The Third Sub Episode 215: Whitecaps bow out of Leagues Cup but advance in W Champions Cup

Welcome back to another episode of the Third Sub Podcast!

In this episode, Alex and Sam are back, as usual, this time to chat all things Vancouver Whitecaps men's and women's, the Canadian Premier League, League 1 BC and more. 

To begin, they dive into the latest out of the Whitecaps men's side, who advanced to the Round of 32 of the 2024 Leagues Cup, where they were promptly eliminated by Mexican giants Pumas UNAM. They look at what that result means for the team, and what they can learn going forward, as they now tackle a short break ahead of the resumption of their 2024 MLS season. 

Then, from there, they dive into the latest off the field for the Whitecaps, who made one signing before the end of the Canadian transfer window but might not be done yet when it comes to adding to their squad, and they look at why that is the case. 

Continuing on, they take a look at the big news out of the Whitecaps women's program, as their League 1 BC side had quite the couple of weeks, winning the League 1 BC playoffs, the League 1 Canada interprovincial championships and then their preliminary round game of the inaugural 2024-2025 Concacaf W Champions Cup. In particular, that last point is key, as that means they've now made the group stage of that tournament, in which they'll play some of the top teams in the world such as the San Diego Wave and the Portland Thorns, along with Liga MX side Club América and Panamanian side Santa Fé, over the next few months. 

Ahead of the launch of the NSL next spring, of which the Whitecaps are one of the founding members, it's a massive opportunity for them, and they dive into why. 

After that, they dive into the latest out of the two BC CPL teams, who had a bit of a strange week, as they first played each other in the latest Salish Sea Derby, won by Vancouver for a fifth straight edition, before making a trade with each other. They dive into that latest game, and then dissect the trade, seeing what it means for both sides respective playoff hopes.

Lastly, they dive into the latest out of League 1 BC after that circuit's 2024 season recently came into an end, seeing what stood out from an entertaining final weekend out at Swangard Stadium, where the Whitecaps were crowned women's playoff champions and the TSS Rovers were crowned men's playoff champions. 

Make sure to check out The Third Sub Podcast on Twitter, @thirdsubpod, as well as on Instagram, @the3rdsub_.