Cruz Azul beat the Vancouver Whitecaps, 5-0, to win the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. It is the second continental membership championship to finish with a five-goal margin in two days after Paris Saint Germain beat Inter Milan, 5-0, to win the UEFA Champions League.
That is Cruz Azul’s seventh time lifting the Champions Cup trophy. This win ties it with its Mexican rival Membership America because the winningest membership in event historical past.
This sport was pitched as a fair contest between one among Mexico’s most storied golf equipment and one among Main League Soccer’s hottest creating prospects, however that contest by no means got here.
Cruz Azul was spectacular, netting 4 targets within the first half from 4 succinct pictures. The group, taking part in in entrance of its house crowd, acknowledged that Vancouver was nervous and capitalized brilliantly on its jitters. Vancouver regarded shell-shocked and under-prepared, and it by no means managed to search out its footing. It took zero pictures on the evening and held the ball for simply 32% of the match.
Making this sport was one among Vancouver’s best achievements as a franchise; dropping it on this style will go down in historical past as one among Vancouver’s best humiliations. The whiplash between these two truths should be dizzying for the Vancouver devoted.
No matter occurred on this remaining — drained legs, the battle of taking part in at altitude in Mexico Metropolis, the crushing weight of the event, the simple power of Cruz Azul — robbed Vancouver of all the things that is made it nice in 2025. Gone had been Vancouver’s jaunty ahead runs and bone-crunching defensive tackles; of their place, the group introduced nothing however errors, turnovers and a way of inevitable defeat.
Cruz Azul’s first two targets had been solely preventable: they got here straight from unforced Vancouver errors. Midfielder Andres Cubas was at fault for each, ceding possession by way of turnover in his personal half twice in 20 minutes to offer Cruz Azul a near-unassailable lead.
Cubas, a Paraguayan worldwide with a popularity for calm and picked up play has been faultless all season for Vancouver. He is a real MLS MVP candidate and one of many most interesting defensive midfielders in North America. It is arduous to know what occurred to him right here beneath Vancouver’s brightest highlight of the season.
“We all know what’s at stake and we’re ready,” said Cruz Azul manager Vincente Sanchez before the match, and certainly, that is precisely how Sanchez’s group regarded from kickoff: ready.
Cruz Azul’s calm, cruising victory ought to make MLS very nervous. If Vancouver — the most well liked, wildest franchise within the league — could not even start to problem Cruz Azul on the continent’s greatest stage, then who in MLS may? Ought to the league be doing extra to assist its groups put together for these moments? Or ought to the onus fall completely on the shoulders of the groups themselves?
Vancouver and MLS might be asking these questions of one another for the remainder of the summer time. Cruz Azul, although, might be basking within the glory of turning into North America’s winningest group. La Séptima is lastly coming house to Mexico Metropolis.
