VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC began their quest for the 2026 Leagues Cup with a 1-0 defeat to Liga MX side Atlante FC from Mexico City at BC Place on Tuesday.
Before the half, Atlante striker Jhojan Julio struck the lone goal in off the woodwork.
Atlante, a 110-year-old club, entered this cup campaign on a high. The Iron Colts returned to the Mexican top division three weeks ago.
For the Leagues Cup, all 18 MLS sides, including Whitecaps FC, sit in one group. All 18 Liga MX sides are in the other table. The top four clubs from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
After the curtain lifted, a deflection off Atlante captain Juan Carrera dipped into the path of Blue and White left winger Cheikh Sabaly, who then hit a powerful knuckler that whooshed over goalkeeper Óscar Jiménez’s crossbar.
At the quarter-hour, Boehmer alertly ran out 20 yards to challenge Atlante forward Luis Puente, snuffing out the chance.
Atlante gained the advantage on the next rush. A sky-high ball in the box fell to Atlante's Jhojan Julio. The Ecuadorian cracked a drive off the left post and in for 1-0.
Shortly after being substituted in for the second half, Emmanuel Sabbi latched onto a ball in the box and juked wide to avoid goalkeeper Jiménez’s challenge – but the low attempt dribbled straight to the ’keeper.
Julio came two feet from a brace. His shot just skidded wide – thanks to Laborda’s miraculous intervention.
Whitecaps FC manager Jesper Sørensen sent on Thomas Müller to spark the home side. The German legend drew attention before an Oliver Larraz corner, which allowed Laborda to dart in for a header barely off target.
The 'Caps pushed and pushed, but could not find an equalizer.
Whitecaps FC continue Leagues Cup play against two more Liga MX clubs, playing twice in the next seven days.
Next up, the Blue and White return to BC Place to lace up against FC Juárez on Friday, August 7 at 7:30 p.m. PT. To secure your seats, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
The ’Caps then fly down Mexico way to Monterrey for a clash with Tigres UANL on Tuesday, August 11 at 7 p.m. PT. You can watch on Apple TV, or check out the ’Caps & Taps list to find the nearest bar showing the match.
MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Ekaterina Koroleva
Attendance: 19,824
Scoring Summary
40’ – AFC – Jhojan Julio
Statistics
Possession: VAN 65.5% – AFC 34.5%
Shots: VAN 12 – AFC 9
Shots on Goal: VAN 4 – AFC 5
Saves: VAN 4 – AFC 4
Fouls: VAN 13 – AFC 18
Offsides: VAN 6 – AFC 2
Corners: VAN 8 – AFC 2
Caution
89’ – AFC – Jose González
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
32.Isaac Boehmer; 18.Édier Ocampo, 2.MathÃas Laborda, 6.Ralph Priso (33.Tristan Blackmon HT), 3.Sam Adekugbe (28.Tate Johnson HT); 8.Oliver Larraz, 20.Andrés Cubas ©; 41.Nikola Djordjevic (24.Brian White 78’), 26.J.C. Ngando (13.Thomas Müller 64’), 7.Cheikh Sabaly (11.Emmanuel Sabbi HT); 19.Rayan Elloumi
Substitutes not used
1.Yohei Takaoka, 30.AdrÃan Zendejas, 25.Ryan Gauld, 43.Trevor Wright, 48.Micaah Garnette, 59.Jeevan Badwal, 63.Johnny Selemani
Atlante FC
1.Óscar Jiménez; 29.Walter Portales, 6.Juan Carrera © (32.Diogo Bagüà 62’), 4.Eduardo Tercero, 3.Luis Sánchez (44.Aarón Quirós 62’), 34.Edgar Jiménez; 8.Eugenio Pizzuto (12.Maximiliano GarcÃa 73’), 17.Leonardo MejÃa, 19.Luis Calzadilla (18.Christian Bermúdez 85’); 9.Luis Puente, 7.Jhojan Julio (16.Jose González 85’)
Substitutes not used
22.Roberto Barragán, 20.Gilberto Adame, 21.Javier Ibarra, 27.Armando Escobar, 184.Rubén Coubert, 199.Santiago GarcÃa