2017 record: 15-7-12 (third in the Western Conference)
Playoffs: Lost in conference semi-finals to Seattle Sounders 2-0 on aggregate
Season opener: March 4 vs. Montreal Impact at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT (TSN 1/3)

Additions:
G - Brian Rowe
D - Doneil Henry
D - Jose Aja
D - Sean Franklin
M – Jordon Mutch
M - Efrain Juarez
M - David Norman Jr.
F - Kei Kamara
F - Anthony Blondell
F - Myer Bevan

Subtractions:
D - Jordan Harvey
D - Sheanon Williams
D - Cole Seiler
M - Cristian Bolanos
M - Andrew Jacobson
M - Matias Laba
M - Tony Tchani
M - Nosa Igiebor
M - Mauro Rosales
F - Fredy Montero
F - Kyle Greig

Three big questions:

Can the Whitecaps find consistent offence?

Despite a successful season that ended with a playoff loss to Cascadian rivals Seattle, the club entered the off-season knowing that offence was an area in need of improvement. The Whitecaps finished the regular season with 50 goals, the lowest of any team to reach the second round of the MLS playoffs.

Fredy Montero was charged with leading the frontline for the Whitecaps during the 2017 regular season and produced a respectable tally of 13 goals in 33 appearances. While those stats look good on paper, it didn’t reflect what was actually happening on the pitch. Montero was frequently left stranded with a lack of service and forced to feed off long balls and scraps, most of the time with very little luck.

Montero moved on to Sporting CP in the off-season, and Vancouver filled the void by trading for MLS veteran Kei Kamara. The hope is Kamara will slide into the attack and bang in goals as he has done for Columbus, New England, Houston and Kansas City during his lengthy career.

Head coach Carl Robinson has outlined the need for service, especially from the wings to help Kamara achieve that goal.

With the loss of midfield maestro Christian Bolanos, Vancouver’s forward core will most likely rely on the service of left-footed Cristian Techera, the speedy Yordy Reyna or even Canadian international Marcel de Jong, who has proven he is very capable when it comes to placing balls in the area from the wings. A surging run from young Alphonso Davies could also help to create chances.

The Whitecaps also added Venezuelan goal machine Anthony Blondell (23 goals in 37 appearances for Monagas of the Venezuelan Primera División in 2017) to the mix, along with former WFC-2 hitman Myer Bevan to add some depth behind Kamara.

How long will it take for the group to gel?

Robinson certainly has ideas of where his new troops will slot in, but it will take some time for the group to gel.

The ‘Caps parted ways with influential midfielders Matias Laba and Christian Bolanos, as well as long-time defender and veteran Jordan Harvey, all of whom played important parts in the Vancouver lineup over the past few seasons.

Robinson has to fuse together a diverse group of players. There’s a younger side to the squad with the likes of Bevan, Davies, David Norman Jr. and Jake Nerwinski.

There’s the MLS vets section of the squad with newcomers Kamara, Doneil Henry and Sean Franklin stepping in to replace departing veterans like Andrew Jacobson, Mauro Rosales, Harvey, Sheanon Williams, Harvey and Montero.

There's also the MLS newcomer contingent, with Efrain Juarez and Blondell joining the club. Juarez and Blondell are both experienced footballers outside of the MLS, but they will no doubt look to players such as Cristian Techera, Yordy Reyna and Nico Mezquida to help guide them in their first season in North America.

Can the Whitecaps make a playoff run?

Since their inaugural MLS season in 2011, the ‘Caps have had some rousing regular seasons. The one thing the franchise has been missing is a decent playoff push.

The furthest Vancouver has managed to go in the MLS postseason is the conference semi-finals. They achieved that position twice, both times falling to Cascadian rivals. They were 2-0 aggregate losers to eventual champions Portland in 2015, before losing by the same aggregate to MLS Cup finalists Seattle last season.

The club has only managed one playoff win in their MLS tenure, a 5-0 drubbing of San Jose last season in the opening round that was marred by the fact that the ‘Caps had failed to secure a first-round bye against the same Earthquakes squad only days prior.

The goal for the Whitecaps has to be to take that next step and announce themselves as true MLS Cup contenders by winning a two-legged affair in the playoffs in convincing fashion.