Vancouver Whitecaps cruise past Forge FC to Canadian Championship final

Vancouver Whitecaps FC are off to the 2025 Canadian Championship final, closing out a 6-2 aggregate semifinal victory over Canadian Premier League side Forge FC with a 4-0 Leg 2 result Tuesday night at BC Place.

The 'Caps are now one win away from claiming the Voyageurs Cup for a fourth straight season, which would make them the first club to do so in the tournament's modern era. Vancouver will host the winner of the other semifinal series between the CPL's Atlético Ottawa and Vancouver FC on October 1 (Vancouver FC lead 3-1 on aggregate).

After drawing the first leg 2-2 last month in Hamilton, the Whitecaps jumped on top of Forge FC early on Tuesday and never looked back, starting with Tristan Blackmon's seventh-minute opener, which the center back headed home off a corner kick.

J.C. Ngando moved the aggregate advantage to 4-2 with a 28th-minute strike, before standout midfielder Sebastian Berhalter effectively put the series to bed with a penalty-kick finish in the 49th minute.

Jayden Nelson added a fourth for good measure, rounding out the scoring in the 85th minute with a close-range finish off an assist from Rayan Elloumi.

Goals

• 7' - VAN - Tristan Blackmon | WATCH
• 28' - VAN - J.C. Ngando | WATCH
• 49' - VAN - Sebastian Berhalter | WATCH
• 85' - VAN - Jayden Nelson | WATCH

Lineups

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: Coming off their 7-0 domination of the Philadelphia Union in MLS Matchday 33, Vancouver were able to keep the momentum rolling in CanChamp play with a professional performance against their CPL counterparts to clinch their spot in the final. The 'Caps have already punched their Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs ticket and are still in the mix for the Supporters' Shield, so they have a chance to make this a truly historic season under first-year head coach Jesper Sørensen.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: The series was still up for grabs even after Blackmon's opener, but Vancouver pulled away for good with this well-taken finish from Ngando.

• MAN OF THE MATCH: Blackmon's goal was his second of the series, and he helped ensure there would be no comeback by anchoring the 'Caps' defense to a clean sheet.

Next Up

• VAN: Saturday, Sept. 20 at Sporting Kansas City | 8:30 pm ET (MLS Season Pass) | MLS regular season
• FOR: Sunday, Sept. 21 at Atlético Ottawa | 3 pm ET | Canadian Premier League regular season