Report and Reaction: Whitecaps start new campaign with goalless draw in Concacaf Champions Cup action in Costa Rica

(Photo Courtesy: Concacaf.com)

Vancouver Whitecaps got their 2026 campaign underway as they did in their most successful season ever in their MLS era last year – down in Costa Rica in CONCACAF Champions Cup action. Last year it was a losing effort against Saprissa. This time around it was a goalless affair against Cartagines.

It was a match in which the Whitecaps dominated, but couldn’t find the offensive spark or creativity to unlock a very deep lying home side that showed little attacking intent bar the odd counter.

The away goal didn’t come, but they don’t head into next week’s second leg having to overcome a deficit and should be too strong in Vancouver to move on. With the attacking pieces that have moved on, the injury situation with Ryan Gauld, and some of the newer attacking pieces still awaiting their work visas, the Whitecaps will certainly need to be better creatively to get their MLS campaign off to a winning start in three days time.

Jesper Sorensen put out a starting line-up with one eye on the club’s MLS season opener on Saturday, Thomas Müller was kept on the bench, with Jeevan Badwal getting a chance in the number 10 role. Mathias Laborda partnered Tristan Blackmon in the middle of the defence, with Tate Johnson starting at left back. After missing the preseason matches, Emmanuel Sabbi got the start on the right wing, with Kenji Cabrera getting the nod on the left, and both were heavily involved in the early stages of the match.

The Whitecaps first chance came just four minutes in through a long range shot from Sebastian Berhalter. Sabbi had a couple of looks on goal, including an audacious bicycle kick attempt in the 17th minute, in what was pretty much one-way traffic.

Diego Gonzalez had the first real look on goal for the home side, heading wide in the 28th minute, before Andres Cubas’ fierce strike from the corner of the box brought an acrobatic save out of Kevin Briceno in the Cartagines goal six minutes later.

The last chance of the first half fell to Laborda a minute before the break when a Berhalter free kick came at him at pace at the back post, but bounced off his thigh and over.

Scoreless at the half, the Whitecaps brought Aziel Jackson on for his Vancouver debut for the second 45 minutes, but it was the home side that had the best chance to open the scoring when Juan Gaete fired a fierce on past the far post five minutes after the restart.

Edier Ocampo brought a save out of Briceno minutes later, as the ‘Caps continued to dominate the play without really looking like breaking the deadlock.

Müller came on midway through the second half to try and add some spark for Vancouver in their search for an away goal, but the game had fallen into something of a pedestrian pace.

Diego Mesen headed a long Blackmon throw in onto the roof of his own net in the 71st minute, with Badwal driving a low one narrowly wide of the right post seven minutes later.

That was to be pretty much it really. Neither side felt like they had what it took to break down the other on the night, and the heavy pitch saw some tired looking Vancouver legs in the end.

Certainly not a classic and not a lot to enthuse over, but it’s the first game of many this year and things should look different in a week’s time in the second leg at BC Place. If it doesn’t then there might be a few more concerns.

FINAL SCORE: Cartagines 0 – 0 Vancouver Whitecaps

ATT:3,733

CARTAGINES: 1.Kevin Briceño; 18.Carlos Barahona, 20.Diego Mesen, 8.Douglas López (26.Bernald Alfaro 81’), 3.Fernán Faerrón; 19.Diego Gonzalez (6.Claudio Montero HT), 15.Luis Flores Cordero, 10.Cristopher Núñez (28.Enzo Fernández 85’); 24.Suhander Zúñiga, 13. J.C. Gaete (5.Marcelo Pereira 66’), 21.Ricardo Márquez (9.Johan Venegas 65’) [Substitutes not used: 33.Christopher Moya, 34.Darién Hidalgo, 2.Randal Cordero, 16.Geancarlo Castro, 22.Dariel Castrillo, 31.José Mora, 36.Emmanuel Brenes]

VANCOUVER: 1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo, 33.Tristan Blackmon, 2.Mathías Laborda, 28.Tate Johnson; 16.Sebastian Berhalter, 20.Andrés Cubas (13.Thomas Müller 66’); 11.Emmanuel Sabbi (22.AZ Jackson HT), 59.Jeevan Badwal (8.Oliver Larraz 79’), 17.Kenji Cabrera (26.J.C. Ngando 85’); 24.Brian White (19.Rayan Elloumi 79’) [Substitutes not used: 30.Adrían Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 6.Ralph Priso, 15.Sebastian Schonlau, 29.Mihail Gherasimencov, 41.Nikola Djordjevic, 97.Liam Mackenzie]

STATS:
Possession: CSC 25% – VAN 75%
Shots: CSC 4 – VAN 12
Shots on Goal: CSC 0 – VAN 3
Saves: CSC 3 – VAN 0
Fouls: CSC 11 – VAN 11
Offsides: CSC 1 – VAN 0
Corners: CSC 1 – VAN 10

CAUTIONS:
54’ – CSC – Cristopher Núñez
60’ – CSC – Douglas López
62’ – VAN – Édier Ocampo
63’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
89’ – VAN – Oliver Larraz

REACTION:

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

JESPER SORENSEN

On tonight’s match:

“Overall, in our first leg away, I think it’s an OK result. I think we played well and had a good rhythm from the start of the game. Of course we hoped to win here, but we were up against a team that fought really hard and was also very well organized. So, it was difficult for us. But I think in general, the result was fine. I think we could have scored in the first half especially, but also in the second, but that’s how it works sometimes. And when we couldn’t score, I think it was good that we didn’t slip up any big chances and didn’t concede any goals. So I have to be satisfied with the result here.”

On the second leg at BC Place:

“Let’s see how it’s going to play out. I think in general it was a tight game. We couldn’t break their defence line, so they did well in that regard. But on the other hand, they were not close to breaking ours, as well. So, overall, let’s see what’s going to happen a week from now.”