The Vancouver Whitecaps have given folks in British Columbia plenty to follow for Canada sports betting, both in Major League Soccer and elsewhere.
Vancouver (9-1-5) in second in MLS with 32 points but, at 2.13 points earned per game, the club is on pace for a Supporters’ Shield almost halfway into the 34-game regular season.
At BetCanada.com, we wanted to know how teams have done when they collect at least 32 points in their first 15 games over the past 10 seasons. Here are those teams since 2015:
Year, Team | 15-Game Start | Postseason Result |
2019 LAFC | 10-1-4, 34 points | Lost West final |
2021 Seattle Sounders | 9-1-5, 32 points | Lost West first round |
2023 Cincinnati FC | 11-1-3, 36 points | Lost East final |
2024 Cincinnati FC | 10-2-3, 33 points | Lost East first round |
Is Vancouver’s scoring rate keeping pace? The Whitecaps have had draws in three of their past four MLS matches, two of them scoreless. And they got shut out again in convincing fashion on Sunday in a major competition outside of the league (more on that later).
It’s quite rare for an MLS team to start this well; only four have compiled at least 32 points through 15 games in the past decade. But none of these hot starters won the ultimate prize, MLS Cup. In fact, none of the previous four since 2015 got to the final.
At several Canada sportsbook apps, the Whitecaps are the second favorite to win MLS Cup, behind Inter Miami, with odds ranging from +550 to +600 as of June 2.
The other immediate concern for Vancouver in its quest for glory in 2025 is how the club responds to a lopsided loss in Sunday’s CONCACAF Champions League final.
The Whitecaps traveled to Mexico, aiming for their first major international club trophy, but hosts Cruz Azul routed them 5-0. Cruz Azul scored four times in the first half and Vancouver was well outplayed in the club’s worst loss in any competition since a 6-0 defeat to LAFC in September 2020.
It didn’t help that midfielder Sebastian Berhalter (four goals, six assists in all competitions this season) missed the final because of yellow card accumulation and captain Ryan Gauld is still out with a knee injury.
But coach Jesper Sorensen and company can still reflect on an excellent run in the club championship of CONCACAF (which organizes competitions in North and Central America plus the Caribbean), though the Whitecaps fell short of claiming the first major trophy in the club’s modern incarnation. It could be argued that making the final was the biggest achievement for a soccer team in British Columbia since the original Whitecaps won the North American Soccer league championship in 1979.
Vancouver trails only Philadelphia (34 points) in the race for the Supporters’ Shield and the Union have played two more games than the Whitecaps.
Recent MLS betting odds movement reflects how well Vancouver has been playing. At the end of March, the team had +1400 odds to win their first MLS Cup title.
Striker Brian White has 10 goals in the MLS regular season, ranking third in MLS behind Philly’s Tai Baribo (13 goals) and Nashville’s Sam Surridge (11). White also scored the tying goal in the second leg of the CONCACAF CL semifinal, helping Vancouver rally after Inter Miami led 1-0 at halftime.
On Sunday, Vancouver will try to forget its defeat in Mexico and move forward with Sunday’s MLS regular-season match at home against Seattle. At Pinnacle Canada Sportsbook, Vancouver has +145 odds to win, compared to +184 on the Sounders and +245 for a draw.
USA Today photo by Anne-Marie Sorvin
Author
Jim Tomlin is an editor and writer for BetCanada.com specializing in sports, gambling, and the intersection of those industries. He has 30+ years of journalism experience and his work has appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition.
