VANCOUVER - It might not be the position the Vancouver Whitecaps want to be in but it's one they have been in before after they conceded a late goal and had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Pumas UNAM on Wednesday in the opening game of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal.
Striker Brian White gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead in the 71st minute but Pumas midfielder Adalberto Carrasquilla tied the match in the 87th minute.
The second game of the series will be played next Wednesday at the 72,000-seat Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City. To reach the semifinals Vancouver needs to outscore Pumas or use the away-goal advantage to advance in a high-scoring draw.
"We have to again be chasing," said Vancouver coach Jesper Sorensen. "That's not ideal but we have to live with it."
The Whitecaps have travelled this road before. Vancouver settled for a 1-1 home draw in their round of 16 series against CF Monterrey but advanced to the quarterfinals by winning the two-game aggregate 3-3 on away goals on the road in Mexico.
"There's nothing to fear," said Sorensen. "We're playing against a good team. They will try to pull every trick out of their sleeve. We believe in ourselves. We've seen before that we can compete down there, so we'll try and do it."
The Whitecaps, who lead the Western Conference of Major League Soccer with a 4-1-1 record, pressed the Mexican powerhouse Pumas all match, coming close on several occasions.
Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter set up the Vancouver goal off a corner kick. The ball sailed into the box, setting off a scramble among several players before White finally directed it into the net.
"We had moments where we could have scored more goals," said White, who has scored five goals goal across all competitions this season and is tied for the Champions Cup scoring with four.
"If we execute better in the final third, I think we come away with more goals. We put ourselves in a good position. It's everything to play for down there."
Pumas evened the score off a corner kick by midfield Leonardo Suarez. Carrasquilla gained control of the ball and blasted a shot past Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.
Forward Emmanuel Sabbi came close to winning it for Vancouver in extra time. His header from in the box was stopped by the Pumas goalkeeper, then the ball hit the post and rolled out of danger.
A vocal contingent of Pumas fans was among the crowd of 12,356 at BC Place Stadium. They chanted and waved flags for the team which plays in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football.
Pumas head coach Efrain Juarez played for the Whitecaps in 2018. During the post-game news conference he greeted several Vancouver journalists, even hugging one.
Juarez liked the way his team performed on the road but doesn't expect things will get easier at home.
"They are a good team, a physical team," he said. "We know it's not going to be an easy game. We need to make a good performance."
The second half of the match saw a problem with the lighting at BC Place. Several times the lights flickered and dimmed. Twice the pitch was plunged into darkness. The power returned and the game continued.
The winner of the Vancouver-Pumas series will move on to face MLS rivals Los Angeles FC or Inter Miami CF in the semifinals.
It was a chippy game. Several times Pumas players fell dramatically to the turf clutching body parts.
White said composure will be important in the rematch.
"It's important to keep a cool head," he said. "They're going to try every trick they have to get you off your game."
Vancouver played the match with five players injured, including captain Ryan Gauld, who is out with a knee injury.
This marks the first time since 2023 that Vancouver reached the quarterfinals stage of the tournament and the second time overall, having reached the semifinals back in 2017.
The CONCACAF Champions Cup features the best teams from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean to crown a regional champion, and to qualify for the next FIFA Club World Cup.
NOTES: The Whitecaps return to MLS play Saturday when they host Austin FC. …. … Pumas have won seven Liga MX titles, three CONCACACF Champions Cups and a Copa Interamericana. … In the 2024 Leagues Cup Round of 32 the Pumas defeated Vancouver 2-0 at BC Place in the first ever meeting between the two clubs.
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