Earlier this year, the representatives of the Cascadia Cup Council confirmed that the Cup would indeed be awarded in 2021 after a balanced schedule that allowed for supporters to attend in person was made available. After five of the qualifying six matches, the winner of the Cup will be determined by the result of the final match between the Seattle Sounders and Vancouver Whitecaps on November 7, 2021, with multiple tiebreaker scenarios in play.
Potential results are as follows:
Scenario A: Seattle wins or draws on 11/7: Seattle wins
Scenario B: Vancouver wins by 3 or fewer on 11/7: Seattle wins
Scenario C: Vancouver wins by 4 on 11/7: Vancouver wins
Scenario D: Vancouver wins by 5+ on 11/7: Vancouver wins
Tiebreaker rules for the Cascadia Cup are as follows:
Tiebreaker 1: Greater number of points earned in matches between teams concerned
Tiebreaker 2: Greater goal difference in matches between teams concerned
Tiebreaker 3: Greater number of goals scored in matches between teams concerned
As such, Scenario A is clear: a Seattle victory or draw makes them the winner with the most points.
For Scenario B (Vancouver wins on 11/7 by 3 or fewer), all 3 teams will be even on 6 points, therefore the goal difference tie-breaker would be calculated among all three teams. If Vancouver wins by 3, GD would be Seattle +2, Vancouver 0, Portland -2, resulting in Seattle named the victor.
For Scenario C (Vancouver wins by 4 on 11/7), all 3 teams will be even on 6 points, the goal difference tie-breaker would be calculated among all three teams yielding a further tie as Seattle and Vancouver will both be +1 (Portland -2). Therefore only Seattle and Vancouver would be considered in the next tiebreaker, with Vancouver’s victory on 11/7 being +4, giving Vancouver the Cup.
For Scenario D (Vancouver wins by 5 or more on 11/7), GD is among all teams, with Seattle at 0, Vancouver at +2, and Portland at -2, resulting in Vancouver securing the Cup.
We hope this clarifies any questions or concerns about the awarding of the 2021 Cascadia Cup.