leader for both clubs in wins and shutouts.

The Canucks and Panthers have been frequent trade partners. Other notables who have suited up for both clubs include Pavel Bure, Ed Jovanovski and Todd Bertuzzi.

Defensive end Cam Wake made the Pro Bowl five times in his 10-year stint with the Miami Dolphins, which came after a two-year run with the B.C. Lions.

And there has been a host of Vancouver Canadians players who have wound up with the Miami Marlins. That includes current Marlins infielder Otto Lopez (Vancouver 2018) and outfielder Griffin Conine (Vancouver 2018).

TV and movies

Vancouver had 21 Jump Street. Miami had Miami Vice. There have been others on both sides, of course.

Celebrities

Vancouver famous folk include the likes of Ryan Reynolds, Seth Rogen and Cobie Smulders. Miami can counter with Pitbull, Beyonce and Jay Z, and David Beckham, who as it happens, is a partial owner in Inter Miami.

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