Match Preview: Vancouver Whitecaps vs Club Tijuana – all in their hands

Well, for about 80 minutes against LAFC the Whitecaps looked surprisingly efficient. Yes, they’d gotten a little lucky defensively (most notably with a Mathias Laborda goal-line clearance) but they were certainly full value for their lead against the favoured hosts. Then, it all came crashing down, and what was nearly a monumental choke turned into a merely minor choke by virtue of pulling out the win on penalties.

The two points the ‘Caps left California with have put them in a spot where all scenarios are possible depending on the result against Club Tijuana Saturday night. Win? That’s first place. Lose on penalties? That’s fine, you’re still in second. Lose in regulation? Eliminated.

The ironic twist is that coming second in the group might actually be better than coming in first. That’s because Austin FC pulled off two somewhat surprising wins over Monterrey and Pumas in their group, and have thus come in first. If the ‘Caps finish second in their group, they will host Austin in the round of 32 (due to a weird rule where Leagues Cup hosting priority is determined not by play in the actual tournament but rather by MLS play). If they come in first, they either host Pumas, or play Monterrey at a neutral site in Texas (due to yet another weird rule where multiple Liga MX teams have “hosting” priority over everyone else due to their own league play).

Confused? You should be. All you need to know is that heading into Saturday’s match, the ‘Caps can finish in any of the three spots in their group, can play any of the three teams in another group should they advance, and can do so at one of multiple stadiums. That’s quite a lot of permutations!

To make things even more odd, both Vanni Sartini and Juan Carlos Osorio (the manager of Tijuana) received red cards in their respective matches against LAFC! So, it will be assistants patrolling the touchline for both sides at BC Place.

When it comes to predicting Vancouver’s lineup for this one, that might be a little difficult in parts. I mean, who would have guessed that Laborda would line up at wingback in order to bring in Belal Halbouni for his first non-friendly start for the first team this year? Not that Halbouni did poorly, in fact for someone who’s only played in half a dozen actual games over the last 12 months he was downright solid. Will that be enough for a second start on Saturday? Who knows?!

In goal, it appears that Isaac Boehmer has been tasked with starting in both cup competitions this year, leaving Yohei Takaoka for MLS play. I’m definitely a fan of giving Boehmer some more reps, as trying to develop a goalie without loaning them out can be tough if they’re stuck being a backup week-in, week-out without getting any actual game time.

The LAFC match was Boehmer’s fourth start for the first team this year, with the chance to get a few more in Leagues Cup and the Canadian Championship. That’s solid for the BC native who’s still just 22 years old, and really the only way to try and gauge his viability as a long-term #1 keeper for the club. He’s definitely not shown poorly in any of his starts this year, and with both he and Takaoka having club options on their contracts for 2025, that could be a spot where the ‘Caps try and free up some cap room as well as an international roster spot ahead of next season.

Of course, that’s thinking quite a ways into the future. In the here and now, something that’s really stood out is how low the ‘Caps are on reliable forward options. The drop-off from Brian White and Fafa Picault to Damir Kreilach and Levonte Johnson was quite apparent against LAFC, and of all the non-DP players on the team, White is the one whose health we are dependent on most currently. If he goes down, especially if Gauld struggles with his fitness once MLS play resumes, then the chances the ‘Caps have of doing anything in the postseason are probably cooked.

With that said, White will surely be leading the line once again against Tijuana. Andrés Cubas and Ryan Raposo both played more limited minutes against LAFC so could be fresh, while Sam Adekugbe didn’t play at all and will hopefully be able to plug in and provide a spark down the left flank.

Looking at the visitors, Tijuana lost 3-0 to LAFC last weekend and lost the shots on target battle 10-4 despite holding over 65% possession. LAFC were able to hunker down and counter-attack against them with great effectiveness, and that’s the type of gameplay it’s easy to envision the ‘Caps aiming to do as well. The Mexican side finished 16th out of 18 teams in last season’s Clausura and are mid-table with a 2-1-1 record to start this season.

Things are pretty straightforward for the ‘Caps: a win or draw through 90 minutes gets them through to the next round. A loss, and it’s three weeks until their next match when MLS play resumes. It would certainly be nice to be able to pull out a win over a Liga MX team, something the Whitecaps have still never done in an official competition (at least in the MLS era) Let’s root for some history!