After the league during the playoff tournament in which 16 of 24 teams competed, the Whitecaps defeated Toronto Metros-Croatia in front of 30,811 at Empire Stadium (at the time the largest crowd to see two Canadian teams play against each other)[5] before being upset by the Portland Timbers in the quarterfinals two games to nil.

[6] 'King' Kevin Hector led the Whitecaps with 21 goals and ten assists while tying for fourth in the golden boot race.

Phil Parkes was the top goalkeeper in the NASL with 29 games played, a 0.95 GAA and 10 clean sheets.

Alan Hinton, Steve Kember, and Bob Bolitho also were main contributors over the season.

The 1978 squad[8] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.