VANCOUVER, BC – In a historic first-ever meeting, Vancouver Whitecaps FC confidently roared back to draw 1-1 with CF Monterrey in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.
Belal Halbouni’s 86th minute header – his first goal for the ’Caps – ensured that the Blue and White head south to Mexico next week with a golden opportunity to snatch victory in the away leg.
Whitecaps FC head coach Jesper Sørensen’s lineup included four Canadians with goalkeeper Isaac Boehmer, Halbouni at centre back, and two 22-year-olds in midfielder Ralph Priso along with Jayden Nelson up front. Veteran striker Daniel Ríos, who had previously laced up for Chivas de Guadalajara, balanced out the plan of attack.
Unfortunately, a change to the lineup came sooner than expected. Nelson went down on the BC Place turf in the third minute; Sørensen took no chances, and Ali Ahmed came on as a replacement.
Boehmer was alert early on in net. He confidently gloved a weak attempt on goal that took a slight hop off defender Ranko Veselinović.
The ’Caps turned up the tempo. Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter stayed high to funnel pinpoint passes down the right wing to captain Ryan Gauld, who was dangerous all night.
Gauld returned the favour with a cheeky back boot flick-on for a Berhalter through ball – but defender Antonio Leone nimbly slid to deflect the ball out of the danger area.
At the other end, CF Monterrey midfielder Érick Aguirre’s long pass forward found wide-open striker Roberto de la Rosa. The offside flag stayed down as he hustled past defenders before a clinical finish off the far post and a 1-0 lead.
Gauld had more chances before the half. The hard-charging captain juked inside the box and his low strike forced CF Monterrey goalkeeper Esteban Andrada off his line.
In the second half, the youth movement continued. Laborda gave way to 19-year-old defender Tate Johnson for his Whitecaps FC debut. The American teenager was selected 15th overall in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft after a season at the University of North Carolina.
The ’Caps came agonizingly close to glory – first, J.C. Ngando tried to curl in an attempt from a tough angle. After a deflection, Gauld attempted an ambitious bicycle kick that went wide.
A minute later, substitute striker Brian White picked up a loose ball and sprinted ahead to go one-on-one with Andrada, who barely hung on to deny the 10-yard smash.
At the edge of the box, a moment of bedlam ensured when White was booked after a confrontation with Andrada.
However, the goal finally came for the ’Caps with four minutes left in regulation. Gauld’s sublime free kick found Halbouni. The Canadian joyfully nodded in a header to tie the match at 1-1.
With time running down, Pedro Vite pushed a header wide before the final whistle.
Whitecaps FC are right back at BC Place this coming Saturday, March 8 to take on Canadian rivals CF Montreal at 6:30 p.m. PT. For tickets, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
The 'Caps then head to Torreón, Mexico for the decisive second leg next Wednesday, March 12 at Estadio Corona. Kickoff will be at 5:30 p.m. PT, live on OneSoccer, FuboTV, and TELUS channel 980.
MATCH DETAILS
Attendance: 9,613
Referee: Kwinsi Williams
Scoring Summary25’ – MTY – Roberto de la Rosa (Érick Aguirre)
86’ – VAN – Belal Halbouni (Ryan Gauld)
Cautions7’ – MTY – Fidel Ambriz
13’ – VAN – Mathias Laborda
37’ – MTY – Jordi Cortizo
54’ – MTY – Hector Moreno
56’ – MTY – Luis Reyes
77’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
84’ – VAN – Brian White
StatisticsShots: VAN 21 - MTY 7
Shots on goal: VAN 6 - MTY 3
Saves: VAN 2 - MTY 5
Fouls: VAN 17 - MTY 12
Offsides: VAN 3 - MTY 0
Corners: VAN 15 - MTY 1
CF Monterrey1.Esteban Andrada; 14.Érick Aguirre (2.Ricardo Chávez 60’), 15.Hector Moreno ©️, 21.Luis Reyes, 32.Antonio Leone; 5.Fidel Ambriz, 25.Nelson Deossa; 8. Óliver Torres (37.Iker Fimbres 72’), 19.Jordi Cortizo (36.Luis Basulto 60’), 31.Roberto De La Rosa (29.Lucas Ocampos 72’); 11.Alfonso Alvarado (7.Germán Beterame 85’)
Substitutes not used
22.Luis Cárdenas, 24.Cesar Ramos, 3.Gerardo Arteaga, 10.Sergio Canales, 30.Jorge Rodriguez, 33.Stefan Medina, 38.Aldahir Valenzuela
Vancouver Whitecaps FC32.Isaac Boehmer; 18.Édier Ocampo, 12.Belal Halbouni, 4.Ranko Veselinović, 2.Mathías Laborda (28 Tate Johnson HT); 16.Sebastian Berhalter (45.Pedro Vite 77’), 13.Ralph Priso (20.Andrés Cubas 77’), 26.J.C. Ngando; 25.Ryan Gauld ©️, 14.Daniel Ríos (24.Brian White 60’), 7.Jayden Nelson (22.Ali Ahmed 5’)
Substitutes not used
1.Yohei Takaoka, 50.Max Anchor, 19.Damir Kreilach, 27.Giuseppe Bovalina, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 52.Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau, 59.Jeevan Badwal
