The Third Sub Episode 253: Whitecaps get set for the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs

Welcome back to another episode of the Third Sub Podcast!In this episode, Alex and Sam are back, as usual, this time to chat about all things Vancouver Whitecaps as they get set for the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs. To begin, they dive into the latest out of the Whitecaps, who fell 2-1 to FC Dallas in the final game of the MLS regular season - fitting, as not only did that defeat deny the Whitecaps the chance to top the Western Conference table and finish second in all of MLS, but it also set them up with a date vs. Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, too. Because of that, they take a look at the threat that Dallas poses to the Whitecaps in this first-round series, a matchup that the Whitecaps are expected to win - something that doesn't always mean a whole lot in MLS, it's worth noting. Of course, in this playoff format, things are different than your typical playoff battle, with this first round being a best-of-three matchup, before the games shift to single elimination later down the road. Will the Whitecaps be healthy enough to make a deep run in the playoffs? Will they be able to score in the big games? Who starts for them at the back? Can they take advantage of their status as an MLS Cup favourite?Alex and Sam try to answer those questions, and more, to cap off this preview - before finishing with a quick look at the rest of the MLS Cup playoffs field, for good measure.