COUVA, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO – Vancouver Whitecaps FC are set to face Central FC in their 2016-17 CONCACAF Champions League opener (5 p.m. PT at Ato Boldon Stadium – live stream on whitecapsfc.com and CONCACAF Facebook page).
Here are some news and notes on Vancouver’s starting lineup.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
39.Spencer Richey; 6.Jordan Smith, 44.Pa-Modou Kah, 18.David Edgar, 46.Brett Levis; 30.Ben McKendry, 31.Russell Teibert; 8.Fraser Aird, 11.Nicolás Mezquida, 13.Cristian Techera; 19.Erik Hurtado
Substitutes
24.Marco Carducci, 14.Cole Seiler, 32.Marco Bustos, 38.Kianz Froese, 47.Kyle Greig, 51.Sem de Wit, 67.Alphonso Davies
NOTES
Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson makes a full lineup change after Sunday’s 2-0 loss to FC Dallas in Frisco, Texas. Among today’s starters, Nicolas Mezquida and Erik Hurtado are the only two players who saw the pitch on Sunday – they played 26 minutes as second-half subs.
Five Canadians get the start in centre back David Edgar, left back Brett Levis, midfielders Ben McKendry and Russell Teibert, and right back/winger Fraser Aird, who starts tonight's match on the wing. This will be Edgar’s first competitive match for Whitecaps FC after making his debut and scoring a goal on July 19 in a friendly against Crystal Palace FC.
Edgar is one of five of today’s starters who also started against the English Premier League side.
There are an additional four Canadians on the substitute’s bench.
Two WFC2 players get the start for Vancouver in Levis and goalkeeper Spencer Richey, who will be making his first-team debut. Levis scored a spectacular goal for WFC2 on Friday, his fourth of the season, while Richey made a record-setting nine saves. WFC2 centre back Sem de Wit and striker Kyle Greig are also in the 18-man gameday roster as substitutes.
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