LA LÍNEA DE LA CONCEPCIÓN, CÁDIZ – Set against the backdrop of the iconic Rock of Gibraltar, Vancouver Whitecaps FC earned a 1–0 victory over K League 1 side Incheon United FC on a sunny afternoon at La Línea Football Center. The match marked the club’s second preseason outing of its training camp in Spain.
Whitecaps FC started brightly, pressing high and forcing Incheon into early turnovers. That pressure paid dividends throughout the opening half, as Vancouver controlled possession and created the better chances.
The first notable opportunity came in the eighth minute when Sebastian Berhalter delivered a free kick from 30 yards to Tristan Blackmon at the far post. Blackmon headed the ball back across goal to Brian White, but the striker’s header deflected wide for a goal kick.
Vancouver broke through four minutes later. Oliver Larraz won the ball in midfield and quickly found Thomas Müller, who slipped a pass into White. The American striker showed composure to control, create space, and finish for the game’s only goal in the 12th minute.
The 'Caps continued to apply pressure for the remainder of the half. In the 39th minute, Johnny Seleman combined with Larraz before firing a shot over the bar, as Vancouver took a deserved 1–0 lead into halftime.
Head coach Jesper Sørensen introduced seven substitutions at the break, as he continued to mix youth with experience.
Vancouver threatened from a free kick in the 57th minute, though Kenji Cabrera’s effort was blocked by the wall. Incheon looked to respond with set pieces of their own, but Yohei Takaoka was sharp, calmly claiming a free kick into the box in the 60th minute.
One of Vancouver’s best passages of play in the second half came in the 61st minute, as J.C. Ngando, Kenji Cabrera, and Tate Johnson combined neatly down the left flank before Incheon recovered defensively to force a goal kick.
Incheon continued to push late, with Takaoka called into action again in the 76th minute. The Japanese keeper made a strong save from a close-range header, before producing a quick reaction stop inside the box in the 85th minute to preserve the clean sheet.
Whitecaps FC will continue their preseason schedule with their next match on Wednesday, February 4, against another South Korean side, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC, at the Marbella Football Center.
MATCH DETAILS
Scoring Summary
12' - VAN - Brian White (Thomas Müller, Oliver Larraz)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
32.Isaac Boehmer (1.Yohei Takaoka HT); 41.Nikola Djordjevic (6.Ralph Priso HT), 33.Tristan Blackmon (75.Immanuel Mathe^ 86'), 2.Mathías Laborda (66.Sahil Deo^ 68'), 28.Tate Johnson (29.Mihail Gherasimencov 68'); 8.Oliver Larraz (20.Andrés Cubas HT), 16.Sebastian Berhalter (59.Jeevan Badwal HT); 63.Johnny Selemani^ (42.Nelson Pierre 68'), 13.Thomas Müller (c) (6.J.C. Ngando HT), 97.Liam Mackenzie (17.Kenji Cabrera HT); 24.Brian White (19.Rayan Elloumi HT)