19 hours Ago By Canadian Press
The Vancouver Whitecaps conceded a late goal and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Pumas UNAM on Wednesday in the opening game of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal. Striker Brian White gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute but Pumas midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla tied the match in the 87th minute. The Whitecaps had pressed the Mexican powerhouse Pumas all match, coming close on several occasions.
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter set up the Vancouver goal off a corner kick. The ball sailed into the box setting off a scramble among several players before White finally directed it into the net. It was White’s fifth goal across all competitions this season.
He is tied for the Championships Cup scoring with four goals. Pumas evened the score off a corner kick by midfield Leonardo Suarez. Carrasquilla gained control of the ball and blasted a shot past Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.
Forward Emmanuel Sabbi came close to winning it for Vancouver in extra time. His header from in the box was stopped by the Pumas goalkeeper, then the ball hit the post and rolled out of danger. A vocal contingent of Pumas fans was among the crowd of 12,356 at BC Place Stadium.
They chanted and waved flags for the team which plays in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. The second half of the match saw a problem with the lighting at BC Place. Several times the lights flickered and dimmed.
Twice the pitch was plunged into darkness. The power returned and the game continued. The second game of the series will be played Wednesday at the 72,000-seat Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City.
The winner will move on to face MLS rivals Los Angeles FC or Inter Miami CF in the semifinals. The Whitecaps, who lead the Western Conference of Major League Soccer with a 4-1-1 record, controlled much of the play in the scoreless first half. Vancouver had a chance just four minutes into the match when Berhalter fired a shot from the box that just went wide of the post.
In the 38th minute defender Tristan Blackmon blasted a shot from distance that a diving Pumas goalkeeper Alex Padilla deflected wide. A miscue almost proved costly for Pumas early in the second half. Defender Alfonso Moroy attempted to head a ball back to Padilla.
The goalkeeper mishandled the ball but regained control before a Whitecap could pounce. In the 63rd minute, Vancouver midfielder Edier Ocampo got behind the Pumas defence but lifted a shot over top of the goal. Pumas finally tested Takaoka in the 65th minute.
Defender Jose Caicedo had a long shot that was stopped by a diving Takaoka. Vancouver played the match with five players injured, including captain Ryan Gauld, who is out with a knee injury. The Whitecaps advanced to the quarterfinals with a victory over CF Monterrey, winning the two-game aggregate series 3-3 on away goals.
It was the first time the Whitecaps advanced past a Mexican club in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. This marks the first time since 2023 that Vancouver reached the quarterfinals stage of the tournament and the second time overall, having reached the semifinals back in 2017. The CONCACAF Champions Cup features the best teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean to crown a regional champion, and to qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup.
NOTES: The Whitecaps return to MLS play Saturday when they host Austin FC. ..
. Pumas head coach Efrain Juarez played for the Whitecaps in 2018. .
.. Pumas have won seven Liga MX titles, three CONCACACF Champions Cups and a Copa Interamericana.
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In the 2024 Leagues Cup Round of 32 the Pumas defeated Vancouver 2-0 at BC Place in the first ever meeting between the two clubs. ..
. Besides Gauld, the other injured Whitecaps are fullback Sam Adekugbe (quad strain), midfielder Andres Cubas (dislocated shoulder), defender Mathias Laborda (hamstring) and centre back Bjorn Inge Utvik (quad contusion)..
