Three consecutive one-loss seasons came to disappointing ends for the Vancouver Whitecaps leading into 2004. The Whitecaps responded by refusing to lose at all in 2004, running the table with an unbeaten 13-0-1 record en route to the playoffs and the W-League Championship, becoming the first Canadian team to win a W-League title and the first to win a senior league championship since the Montreal Impact won the A-League in 1994.

Despite entering the playoffs unbeaten, the Whitecaps had a daunting task in front of them to reverse their postseason fortunes.

Their first test was the Seattle Sounders, who handed them their only blemish on the year with a 2-2 draw early in the campaign and knocked the Whitecaps from the playoffs in 2003 via penalty kicks. Vancouver dispatched of their rivals with a narrow 1-0 victory to advance to the W-League Championship in Ottawa, Ontario, where they were joined by fellow unbeatens New Jersey Wildcats (14-0-0) and Chicago Cobras (12-0-1) as well as the host Ottawa Fury, who boasted a 13-1-0 record.

The Wildcats were the lone team to finish the season with a perfect record, outscoring their opposition 76-5 on the year while Ottawa was second in the league in scoring with 68 goals. For New Jersey, it was a complete turnaround from a 7-7-0 campaign in 2003 while Ottawa had reached the semifinals the year before. New Jersey downed 2001 and 2002 champion Boston Renegades 2-0 in the conference semifinals and captured the Eastern Conference title in a 6-5 thriller against the Montreal Xtreme.

The Chicago Cobras, who were not as dominant by the numbers, used three consecutive overtime games to close out the season, including a season finale draw, as preparation for the playoffs, where they edged division rival Fort Wayne Fever 3-2 in the division final and the Charlotte Lady Eagles 2-1 in overtime in the conference final.

At the W-League Championship weekend, the Whitecaps advanced from the semifinals with a narrow 2-1 win over the Cobras and the Wildcats edged the host side 2-1 on a pair of goals from French National Team star and league scoring champion Marinette Pichon.

With a championship showdown between two of the top three scoring teams,
amazingly, defense took charge as the match went scoreless through 120 minutes and required penalty kicks to decide a winner. In the end, it was Vancouver goalkeeper Erin McLeod scoring the winning shot from the mark to give the Whitecaps the championship 4-2 in the tiebreaker.