VANCOUVER, BC – Fresh off the back of Saturday night’s shellacking in Seattle, the ‘Caps get to face off against their Cascadia rivals once again in tonight’s Champions League opener. Tickets: http://ow.ly/QuVkf
KICKOFF: 7 p.m. PT TV: Sportsnet One/Sportsnet World RADIO: TSN 1410
Here are three storylines to get you set for the match.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEBUT
In case you hadn’t noticed, tonight’s match at BC Place is a pretty big deal. The clash against Seattle will mark the first time the ‘Caps have played in the CONCACAF Champions League in the club's history, and that’s something worth shouting about.
After all, the CONCACAF Champions League is the most prestigious international club competition in this corner of the globe, and by qualifying the ‘Caps have put themselves up there with some of the sport’s best.
“We are excited to begin our CONCACAF Champions League journey at home with our amazing supporters against our oldest rival in Seattle,” Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi said of the occasion. “The tournament will be a new experience for our club and fans, without question extremely competitive, and a challenge that everyone is looking forward to embracing.”
RIVALRY HEATING UP
They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and given the 40-year history between these two teams it’s fair to say that there will be a bit of the latter on display when the ‘Caps face off against Seattle in the latest chapter in this long-running rivalry.
Saturday's 3-0 win at CenturyLink Field was every inch the derby encounter with flared tempers and crunching tackles only adding to the occasion as Whitecaps FC beat their Cascadia rivals in their own back yard.
“We backed up our talk and that’s what this sport is about,” Russell Teibert told reporters on Monday. “It’s not just talking, it’s about getting out on the field and actually practicing what you preach and we definitely did that on the weekend.”
The ‘Caps will want to let their football do the talking again tonight as their rivals from south of the border look to exact some revenge after Saturday night’s loss.
“We get a chance to prove how we are as a club,” Teibert said. “We had a chance to prove it last weekend and we did so, but that game’s gone and we have a tough match coming up again with Seattle."
TEST OF DEPTH
The weekend win was undoubtedly a huge boost to the boys in Blue and White, but it was only the first leg of what’s shaping up to be a marathon month. The ‘Caps still have seven matches across three competitions left to play in August and with Wednesday night’s encounter coming so soon after Saturday night’s win, Robinson might be forced to shuffle his pack in order to keep fresh legs in his starting XI.
“Regardless of who’s in there, it’s an important game,” Steven Beitashour told reporters after training on Monday. “It’s against a local team, a derby match and we want to win; every game we play we want to win so it’s going to be a tough game.”
“You’ve seen our depth tested all year, so this one game is not going to be anything different,” the ‘Caps right back continued. “I keep saying it and I’ll say it again, you’ve got to give credit to Robbo and his staff bringing in the type of players that they do, because we’ve probably got the most depth out of any team I’ve seen and definitely been a part of. The crazy part is we’re really young, so it’s great to see guys are confident, guys are eager to play and you’ll see that eagerness on Wednesday.”
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are now on sale. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
