Blackmon eager to return from injury as Vancouver Whitecaps continue playoff run

VANCOUVER — Awards weren’t on Tristan Blackmon’s mind when he and the Vancouver Whitecaps headed into training camp in January.

The club had a new head coach and questions lingered over whether the ‘Caps could build on last year’s first-round playoff exit.

A stellar regular-season campaign for Blackmon and his teammates changed everything. On Tuesday, the 29-year-old American was named Major League Soccer’s defender of the year.

“It wasn’t something I wanted to check off at the beginning of the year,” Blackmon said Wednesday. “But I think as a collective, the guys have helped me a lot, and we’ve all grown so much as a team. And you only get those awards if the team is really doing well. So all credit to the guys for helping me throughout the year.”

Playing in his eighth MLS season, the centre back started in 23 of his 25 regular-season appearances, scoring twice and contributing an assist, as Vancouver finished second in the Western Conference with an 18-7-9 record.

Blackmon also helped the Whitecaps get to the CONCACAF Champions League final and win a fourth straight Canadian Championship title. He was one of four Vancouver players named to the MLS all-star team and was called up to play for the United States in the September international window.

The breakout campaign wasn’t a surprise to Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen.

“When I saw the games of last season, when I started studying the team, my eyes really fell on Tristan because I think that he looked to have a great potential,” he said, adding that Blackmon is fast, strong on duels and in the box, and likes to go forward.

“And maybe he’s just matured a little bit more and now become really a noticeable player even more.”

The defender of the year honour comes as the Whitecaps vie to advance in to the second round of the MLS playoffs.

Vancouver cruised to a 3-0 victory over FC Dallas last Sunday to kick off a best-of-three first-round series. Dallas will host Game 2 on Saturday.

Blackmon wasn’t in the lineup for the first game of the post-season. He’s been out since injuring his knee in mid-September, and watched his teammates dominate Dallas from the stands.

“It’s tough. Obviously, you want to be a part of what’s going on on the pitch,” he said. “But it’s been super inspiring to have a different viewpoint. Watching the guys perform every single game since I’ve been out has been incredible. So it’s definitely making me want to get back sooner than later.”

The Whitecaps were also without defender Mathias Laborda, who served a suspension after picking up a red card in the team’s regular-season finale.

Despite the absences, Vancouver kept Dallas from registering a single shot in the game.

Asked Wednesday whether the performance was a prototype for the kind of defence he wants to see the ‘Caps play, Sorensen smiled.

“I think it’s pretty strong words to say that it’s a prototype,” he said. “It’s not normal. Also for us, it’s not normal. It was a game where we also cannot expect to play games like that very often. But it would be nice.”

The coach did not reveal Wednesday whether Blackmon or injured striker Brian White would be back in the lineup for Game 2.

The club needs to be smart about managing players who have been dealing with injuries, Sorensen said, and that means finding a balance between getting guys going “as fast as possible,” and knowing that there are still games to be played.

“We’ll see if they’re ready to go,” he said of Blackmon and White. “We’ll look into it and see if they’re going to play or not, and we will not hold back.”

No matter who’s on the field, it’s important the Whitecaps continue playing the same style that’s shown success this season, said striker Daniel Rios.

Dallas needs a win to extend its season, so they’ll come in desperate, he said, and the ‘Caps must stay patient, control the ball and be precise to create the right scoring chances.

“The mentality that we’ve been having, we have to go on Saturday and show it again, right?” said Rios, who opened the scoring in last week’s win.

It doesn’t matter if we know we’re playing away and we know Dallas will be a little bit more confident. We know that we’ll go with everything to win the game.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2025.