Whitecaps' Canadian championship boosts morale for fans across B.C.
The Vancouver Whitecaps were crowned Canada's top squad Wednesday night in front of an enthusiastic hometown crowd, delighting fans of the beautiful game across the province.
The B.C.-based MLS team took on the Montreal Impact in the Canadian Championship and came away with a 2-1 victory.
A last-minute save by the team's star goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka helped secure the championship, sending thousands of fans into a frenzy.
”We’re Canada's best team two years in a row and it doesn’t get any better than that,” said long-time Whitecaps fan Luke Dandurand who was at the game.
Fellow superfan Kenton Doust was cheering from home on Vancouver Island as the team rushed the field and held the trophy high above their heads.
The 21-year-old has been a fan since he was child, standing by his favourite team through their ups and downs.
And in 2015, it was the Whitecaps that stepped in to support him.
Doust has battled multiple brain tumours and throat cancer and learned last week he was cancer-free.
“The Whitecaps have played a big part in getting me back on my feet," he said.
Doust says the connection with the team and ongoing support help boost his spirits during some of his darkest days.
On Thursday, he thanked Whitecaps captain and Canadian national Russell Teibert and other current and former members of the squad for being with him during his treatment.
“I’m so thankful and happy for the team and everyone in the organization,” said Doust.
Now that the Whitecaps have won back-to-back Canadian champtionships, fans have their eyes set on the next prize – the MLS championship.
The Whitecaps currently sit in the middle of the Western Conference standings, but with four months to go in the regular season, fans are confident they can climb to the top.
“You eliminate February and early March this has been one of the better teams in MLS they are on a good run. They've got to find a way to win on the road,” said The Third Sub editor, Samuel Rowan.
The team returns to BC Place on Saturday to take on Cincinnati before taking off on a three-game road trip to Colorado, LA and Kansas City.
The Whitecaps will host their southern neighbours the Seattle Sounders on July 8.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

Nearly half of Canadians have no plans to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
A new survey found that 48 per cent of Canadians say they won’t be taking any specific action to recognize National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
'Stories of resilience and survival': Indigenous-led tourism is one way to support communities in Canada
A growing number of businesses popping up across Canada are offering unique experiences that invite tourists to dive into the history, language and culture of Indigenous communities.
What do Indigenous Peoples across Canada really need and want?
The federal Liberal government has made a lot of promises to Indigenous Peoples. But do those promises line up with what communities on the ground really want and need, or reflect their diversity?
W5 Ferraris worth nearly $1M seized from Edmonton men linked to Pivot Airlines drug-smuggling scandal
Two Edmonton men at the centre of an international cocaine-trafficking scandal that led to the detainment of a Canadian airline crew in the Dominican Republic last year are back in the spotlight. They're facing numerous charges after police seized a pair of stolen Ferraris worth roughly $1 million.
Canada’s greenhouse gas emission up 2.3 per cent from last year due to oil and gas production, cold winter: report
New data from the Canadian Climate Institute shows that emissions from the oil and gas industry and buildings continued to climb in the previous year, undercutting Canada's overall emissions reduction progress.
When Kula needed water to stop wildfire, it got a trickle. Many other U.S. cities are also vulnerable
Hours before devastating fires scorched the historic town of Lahaina on Maui, Kyle Ellison labored to save his rental house in Kula, a rural mountain town 24 miles away, from a different blaze.
The Dianne Feinstein they knew: Women of the Senate remember a tireless fighter and a true friend
When Washington Sen. Patty Murray received a call early Friday morning that Sen. Dianne Feinstein had died, she immediately started calling her fellow female senators.
On the brink of a government shutdown, the Senate tries to approve funding but it's almost too late
The United States is on the brink of a federal government shutdown after hard-right Republicans in Congress rejected a longshot effort to keep offices open as they fight for steep spending cuts and strict border security measures that Democrats and the White House say are too extreme.
Here's how a U.S. government shutdown could impact Canadians
Economists warn both Canada's economy and individual Canadians could suffer from impacts of a U.S. government shutdown, and that those impacts will deepen and broaden the longer it lasts.