A late equalizer helped Liga MX side Pumas UNAM deny the Vancouver Whitecaps a crucial victory in their Concacaf Champions Cup quarter-final first leg match at the BC Place Stadium on Wednesday.
Vancouver striker Brian White helped the hosts draw first blood in the 70th minute when a scramble in the Pumas penalty box, following a corner kick from midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, led to a scruffy goal.
White, who was instrumental in helping the Whitecaps advance to the quarterfinals after they beat another Mexican side (CF Monterrey) in the previous round, scored his fourth goal of the tournament to put himself at the top of the tournament goalscoring charts
The buzz around BC Place in Vancouver, however, was short lived when Pumas UNAM midfielder Adalberto ‘Coco’ Carrasquilla scored to tie the match in the 87th minute.
Carrasquilla’s thumping equalizer came off a corner kick as well when the Panamanian controlled midfielder Leo Suarez’s long ball with pristine brilliance and blasted a shot past Whitecaps goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka.
The away goal gives Pumas UNAM a vital advantage when they face Vancouver in the return leg on April 9 at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario in Mexico City, needing only a 0-0 draw to advance to the semi-finals.
Vancouver dominate early proceedings
Before the match, Vancouver Whitecaps coach Jesper Sorensen described his team’s presence in the last eight of the tournament as a ‘privilege’.
The Whitecaps did everything they could to maintain that privilege early on, including starting the match in dominating fashion. In the opening 10 minutes, the Major League Soccer (MLS) team created a flurry of chances through some inspiring runs and plays.
Brian White celebrates scoring for Vancouver Whitecaps against Pumas in their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal first leg match in Vancouver April 2. Photo courtesy Concacaf
It was the same zeal that saw them beat former Real Madrid and Spanish captain Sergio Ramos’s team in the previous round and reach the last eight for the first time since 2023.
The Caps had a great chance to go ahead in the 4th minute when Berhalter fired a shot just wide of the post. Defender Tristan Blackmon then took a glorious shot from distance in the 38th minute, only to be parried away by Pumas goalkeeper Alex Padilla.
Padilla was kept busy the entire match and was without doubt Pumas’ best player on the pitch.
Pumas stage a mighty comeback
Pumas UNAM – three-time Concacaf Champions Cup winners – started the second half more determined and with better control of the ball.
The Mexican club did everything they could to replicate their inspiring performance from the last time they faced Vancouver at BC Place in 2024, which interestingly was also the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. Pumas beat the Whitecaps 2-0 that day.
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Even though the Whitecaps continued to create scoring chances in the second half – which also saw the stadium plunge into darkness a few times due to floodlight issues – Pumas had luck on their side and kept the Canadian team at bay multiple times.
Their resilience was finally rewarded right in the dying minutes when former Houston Dynamo player Carrasquilla’s screamer from close distance stunned the home fans.
Vancouver Whitecaps almost win it at the end
Vancouver almost pulled off a memorable win deep in stoppage time when second half substitute Emmanuel Sabbi headed a ball straight at goalkeeper Padilla in the 93rd minute.
The Mexican – on loan from Spanish La Liga side Athletic Bilbao – got a reaching hand to somehow deflect the ball on to the post before it rolled out of danger, leaving Canadian fans in despair of a lost opportunity. The save led to a wild celebration on the Pumas bench.
The Whitecaps, who settled for a 0-0 draw with fellow Canadian MLS club Toronto FC on Saturday and began the season with an eight-match unbeaten streak in all competitions, will now have the onerous task of having to score when they visit Mexico for the return leg.
The winner of this tie will face either LAFC or Inter Miami CF in the semi-finals.
