3 KEY takeaways: Late magic salvages key draw for Whitecaps in leg 1 of CCC Round of 16 clash vs. Monterrey
After a frustrating outing, the Vancouver Whitecaps clawed back a crucial late result at the perfect time, as they drew Mexican giants CF Monterrey 1-1 in the first leg of their Round of 16 Concacaf Champions Cup tie at BC Place on Wednesday.
Despite the positive ending for the Whitecaps, however, the game didn’t start as they’d have hoped, as they came out in search of a marquee victory against Liga MX opposition. As a result, after surviving an early flurry of Whitecaps chances to begin the game, Monterrey opened the scoring in the 25th minute, as Roberto de la Rosa managed to sneak behind the Vancouver defence for a breakaway, one he’d coolly convert to give his team the lead.
After coming close to finding an equalizer on several occasions, leaving them wondering if a goal might come at all, the Whitecaps tally finally came quite late - after a great set-piece delivery by Ryan Gauld, Belal Halbouni rose highest and headed home a goal from close range to make it 1-1 in the 86th minute.
With that, Monterrey will head back to Mexico with a slight advantage, but a smaller one than hoped, with the Whitecaps now hoping to capitalize on their late heroics in that second leg of this tie.
Here are three key takeaways from this one.
Old frustrations crop up for Whitecaps against Liga MX opposition:
In their short history of matches against Liga MX opposition, coming both in this competition and Leagues Cup, the Whitecaps have often ended up on the wrong side of the scoreline.
Other than a 3-1 win over Club Tijuana in last year’s Leagues Cup group stage, they’ve struggled to beat Liga MX sides, with that Tijuana result sitting as their lone victory against a team from that league.
Yet, despite having a lopsided record in these games, it’s not as if the Whitecaps have played poorly in their matchups against Liga MX teams. In recent memory, they more than held their own in an entertaining clash against Tigres in the 2023 Leagues Cup, followed that up with a good showing against that same side in the Champions Cup in February of 2024, and then put in a strong effort against Pumas UNAM in last year’s Leagues Cup Round of 32, even if they came up short in each of those matchups.
As a result, heading into this clash against Monterrey, it was hoped they could channel some of those past frustrations from these matches, allowing them to find a big breakthrough against a top Mexican side.
Unfortunately for the Whitecaps, however, some of those old frustrations cropped up again in this game.
The first half was a prime example - despite generating seven shots, including two big chances (per OPTA), while keeping Monterrey from generating any big chances of their own, it’d be the guests, not the Whitecaps, who’d reach the first half with a lead in their back pocket.
GOAL 🔵
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 6, 2025
Roberto de la Rosa opens the scoring for @Rayados against @WhitecapsFC… but was he offside? 🤔#ConcaChampions I Watch live on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/mkphSnUDa3
Despite there being a steady stream of one-way traffic from the Whitecaps towards Monterrey’s goal for most of the first half, they didn’t turn any of their big chances into goals, and Monterrey punished them for it.
That ended up putting the Whitecaps at a big disadvantage for the rest of the match, as it can be so massive to pick up an away goal in the first leg of a tie, something the Whitecaps themselves took advantage of in their first round Champions Cup series against Deportivo Saprissa. Even if the Whitecaps eventually scored, they now head to Mexico needing to score a goal, as a 0-0 draw will eliminate them.
At the same time, while the Whitecaps will have felt down about conceding the away goal, it’s not as if this is a poor result. Eventually, they got the goal they felt they deserved - even if it took them generating four big chances to finally get it - ensuring that their efforts wouldn’t fully go to waste.
As a result, a draw isn’t the end of the world, provided they find a way to come out with a strong showing in leg two, with the odds leaning in their favour if they get an away goal of their own.
Certainly, they’ll look back and rue these missed opportunities to have grabbed a chokehold on this tie, having followed a theme of past matches against Liga MX opposition, but it’s worth noting that they still have time to change that script - it just involves getting a result in a hostile environment in a week’s time, which is easier said than done - but not impossible.
“Yes, of course I’m happy with most of what I saw from the players today,” Whitecaps head coach, Jesper Sørensen said after the match. “We made a mistake in the first half and they profited from it.”
He added: “Of course, in a two-legged tie like this, we have not room for many mistakes, but I would say that I would rather sit here after a very, very good performance and talk about 1-1 instead of talking about a bad performance and getting lucky getting 1-1.”
Andrada leads poised Monterrey defensive performance:
Also in the midst of a busy portion of their schedule, and struggling heavily in Liga MX play, sitting ninth in the Apertura table, Monterrey faced a tough challenge when attacking this tie.
Needing to improve results in the league, while also balancing a desire to make a deep run in this competition, it was going to be interesting to see what kind of starting XI they’d put out for this game.
Turns out, it’d be a heavily rotated one - they’d make 10 changes to the group that beat Santos Laguna on the weekend for this game, giving an idea of where their priorities lay.
At the same time, while they rested some key players in this game, it wasn’t as if they threw out a team incapable of getting a result. A luxury of being a side like Monterrey, who has one of the deepest and most talented squads in the region, is that they can tackle multiple competitions with ease, thanks to their ability to rotate.
There is no better example of that than the performance of their goalkeeper, Esteban Andrada, who put in a big shift in this game.
A veteran with over 300 professional appearances under his belt, including several in Liga MX and the Argentine top flight, the 34-year-old has had to play a smaller role as of late, having lost his starting spot to begin Monterrey’s Apertura campaign.
Despite that, he stayed ready, and made the most of an opportunity to shine when called upon from this game.
Andrada was quite busy in this game - he faced six shots on target - but he stood tall to five of them, and had no chance on the one that did breach his goal, giving his manager, Martin Demichelis, something to think about going forward.
Yet, that’s the benefit that Monterrey’s deep squad provides Demichelis, as he has the luxury to rotate without worrying about seeing too much of a dip from his side, which was shown by their ability to grind out a result despite dealing with a strong Whitecaps performance. 
Whitecaps showing ability to find late goals:
No doubt, the Whitecaps will prefer to be a team that can score goals early in games, allowing them to control proceedings, but there will also be games like this one, where they did everything right in the chase of an early goal, but just couldn’t breach the Monterrey net at the key moment.
When those games happen, it’s important to stay locked in and not get frustrated, knowing that a late goal can still come.
Ryan Gauld attempts an incredible bicycle kick 🚲... but it hits the post and stays out 😅@WhitecapsFC continue to push for an equalizer!#ConcaChampions I Watch live on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/9IotNlFo4t
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 6, 2025
Oftentimes in 2024, the Whitecaps struggled to find those late markers, as when it wasn’t their day, it was clear that they wouldn’t score no matter what happened.
Now, however, they’re showing signs of a group that is going to stay patient with their approach, allowing them to remain dangerous right until the final whistle.
GOAL ⛰️
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) March 6, 2025
Belal Halbouni ties it up for @WhitecapsFC with a great header from a set piece! #ConcaChampions I Watch live on OneSoccer 🔴 pic.twitter.com/JcJIDOIiRO
The last few games show the payoff of that - after scoring a late goal against Saprissa in the second leg of their Champions Cup first round tie to all but cement their progress to this round, they followed that up with a dramatic late win in MLS play on the weekend.
Now, with this goal, that makes it three games in a row where they’ve found late goals, which could prove to be quite crucial going forward.
Yet, that seems to be one of the many positive improvements that Sørensen has brought to this team since his arrival. Not afraid to make dynamic substitutions, ones done with the design of winning the game, that approach has paid off in key moments late on.
For a team that has already quickly started to play some excellent soccer under his watch, it’s making them a tough team to beat early on.
Perhaps, that’s not that surprising to see given the calibre of players in their squad - it’s also helped them that two of the late goals (against Saprissa and LA) came from a striker like Brian White, and that Ryan Gauld was the one to deliver the assist on the equalizer on this game, but that also further shows how seamless of an adjustment to Sørensen’s system it’s been for those players, giving an idea of why the Whitecaps were so eager to bring the Danish manager into the fold ahead of this season.
Player of the Match:
Belal Halbouni, Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Having already put in a strong defensive display, Halbouni’s late goal was a perfect way to cap off a strong night for the centre back, who put in a top shift at both ends for his team. In particular, his defensive numbers stand out - he finished with two tackles, one block, two clearances and won five of eight duels in this one, playing a big role in helping his team mostly shut down Monterrey’s dangerous attack. 
What’s Next:
Both teams will meet for the second leg of this tie in exactly a week, as Monterrey will host the Whitecaps at Estadio Corona in Torreón, Mexico on Wednesday, March 12th (5:30 p.m. PT), with their usual stadium, Estadio BBVA, unable to be used due to a Shakira concert.
Before then, both teams will have league matches to contest - the Whitecaps will host Canadian rivals CF Montréal at BC Place on Saturday, March 8th (6:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET), while Monterrey will head to Mexico City for a clash against Cruz Azul in Liga MX action that same Saturday (5:05 p.m. PT).
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