The Third Sub Episode 216: Whitecaps return to action after Leagues Cup break; Rise is announced as NSL name

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 and Vancouver Rise amid a busy week for both the men's and women's sides. 

To begin, they dive into the latest out of the Whitecaps, who played their first game since the beginning of the month, as they took on Pacific FC in the second leg of the Canadian Championship semi-finals. 

Having had all of that time off after their elimination from the Leagues Cup, it made for a strange return, as there's no doubt that the break was beneficial for a team that was nursing some key injuries, but it also reset the momentum of their campaign. 

Despite that, they put that behind them nicely against Pacific, taking care of business to advance to their third straight Canadian Championship final in comfortable fashion. 

Now, they turn their focus back to MLS play, where a crucial stretch awaits, starting with a road match against Austin FC this weekend. They dive into what to expect from that game, where the Whitecaps will have to be ready for an Austin side that can be very 'boom or bust' depending on the week you play them. 

Lastly, they take a look at some other Whitecaps-adjacent news, including the launch of their NSL team, which was revealed to be called the Vancouver Rise, whose badge carries a lot of parallels with the Whitecaps, showing the club's plans to operate the two as sibling teams. 

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