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The Vancouver Whitecaps will try to become only the second MLS team in the modern era to win the Concacaf Champions Cup when they face Liga MX’s Cruz Azul in Sunday’s final in Mexico City.

The winner earns a place in the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and this year’s FIFA Intercontinental Cup.

Mexican sides have won Concacaf’s top club competition 20 of 23 times since the introduction of the home-and-away, total-goals format for the majority of knockout play in 2002.

But MLS sides have been punching closer to even weight in recent years. The Seattle Sounders broke through for their 2022 title over Pumas UNAM, and MLS teams have now reached the final in six of the last eight editions.

Vancouver’s task is further complicated by playing a one-game final on the road at the Estadio Universitario. In the final format introduced last year, Cruz Azul earned the right to host via its superior record over the three previous rounds.

But Vancouver earned a 2-2, second-leg draw against Pumas UNAM at the same venue to advance from the quarterfinals.

“I think the altitude is very, very difficult to handle if you’re not used to it,” Whitecaps manager Jesper Sorensen told local TV program “Donnie and Dhali” this week. “Because it’s not just about the running and how it’s difficult breathing. It’s also how you handle the ball. And the ball just flies down there. It’s good that we’ve been there before.”

Vancouver will be without injured Ryan Gauld and suspended Sebastian Berhalter, two of their better attackers.

But they’ll still have Brian White, the tournament’s second-highest scorer with five goals after the seven scored by Cruz Azul’s Angel Sepulveda. And they may have more stability than their Mexican foes, who are nursing a semifinal exit in the 2025 Clausura playoffs and the looming departure of manager Vicente Sanchez.

The Whitecaps have also proven to be an exceptional away side, losing once in 11 matches across all competitions. It’s one reason they also lead the MLS Western Conference.

“It’s not that easy just to say we are very good on the road,” said Sorensen. “I think that we are very good in general. I think that’s the main thing. We don’t play particularly different away than we do when we do at home.”

–Field Level Media