VANCOUVER, BC – It was an electric comeback from Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place, as they defeated Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa 2-0 to flip the script and book their spot in the next round of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The 'Caps will now face Mexican giants CF Monterrey in the Round of 16, beginning with the first leg this coming Wednesday, March 5 at BC Place. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. PT. Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 28 at 10 a.m. PT at ticketmaster.ca/whitecaps.
There was a buzz about BC Place when the match began, as Whitecaps FC looked to score early against Saprissa. Ali Ahmed got the ‘Caps first big chance inside 15 minutes, after good work from Ralph Priso and Pedro Vite. Priso found Vite in space on the edge of the box, before the Ecuadorian slipped Ahmed behind the Saprissa defence. Ahmed stretched to shoot after getting on the pass, but the Saprissa goalkeeper did well to come out and squash the chance before a shot could sneak through.
Ahmed had another big opportunity to get that important first goal at the half-hour mark, once again provided by Vite. This time, Ahmed had more space in front of him to run onto after the midfielder broke the line. Ahmed took advantage of it to drive into the box and use his skill to get some space to shoot in the box, but his shot went just wide. Minutes later, Ahmed had another chance, with the ball falling to him after Sam Adekugbe’s low cross rebounded right in front of him, but the Canadian international was unable to maneuver his body to get the follow-up shot on target.
Whitecaps FC kept fighting until the referee blew the whistle for halftime.
However, it would not take long for the ‘Caps to get their go-ahead goal thanks to a Brian White header in the 46th minute. Set on a plate through a delicious whipped cross from Jayden Nelson, White made no mistake from six-yards, powering home a header for 1-0.
The ‘Caps continued to put the pressure on afterwards, with Ahmed once again getting into good positions and firing off shots towards goal.
White nearly got his second with less than 20 minutes to go, linking up with Ryan Gauld. The Scottish international, making a rare substitute appearance, cut back a pass across the box for White to hit first time, with his shot beating the keeper but unable to beat the post.
A little while later, it would be Saprissa’s turn to hit the post, with Gerson Torres’ cross from deep nearly sneaking into the net at the far post, only just hitting off the post before being cleared from danger.
Saprissa would hit the woodwork again in the 85th minute, with former ‘Caps captain Kendall Waston smashing a header against the crossbar off a corner. Yet, for all of Saprissa’s pressure, it was Whitecaps FC that found the dagger in the first minute of added time. After Sebastian Berhalter smashed an effort against the post from a free kick, White found the ball amidst the chaos in the box and swept it in for the decisive second goal.
That would do it for Whitecaps FC, as the result gave them a 3-2 series victory on aggregate and into the Round of 16 of the Concacaf Champions Cup.
The 'Caps are back in action this coming Sunday, March 2, as they have their MLS home opener, presented by TELUS, against defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy at BC Place. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Attendance: 14,059
Referee: Adonai Escobedo
Scoring Summary
46’ – VAN – Brian White (Jayden Nelson)
90’+1 – VAN – Brian White
Statistics
Possession: VAN 64% - SAP 36%
Shots: VAN 12 - SAP 16
Shots on Goal: VAN 3 - SAP 2
Saves: VAN 2 - SAP 1
Fouls: VAN 9 - SAP 10
Offsides: VAN 2 - SAP 3
Corners: VAN 4 - SAP 5
Caution
26’ – SAP – David Guzmán
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Yohei Takaoka; 2.Mathías Laborda, 15.Bjørn Inge Utvik (4.Ranko Veselinović 82’), 33.Tristan Blackmon, 3.Sam Adekugbe (18.Édier Ocampo 76’); 45.Pedro Vite (20.Andrés Cubas 75’), 13.Ralph Priso (26.J.C. Ngando 63’), 16.Sebastian Berhalter; 7.Jayden Nelson (25.Ryan Gauld 63’), 24.Brian White ©️, 22.Ali Ahmed
Substitutes not used
30.Adrían Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 12.Belal Halbouni, 19.Damir Kreilach, 28.Tate Johnson, 52.Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau, 59.Jeevan Badwal
Deportivo Saprissa
18.Esteban Alvarado; 7.Jefry Valverde, 16.Eduardo Anderson, 21.Fidel Escobar, 19.Ryan Bolaños (28.Gerson Torres 61’), 5.Joseph Mora; 20.Mariano Torres ©, 25.Sebastian Acuña (24.Orlando Sinclair 90’), 8.David Guzmán; 4.Kendall Waston, 14.Ariel Rodríguez (15.Deyver Vega 61’)
Substitutes not used
13.Isaac Alfaro, 50.Jafeth López, 17.Yoserth Hernandez,30.Douglas Sequeira, 33.Kenay Myrie, 36.Dax Palmer, 37.Gino Vivi, 39.Alberth Barahona, 42.Samir Taylor