Vancouver Whitecaps face busy start to 2025 Major League Soccer schedule

Vancouver Whitecaps' Ryan Gauld, centre, hoists the Voyageurs Cup with his teammates after Vancouver defeated Toronto FC on penalty kicks during the Canadian Championship final soccer match, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

The Vancouver Whitecaps face a busy start to the 2025 season, visiting Costa Rica for a Feb. 20 CONCACAF Champions Cup game with Deportivo Saprissa before opening the MLS season three days later in Portland.

The Whitecaps will host the Costa Rican side Feb. 27 in the second leg of the series.

The MLS regular season kicks off Feb. 22 with 13 games, starting with New York City FC at Inter Miami. CF Montreal opens in Atlanta, the first of seven straight road games, while Toronto FC visits D.C United.

The league grows to 30 teams in its 30th season with the addition of expansion San Diego FC, which opens play Feb. 23 at the champion Los Angeles Galaxy. The Vancouver-Portland game is the other Feb. 23 matchup.

The Whitecaps' league home opener is March 2 against the high-flying Galaxy but Vancouver will be in action at B.C. Place Stadium on Feb. 27 in the second leg of its CONCACAF Champions Cup series against Deportivo Saprissa.

Toronto's home opener is March 15 against Chicago.

CF Montreal doesn't play at home until April 12 when it hosts Charlotte FC following road games at Atlanta, Minnesota, Vancouver, D.C. United, Nashville, Chicago and Columbus.

Montreal started the 2024 schedule with six straight road games.

Teams will once again play a 34-game regular season, with 17 at home and 17 on the road. Clubs play conference opponents twice, once at home and once away. Each team will also play six different cross-conference opponents.

The regular season runs through Oct. 18.

Seven of Toronto's home games will be in the afternoon, a scheduling change fans had wanted after a heavy slate of evening contests in recent years. The afternoon matchups include a visit by Vancouver on March 29 and Lionel Messi's Miami on Sept. 27.

Montreal hosts Miami on July 5. Vancouver does not play Miami this season.

Montreal will play 15 of its home matches on Saturday with the other two on Wednesday. Vancouver hosts Montreal on March 8.

Toronto visits Montreal on May 17 before hosting its rival on Aug. 30 at BMO Field. TFC welcomes the Whitecaps on March 29.

San Diego visits Vancouver on June 25 and hosts Toronto on July 16. The expansion side does not face Montreal.

MLS will pause play June 15-24 for the FIFA Club World Cup, which features both Miami and the Seattle Sounders, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The 2025 MLS All Star Game is scheduled for July 23 in Austin, Texas.

In celebration of the league's 30th season, the 2025 schedule feature nods to the inaugural 1996 campaign with the San Jose Earthquakes hosting D.C. United on April 6 in a rematch of the league’s first-ever game.

The Los Angeles Galaxy and D.C. United, the league’s first two MLS Cup finalists, will meet July 12 at Dignity Health Sports Park.

The Leagues Cup, which features both MLS and Liga MX teams, will take place July 29 to Aug. 31 and, unlike recent years, will take place during the MLS regular season rather than supersede it.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 19, 2024.