Episode 670 – The AFTN Soccer Show (All Aboard The Vancouver Express - Whitecaps Champions Cup final bound, VAN v RSL, Ranko Veselinovic interview)

We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, CONCACAF Champions Cup, and Canadian Premier League chat and interviews. All aboard the Vancouver Whitecaps runaway train. There's no stopping it and the final destination is unknown! What another fantastic week it's been in Whitecapsland. The team booked their berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup final with a 5-1 aggregate win over Inter Miami. They are now 90 minutes away from winning a major trophy and qualifying for both the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2025 FIFA Inter-continental Cup. Crazy times and we break it all down in this episode and ponder where this ranks both now and potentially in the club's history compared to the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl win and what impact it could have on the club and football in the city. We bring you an interview with Whitecaps defender Ranko Veselinovic about the victory, the season, his defensive partnership, and the reaction he's had back home in Serbia. Plus we chat with Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster, head coach Jesper Sorensen, and Ranko's centreback partner Tristan Blackmon. Plus we look at the Whitecaps' latest MLS win against Real Salt Lake, round up all the week's action in the CPL and Canadian Championship, talk football superstitions with Ranko Veselinovic and Tate Johnson, and music-wise Scottish band Baby Chaos begin their residency as our Album of the Month, we've another Britpop song from Supergrass, and another fun Wavelength. Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode: 01.26: Intro 04.25: What time is it? Five past Miami - the 'Caps are Champions Cup final bound 59.05: Football Superstitions - Ranko Veselinovic and Tate Johnson 66.15: A chat with Jesper Sorensen 72.35: Axel Schuster audio 77.12: The Whitecaps are 90 minutes away from TWO Fifa tournaments 81.57: Where does/can this rank in Whitecaps history? 99.08: An early look ahead to the Champions Cup final 111.05: Ranko Veselinovic interview 118.45: A chat with Tristan Blackmon 123.10: No hangover for Whitecaps in dominant RSL victory 144.35: CPL and Canadian Championship Week in Review 180.45: Wavelength - Ralph McTell - The Winners Song