Vancouver Whitecaps CEO, sporting director Schuster named MLS executive of the year

By Canadian Press on December 8, 2025.

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Whitecaps sporting director and chief executive officer Axel Schuster has been named Major League Soccer’s sporting executive of the year.

The honour, announced Monday, comes after the club fell 3-1 to Inter Miami on Saturday in its first MLS Cup appearance.

The ‘Caps won their first Western Conference title and a fourth straight Canadian Championship this season, and earned a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup final.

Schuster’s biggest move of the year was signing German soccer legend Thomas Muller in mid-August, adding a dynamic playmaker and a charismatic character to a team that already hovered near the top of the Western Conference standings.

With Muller in the lineup, the ‘Caps lost just two games, including Saturday’s final.

The 53-year-old Schuster has been with the Whitecaps since 2019.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2025.

The Canadian Press