Vancouver Whitecaps FC are one victory away from winning MLS Cup presented by Audi for the first time.

How did they get here? Who are the main catalysts behind this journey? What needed to happen?

We've answered those questions and more ahead of Saturday's high-profile showdown at Inter Miami CF (2:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV; FOX, FOX Deportes; TSN, RDS).

Two months after they parted ways with charismatic manager Vanni Sartini, and shortly after preseason camp began in January, Vancouver named Jesper Sørensen as head coach. Sørensen arrived with no MLS experience following nearly two decades coaching in his native Denmark, most recently with Danish Superliga powerhouse Brøndby IF. The appointment came with little fanfare or spectacle.

What a hire it’s turned out to be.

Sørensen has steered Vancouver to their first MLS Cup appearance, a club-record 63-point regular season, a fourth straight Canadian Championship title and a place in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final. That's all while navigating a laundry list of injuries to key players, international call-ups, roster changes and the typical rigors of MLS.

Along the way, he's installed a bold, aggressive playing style that prioritizes possession and team defending. While awards aren’t dished out for aesthetics, Whitecaps games have become must-watch for how ruthless they are in both boxes, never shying away from a challenge or attacking opportunity.

This past summer, when transfer rumors started surfacing about the Whitecaps potentially signing Thomas Müller, the most common reaction was something bordering on, ‘Wait, with Vancouver?!” Müller's MLS interest was readily apparent, and it seemed far more likely that links to LAFC or FC Cincinnati would materialize.

But on Aug. 6, it was Vancouver who formally announced the German and Bayern Munich legend as their newest addition. It's no stretch to call him the biggest signing in Whitecaps history, one who transformed an already strong team into a great one.

He's contributed 9g/4a in 12 games across all competitions and helped win the Canadian Championship in early October. With that title, he surpassed Toni Kroos as the most decorated German player of all time with 35 trophies for club and country.

As a leader, Müller has elevated the Whitecaps to new heights and often acts as an on-field coach, orchestrating the team's attacks and shape. Toss in his trademark charm and wit, and you have a home-run signing.

Now, Müller will look to continue his dominance over Lionel Messi. He's won seven of their 10 meetings, but has cautioned the game's more about "Miami against the Whitecaps" than "Messi versus Thomas Müller."

A few years ago, Sebastian Berhalter thought about quitting professional soccer.

Now, he's become an MLS All-Star and MLS Best XI midfielder who's pushing to represent the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The 24-year-old, speaking after Vancouver's 3-1 win at San Diego FC in the Western Conference Final, put this turnaround into perspective.

"[Vancouver] gave me a chance to be myself, to play, to have fun, and that’s all a player can ask for," Berhalter told Apple TV's Jillian Sakovits. "I’m so thankful for the club, and so thankful that they’ve given me a place to call home."

Berhalter posted a career-high 15 goal contributions (4g/11a) in 29 regular-season games this year, forming a strong partnership with Paraguayan international Andrés Cubas. They bring bite, passing range and intangibles that allow the Whitecaps to be so successful.

Now in his sixth MLS season, Berhalter's rise shows development is seldom linear. There are ups and downs, stops and starts. But when a player finds the right situation and has a platform to shine, magic can happen.

For most MLS teams, missing your captain and star Designated Player for most of the year would spell doom.

That was the worry, naturally, when Ryan Gauld injured his knee in early March. Without their top player, the Whitecaps' impressive start and trophy dreams would fizzle out… right? Especially when the Scotland international ultimately spent seven months recovering.

Not quite.

Gauld returned in early October and has become a super-sub for Vancouver. It's a far different role than what Gauld had from 2021-24, when he was unquestionably the team's best player and formed a dangerous partnership with striker Brian White.

But Gauld's always been a team-first player, and his return has galvanized the group. He's also a throughline between past and present, the old ways and the new.

Now, the Whitecaps are one match away from raising the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy. If that happens Saturday, Gauld will be at the center of it all as the confetti pours down.

Was it the greatest Audi MLS Cup Playoffs game of all time? It certainly has a case.

We're talking about this year's Western Conference Semifinal between Vancouver and LAFC, played before a club-record crowd of 53,957 fans at BC Place.

The Whitecaps took a 2-0 lead into halftime on goals from Emmanuel Sabbi and Mathías Laborda, only for Son Heung-Min to draw the Black & Gold level in the 95th minute with a stunning free kick (which also gave him a brace). By final whistle, Vancouver were playing with nine men after Tristan Blackmon's red card and an injury to Belal Halbouni, with multiple players out of position as they denied LAFC an extra-time winner. Come penalty kicks, Vancouver prevailed, 4-3, with Laborda scoring the game-winner after Son and Mark Delgado missed for LAFC.

Müller summarized the legendary match as "the brutal beauty of our game." Sørensen remarked how the Whitecaps "survived." And Laborda said it showed Vancouver are a "family on the pitch."

However you describe that game, it certainly added wind to the Whitecaps' sails – and now has them on the doorstep of bringing home MLS Cup.