Whitecaps begin bid for historic fifth straight Canadian Championship

The Vancouver Whitecaps will begin their bid for a record fifth straight Canadian Championship title when they host CF Montréal on Wednesday in the first leg of their semifinal.

Vancouver has won the Voyageurs Cup in each of the past four years. Goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer said the defending champions expect Montréal to approach the match determined to upset them, while striker Brian White said five consecutive titles would be a special achievement.

The Whitecaps enter the matchup atop Major League Soccer’s Western Conference at 13-4-4 after a 3-0 road win over Sporting Kansas City. Montréal is second last in the Eastern Conference at 5-11-6 and is coming off a 7-1 loss to Inter Miami, in which Lionel Messi scored four times.

White said Montréal still has dangerous players, including Alexis Sánchez, Prince and Daniel Ríos, and that Vancouver must be at its best. Head coach Jesper Sørensen said the two-leg format leaves little room for major mistakes.

The return match is scheduled for Sept. 16 at Stade Saputo in Montréal. Vancouver reached the semifinal by beating Cavalry FC 5-2 on aggregate, while Montréal eliminated Vancouver FC 4-2.