Capitalizing on mistakes from the Vancouver Whitecaps, Cruz Azul secured their seventh Concacaf Champions Cup title in club history with a decisive 5-0 victory. Ignacio Riviero opened the scoring just eight minutes into the match following a Vancouver turnover, setting the stage for a series of goals. Cruz Azul displayed excellent finishing, notably scoring four goals from their first four shots on target to build a significant lead in the first half.
With this latest triumph, which marks their seventeenth Champions Cup title overall, Cruz Azul has now equaled Club America`s record for the most titles in the competition`s history. Their performance in the final was particularly dominant. Forward Angel Sepulveda was a standout player, claiming the tournament`s Golden Boot by scoring a brace in the final, bringing his total goal tally to nine. In contrast, the hopeful run of the Vancouver Whitecaps came to a swift and disappointing end, a fate frequently experienced by MLS teams in past tournaments.
This final represented the fourth consecutive occasion where an MLS side and a Liga MX side have competed for the Champions Cup title. In three of these four finals, the Liga MX team has emerged victorious. Cruz Azul`s superiority in this match was absolute; Vancouver failed to register a single shot and seemed unable to execute their planned strategy.
A significant blow to Vancouver was the absence of midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. The 23-year-old had been a crucial player for the Whitecaps throughout the tournament but was suspended for the final due to yellow card accumulation. Berhalter had stepped up admirably following an injury to key player Ryan Gauld. Without both players available, the team appeared as a diminished version of itself, a common challenge faced by MLS teams reaching these late stages against Mexican opposition.
Vancouver must now prevent this disappointing defeat from undermining their otherwise strong regular season, where they currently lead the Western Conference standings. This match clearly illustrated the existing differences in roster depth and quality between MLS and Liga MX, highlighting the progress MLS still needs to make to consistently compete head-to-head with Mexican clubs. The Whitecaps have little time to dwell on the loss, as they are scheduled to return to league play hosting the Seattle Sounders on June 8.
