- Whitecaps FC now advance to face rivals Seattle Sounders FC in the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16. The first leg will take place on Thursday, March 12 at BC Place, with the decisive second leg on Wednesday, March 18 at One Spokane Stadium in Spokane, Washington. Kickoff times will be confirmed in the coming days
- The MLS home match against Minnesota United FC originally scheduled for Saturday, March 14 has been rescheduled to Sunday, March 15. Kickoff will be at 1:30 p.m. PT. Tickets originally purchased for the match will be honoured for the rescheduled date
- Kenji Cabrera scored his first goal of the season after recording two goals in 13 appearances in 2025
- Sebastian Berhalter scored his first goal of the season. In 2025, the MLS Best XI selection scored eight goals and had 16 assists in 41 starts and 47 appearances across all competitions. Last year, Berhalter also made the Concacaf Champions Cup Best XI with three goals and two assists
- Tristan Blackmon recorded his first assist of the season. In 2025, the MLS Defender of the Year had five goals and one assist while starting 35 of his 38 appearances across all competitions
- Andrés Cubas received his second yellow card of Round One and will be suspended for the first leg of the Round of 16 against Seattle
VANCOUVER, BC – Under the lights of a rocking BC Place, Vancouver Whitecaps FC overcame a stubborn CS Cartaginés side to secure a 2-0 victory, advancing to the Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 against rivals Seattle Sounders FC.
The visitors from Costa Rica started on the front foot. However, the tide began to turn after the 10-minute mark. Jeevan Badwal served notice of Vancouver’s intent with a fizzed cross that nearly forced an own goal, followed shortly by Kenji Cabrera’s dangerous delivery that narrowly evaded a sliding Brian White.
White remained the focal point of the attack throughout the opening half. Moments after his first chance, Badwal cleverly carved out space in the area to cut the ball back to the American striker, but White’s point-blank tap-in was heroically cleared off the line by the retreating defense.
The deadlock nearly broke in the 28th minute when Sebastian Berhalter stood over a dead ball; his curling free-kick took a wicked deflection off the wall, forcing Kevin Briceño into a frantic adjustment. The Cartaginés keeper was called into action again shortly after, producing a stunning save to deny Emmanuel Sabbi, whose curling effort seemed destined for the top corner after a fluid link-up with Badwal.
The 'Caps' best chance to take the lead came from the penalty spot after Sabbi drew a handball inside the area. White stepped up to take the responsibility, but his low, driven effort was met by an inspired, outstretched save from Briceño, sending the sides into the tunnel scoreless.
The Breakthrough
The complexion of the match shifted following the interval with the introduction of Thomas Müller. The veteran's presence was immediate; he nearly scored with his first touch, rising in the six-yard box to meet an Édier Ocampo cross, only to see his header rattle off the woodwork.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 58th minute. Berhalter’s whipped corner caused chaos in the six-yard box, finding Tristan Blackmon, whose flick-on fell perfectly for Kenji Cabrera. Showing no hesitation, Cabrera lashed a first-time strike into the net to ignite the Vancouver crowd.
Sealing the Result
Cartaginés briefly threatened to spoil the party in the 74th minute during a frantic goal-mouth scramble following a set-piece, but substitute Ralph Priso was on hand to clear the danger. Minutes later, Müller was denied by the frame of the goal for a second time, cutting inside with trademark precision only to see his curling effort clip the far post.
The insurance goal arrived in the 80th minute through the persistence of Berhalter. After AZ delivered a searching cross to the back post, Berhalter’s initial strike was blocked, but he made the most of his second bite of the cherry, hammering the rebound home to record his first goal of the season.
AZ nearly added a third in the dying minutes after a solo run into the box, but Briceño—unquestionably the standout for the visitors—produced one final save to keep the score at 2-0.
UP NEXT: Whitecaps FC return to domestic duty this Saturday, February 28, for an all-Canadian Maple Leaf Matchup against Toronto FC. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PT at BC Place. Tickets remain available at whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
MATCH DETAILS
Attendance: 15,517
Referee: Marco Ortiz
Scoring Summary
58’ – VAN – Kenji Cabrera (Tristan Blackmon)
80’ – VAN – Sebastian Berhalter
Statistics
Possession: VAN 67.6% - CSC 32.4%
Shots: VAN 21 - CSC 5
Shots on Goal: VAN 6 - CSC 0
Saves: VAN 0 - CSC 3
Fouls: VAN 10 - CSC 14
Offsides: VAN 1 - CSC 1
Corners: VAN 7 - CSC 3
Cautions
28’ – CSC – Suhander Zúñiga
37’ – CSC – Luis Flores
45’+1 – VAN – Emmanuel Sabbi
45’+1 – CSC – Douglas López
73’ – VAN – Édier Ocampo
85’ – VAN – Andrés Cubas
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
1.Yohei Takaoka; 18.Édier Ocampo (2.MathÃas Laborda 85’), 33.Tristan Blackmon, 6.Ralph Priso, 28.Tate Johnson; 16.Sebastian Berhalter, 8.Oliver Larraz (13.Thomas Müller HT); 11.Emmanuel Sabbi (22.AZ 62’), 59.Jeevan Badwal, 17.Kenji Cabrera (20.Andrés Cubas 72’); 24.Brian White © (19.Rayan Elloumi 72’)
Substitutes not used
30.AdrÃan Zendejas, 32.Isaac Boehmer, 26.J.C. Ngando, 29.Mihail Gherasimencov, 41.Nikola Djordjevic
CS Cartaginés
1.Kevin Briceño; 18.Carlos Barahona, 20.Diego Mesén, 3.Fernán Faerron, 19.Diego González (5.Marcelo Pereira 55’); 31.José Mora (13.Juan Gaete 55’), 8.Douglas López (28.Enzo Fernández 66’), 15.Luis Flores, 24.Suhander Zúñiga (16.Geancarlo Castro 82’); 21.Ricardo Márquez (6.Claudio Montero 82’), 10.Cristopher Nuñez
Substitutes not used
33.Christopher Moya, 34.Darien Hidalgo, 2.Randal Cordero, 11.Leonardo Alfaro, 26.Bernald Alfaro