Three things to watch for in ‘Caps’ first test of the season against Saprissa

After nearly three-and-a-half months with no action, Vancouver Whitecaps kick-off their season with the first leg of the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup on Thursday. Facing Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa in their home, where a more than familiar friend awaits, the Whitecaps will want to ensure that they bring back a positive result to BC Place for the second leg a week later, with Monterrey lurking in the round of 16.

#1 Finding That Form Early On

The Whitecaps seemed to have had a positive pre-season in Marbella in the build-up to this match. Two wins, one draw, and one loss in four games, but it’s the way they played that mattered most. Their first two games showed the lack of sharpness and fitness in the players, and the learning they still had to do to adapt to the new coach Jesper Sørensen’s play style. However, the latter two games saw marked improvements in both the condition of the players and their cohesion with the system and style of Sørensen. The players seemed to click more and be able to execute the ideas that were asked of them.

Some early impressors in those matches were the likes of Sebastian Berhalter, Ali Ahmed, and Jayden Nelson. Berhalter looked composed in a more advanced, number 8 role, linking up well in the attack and keeping possession until a gap opened up. Both Ahmed and Nelson looked hungry and ready to attack on the wings, fearlessly going up (and often past) their markers to create opportunities. Some surprise form was also found in young draft pick Tate Johnson, who featured often in pre-season. Despite his diminutive size, Johnson was tenacious in defense and courageous in the attack, providing that width when captain Ryan Gauld went inside from the left. Both Ralph Priso and J.C. Ngando made good cases for themselves to be more involved in 2025 too, slotting into that midfield three and performing admirably.

The biggest question of the Whitecaps ahead of Saprissa will be how good they can actually be against more difficult opposition. Not many have heard of the likes of FC LNZ Cherkasy or IF Brommapojkarna, but Saprissa is a team that Concacaf die-hards and now longstanding ‘Caps fans will have heard of, thanks to the presence of a certain former captain. Sørensen will need to make sure that the players that played well in pre-season can translate that to a proper competitive match, especially one in tough conditions like in Costa Rica.

#2 The Return of the (Tico) King

When the draw for the first round of the Concacaf Champions Cup began, many longtime fans were hoping that the Whitecaps would match up against exactly this opposition. Not for any thoughts of an easy draw or a nice few-days-vacation, but because it would mean the return of a beloved Whitecap icon, Kendall Waston.

Playing 115 games for the ‘Caps, Watson was an integral part of the team between the years 2014 to 2018. He was part of that super team that first won the Canadian Championship in 2015, and went on to reach the conference semifinals in the league after achieving their best ever points finish on 53 points, a feat he and the team would reprise in 2017 (although finishing on 52 points). 2018 saw the Whitecaps fall drastically from grace and prompted the higher ups to call for substantial change, which included letting Waston go to FC Cincinnati.

Although Waston’s exit was not as either the fans or the player would have hoped, he remains a beloved figure within the Whitecaps fanbase. This will be his second time facing his old side after captaining FC Cincinnati against them in 2019. His team lost 2-1 on that occasion, so no doubt he will be looking to get one over on his old side now with his hometown team before returning back to BC Place for the first time since leaving in the second leg.

You can listen to AFTN’s extensive interview with Waston about his time in Vancouver, his career, and this match on the latest AFTN Soccer Show HERE

#3 Saprissa’s Midseason Threat

One of the major disadvantages that MLS (and CPL sides for that matter) have in the Concacaf Champions Cup is that it comes in pre-season for them, but midseason for many of the other Central American leagues. That’s the case for the Whitecaps again, as Saprissa is already eight matches into their Clausura league season. Although still early on, the San Jose based team is 5th in the table on 12 points, with a 3-3-2 record. The -1 goal difference shows that the attack isn’t super prolific and the defence isn’t impenetrable, but they are still a team that has that match rhythm about them.

Prominent threats are right winger Marvin Loria, who has scored four goals and registered one assist already in eight games, Sabin Merino, an experienced Spanish striker that had been scoring in Spain’s second division quite consistently previously before joining the club some weeks ago, and, of course, Kendall Waston, who despite his age loves to score goals from set pieces. Esteban Alvarado is another experienced player who will be tough to crack, as the 35-year-old ‘keeper’s career saw him play in the Eredivisie with AZ Alkmaar and Turkey with Trabzonspor, giving plenty of wisdom on how to stop goals from coming in.

But regardless of the personnel, Saprissa are always known to be a physical and gritty side to fight against in Concacaf. Last season, they nearly knocked out the Philadelphia Union in this competition, losing 6-5 on aggregate after extra time. No doubt they will want to do one better in this year’s tournament and take the early shock of eliminating the Whitecaps at the first time of asking.