As befitting their breakout season, the Vancouver Whitecaps lead Major League Soccer with four players on this year's all-star squad.

Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka, defender Tristan Blackmon, midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and forward Brian White will make their MLS all-star game debut July 23 against the Liga MX all-stars in Austin, Texas.

The Whitecaps have never had more than one player selected to an all-star team and have only had six all-stars in club history — Jay DeMerit (2012), Camilo (2013), David Ousted (2015), Kendall Waston (2016), Alphonso Davies (2018) and Ryan Gauld (2024).

"This is a great testament to what we have done together as a group and the recognition is a reflection of the team’s overall performance," Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen said in a statement. "It’s a proud moment for the individuals selected, exciting time for the club, and we are focused on building on this success." 

Vancouver topped the Western Conference at 10-2-5 and stood second in the Supporters' Shield standings, two points behind Philadelphia before play Wednesday. The Whitecaps, who made it to the final of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, had conceded a league-low 14 goals and scored 31 goals.

Vancouver is the only Canadian club among the 15 represented on the all-star roster. Minnesota United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair is the only Canadian in the all-star squad.

St. Clair, currently with Canada at the Gold Cup, has allowed 14 goals In 16 starts this season for an 0.88 goals-against average. He leads the league with eight shutouts, tied with Takaoka.

The 26-man squad includes 12 players chosen in a vote of MLS fans, players and media,  plus 12 selected by all-star coach Nico Estévez from host Austin FC and two by MLS commissioner Don Garber.

Berhalter, Blackmon and White were voted in while Takaoka was a coach's pick. St. Clair was also voted in.

"My goal this year was to be an all-star … something I've been working towards," the 24-year-old Berhalter said in an interview. "Jesper came in and has given me a lot of confidence and let me play how I want to play. He stressed to me he wants me to be myself. And that's been the biggest thing this year."

Berhalter leads the Whitecaps in tackles (41) and is tied for third on the team in MLS goal contributions with five (one goal and four assists). He was named to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Best XI with three goals and two assists.

Blackmon has quarterbacked a defence that has conceded a league-low 152 shots (44 shots on target). He has also contributed two goals in MLS play and another in the Champions Cup.

White's 10 goals are tied for the fourth most in MLS. He is scoring 0.89 goals per 90 minutes, second best in the league.

"The group of guys has been together now for three to four years, so everyone knows each other really well," said Berhalter. "It is fun, especially when we're winning and getting better … Now it's time to win a trophy, to really cement this team."

The commissioner's picks are forwards Patrick Agyemang of Charlotte FC and Mexican international Hirving (Chucky) Lozano of San Diego FC

Lozano is joined by Anders Dreyer and Jeppe Tverskov from expansion San Diego, which stood second in the Western Conference at 10-5-3 before midweek play. The three all-star selections are the most by an expansion team since Atlanta United in 2017 (Miguel Almirón, Greg Garza, Michael Parkhurst).

Columbus Crew forward Diego Rossi earned his fourth all-star selection, while LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, Philadelphia Union’s Jakob Glesnes and FC Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson will make their third all-star appearances.

Fifteen players are first-time all-stars 

Sixteen different countries (by birth) are represented on the roster, led by the U.S with nine players and Denmark with three. Other countries represented are Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay. 

The roster features six players aged 24 or younger, including  20-year-old Alex Freeman of Orlando City. At the other end of the age scale are Inter Miami's Lionel Messi (38) and Jordi Alba (36).

Austin's Brandon Vázquez and San Diego's Lozano previously played in the Mexican league. Vázquez appeared in 49 matches for CF Monterrey, while Lozano made 149 appearances for Pachuca.

 

All-Star Roster (x- denotes players who were voted in, y- denotes coach's selection, z- denotes commissioner's pick).

Goalkeepers: x-Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United; y-Brad Stuver, Austin FC; y-Yohei Takaoka, Vancouver Whitecaps.

Defenders: y-Jordi Alba, Inter Miami; y-Max Arfsten, Columbus Crew; x-Tristan Blackmon, Vancouver Whitecaps; x-Michael Boxall, Minnesota United; x-Alex Freeman, Orlando City; y-Jakob Glesnes, Philadelphia Union; y-Andy Najar, Nashville SC; y-Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati.

Midfielders: x-Sebastian Berhalter, Vancouver Whitecaps; y-David Da Costa, Portland Timbers; x-Evander, FC Cincinnati; x-Diego Luna, Real Salt Lake; y-Jeppe Tverskov, San Diego FC; y-Philip Zinckernagel, Chicago Fire.

Forwards/Wingers: z-Patrick Agyemang, Charlotte FC; x-Tai Baribo, Philadelphia Union; x-Denis Bouanga, LAFC; x-Anders Dreyer, San Diego FC; z-Hirving (Chucky) Lozano, San Diego FC; x-Lionel Messi, Inter Miami; y-Diego Rossi, Columbus Crew; y-Brandon Vázquez, Austin FC; x-Brian White, Vancouver Whitecaps.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.